A peep into the past

KOCHI: Almost everyone in Kochi might has passed Cheriachan's small shack on the Post Office Link Road between Broadway and Menaka. Step in to see old coins, currencies, stamps, documents, cameras, lamps, locks, statues and more. “I have a 130-year-old camera. It is one of the first models,” says Cheriachan.Cheriachan beams like a child while talking about each artifact, explaining its origin, importance, and uniqueness. "According to the archaeological records, the stamps of [philatelist] Stanley Gibbons available are dated 1892, but I have a stamp from 1879," says the 55-year-old.Another unique piece is the Golden Pakoda with a Vishnu incarnation. "This piece is not available in any of the museums," he says. "The Sivaparvati Pakoda and a miniature of Lord Ganapati inside a metal oyster shell are among other  rare pieces."Items that are single pieces with Cheriachan are not for sale. He is also careful about whom he sells artifacts. "Only if a person is a genuine collector will I put it up for sale," he says. "There are people who will buy antiques from me and re-sell it for double and triple the amount."Though his shop is vulnerable to theft, he is not worried. "I am a firm believer of God," he says. "I am collecting these to preserve our history for the coming generations."Cheriachan has also donated some of the items. "I have given many coins of the Princely states and documents of Kochi Rajas to the Tripunithara museum," he says. "Apart from that, I have also bequeathed artifacts to Aluva UC College."Incidentally, he has been collecting antiques since he was 10-years-old and developed this passion from his real-life experiences. "When I was growing up, in an agriculture family, very few people dealt with actual money," he says. "An ordinary person rarely saw a paisa in those days. That is how I started collecting coins and currencies." Over the years, his passion grew. A teacher encouraged him, and what also helped was his voracious reading of history books, even though he has only studied till Class 10.In order to get rare antiques, Cheriachan travelled extensively to places like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai. In the past couple of years, Cheriachan has been looking for sponsors to set up a museum but has not had much luck so far. "A 3000 sq ft space would be ideal," he says.[email protected]