Fly with me

I certainly wasn’t planning to write about antiques again this week, but as I was walking through Times Square after a yoga class, an unfamiliar (at least in Dubai) sight caught my eye. The entire central area was taken up by natural wooden pieces, tables painted in beautiful faded blues and reds, dated mirror frames and cupboards full of character. There was a man sitting on the bench by the large dining table speaking and working with another lady. I interrupted them and asked more about the pieces — where were they from? “Mostly Rajasthan and some from Gujarat,” Jerome Dhulst told me in his French accent. Both being my favourite areas of India, I was intrigued and excited. I fell in love with all of it and suddenly wanted to furnish my apartment all over again.

Okay, so I needed to calm down. I could still use some of the items. I reserved a desk and a mirror and thought, perhaps one of the cupboards? There are two types of furniture, explained Dhulst, who started the Antika Dubai a few years ago. His passion for furniture and India was evident through the intricate pieces he had found and created, or restored. An intrepid explorer, Dhulst showed me a picture of him biking around the streets of Rajasthan in search of furniture and pieces of wood. Authentic pieces and items made with recycled wood, wood that is bought from old houses when they are demolished.

“I had these Coca-Cola ice boxes from an old man, who had been given them by his grandfather,” he told me.

I have only recently started collecting antiques, but I seem to be finding them everywhere. Last week, in fact, as I was meandering, or rather squeezing, through the crowds at Camden Town’s Lock Market, one of London’s most famous markets — with Chinese food sizzling on one side, authentic Mexican being served at another counter, churros being fried and dipped in chocolate elsewhere — I chanced upon some antique shops. There was an old Bible that was given to the army, the “Active Service Edition”. Inside was inked a message, dated 7-8-43. I had only two weeks ago bought an ancient Bhagavad Gita from Delhi. Since studying the Bible at school, I haven’t owned one and this one with so much history, with its own story and journey, seemed perfect to add to my collection.

So back to Dubai, I was thrilled at discovering a piece of Gujarat or Rajasthan, possibly from a grand haveli, right here in Dubai — a living example of the rich fusion of East and West, a Frenchman selling antiques from India in a mall on Shaikh Zayed Road.

Follow Meera Ashish on www.talefourcities.com and @meeraashish and @talefourcities