Thiruvananthapuram: A three-storey antique Nalukettu model, dating back to 1924, exhibited at the British Empire exhibition at Wembley in London, is on sale by its three Malayali owners.
Though the Nalukettu was exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum for several decades, they wanted to get rid of it citing lack of space. The staff contacted various Malayali associations in London and it was bought by A. Najeeb, Joy Madhavan and Prakash Ramaswamy who were nostalgic about the bygone era of their motherland.
The Nalukettu was gifted by the erstwhile Cochin principality. After renovation, the trio shifted the model to a storage centre in Croydon in South London in a special truck as it has a height of 5’ 5,” length of 6’ 11” and width of 6’ 9.”
“It took a week for Ramaswamy, a Royal Mail employee, to bring it to its true splendour as it was kept in the garage of V&A Museum for so long. We were given this antique model as part of a deal with them.
We have decided to approach Bonhams, a private British auction house and one of the world’s oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques,” Najeeb, a contract employee of London Underground, told DC.
When the trio brought it outside from the closed environs of a massive storage centre, local Britishers looked at it with awe. According to Madhavan, a telecom contract employee in London, the house is constructed entirely of wood which is divided into two parts, the front being in three storeys and the back side in the form of a bungalow.
“The marvel of the structure is that it is an exact replica of the Malabar dwelling seen during the 1920s. The balcony is reached by two flight staircases. This is a priceless antique piece,” Madhavan told DC.
Genuine art collectors can contact the trio on their website, http://oldhouseantiqueshowcase.eu/
