Page 10 - Seniorstoday March 2023

Alaimentary

One is joy, two is sorrow – A

Collector’s Moment of Truth

In a passionate collector’s minds, there is no finiteness to collecting; not
a compulsive obsession as people are wont to say, but civilised passion
playing out and preserving art and heritage, writes Nagesh Alai

Who has not heard about the beautiful subsequently adding different dimensions
black and white corvid, magpie, an to it over time, collecting is all about
intelligent and social bird? It is both liked relating to the finer sensory aspects that
and disliked for its hoary association with nature has bestowed on us, expressed in
good luck and bad luck and spirituality and the form of fine art and craft, thanks to
superstitions; folklores about it abound. Its human culture and creativity.
supposed proclivity to pick up or put away Any average person is a collector of
shiny objects is a notoriously misplaced sorts – of something or the other, lesser
belief, but has given rise to metaphors or greater. After all, in practice, life is
like “ collecting like a magpie”. Some may not just about needs, but wants as well.
remember the English nursery rhyme, a Understanding collectors is tough since
sort of hosannah for the magpies, that goes, several factors and psychology are at
“One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a play. Ask a collector why she or he does
girl, four for a boy, five for silver, six for it and she or he will take you on a spin
gold……..ten for a bird, you must not miss.” of emotions and joys that may leave you
Hunting-gathering and farming is closely overwhelmed or bewildered or excited in
linked to the homo sapiens’ evolution equal measures. In a passionate collector’s
and collecting is but an extension of that mind, there is no finiteness to collecting;
process. While hunting-gathering-farming not a compulsive obsession as people are
was primarily about survival and food wont to say, but civilised passion playing
on the table, with trade and commerce out and preserving art and heritage.

10