The obsession began when my father, PT Abraham gifted me a Vaseline jar filled with rare coins from Travancore [to remind him of his roots] when I moved to Delhi as a student,” recalls Paul Abraham, founder of Sarmaya Arts Foundation as he shares anecdotal snapshots of the journey from amateur collector to founder of an arts platform, and now proud occupant of a home for his sourced collection of coins, maps, photographs, contemporary art works, historical documents and 15,000-odd books in the heart of bustling DN Road. The incessant buzz of weekday traffic appears distant enough to not disturb his team. They are busy working towards D-Day in the tastefully restored address located on the second level of a 146-year-old building named after the city’s oldest optician brand, when the inaugural talk by historian Manu Pillai opens their calendar. “We want people to engage in the arts, culture and heritage, have intimate conversations and access our vast collection of books,” he shares, giving us the tour as morning sunlight streams in from the arched windows, bathing its restored interiors in a warm, inviting glow.

Members of the restoration team display rare books and artefacts (Tholu Bommalata shadow puppets) from their archive in the lab section