The place is called YK Antique House Museum and it gives a retro South Indian home vibe
Published Date – Tue, 23 May 23 at 08:00 AM
Admission to the YK Museum is free. Krishnamurthy runs it with his own savings, and some volunteers manage its social media.
Hyderabad: Yenugu Krishnamurthy, 83, walks around his house-museum in Alwar, explaining carefully where and when he collected his 1,000 antiques.
Known as the YK Antique House Museum, the place has a vintage South Indian home vibe and represents Krishnamurthy’s lifelong passion for antiques.
From the brass appliances and stone cookware to the old typewriters and rotary dial telephones, the place has the vibe of a traditional 1950s South Indian home.
When asked how it all started, he laughed and recalled his mother. “I was working in Chennai and decided to move my mother there. She brought a couple of big brass appliances and there was no room in the kitchen, so I put them in the living room as a display.”
Afterwards, all the friends who visit their house become nostalgic, talking about their grandparents and country life. “I felt good and started collecting more,” he said. He traveled all over the country buying things to add to his collection and storing them with the help of his wife, Venkata Ramana.
Exuding that old-school aesthetic, his home is filled with brass, tin and copper cookware. On one wall you’ll find a variety of huge plates traditionally known as tambalam, and on the other you’ll find musical instruments and weapons. He also has a collection of hookahs, vintage chairs and two canopy beds made hundreds of years ago.
Everything in his house, from the utensils he uses to cook in the morning to the chairs he uses to lie in at night, is decades old.
Before his wife died a few years ago, they considered donating the entire collection to the museum. But at the suggestion of a friend, they jumped at the chance to run their own hometown museum.
“We thought we’d do it for six months and see. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, we’ll donate it,” he said. The home museum not only works well, but becomes a unique experience in the city.
They started getting visitors about three times a week and eventually became a top Google search for “Museum of Hyderabad”.
Entry to the museum is free. Krishnamurthy runs it from his own savings and with the help of some volunteers who run the museum’s website and social media.
“The only goal is for people to come and witness how their ancestors lived. It’s not something you see every day. It’s not a typical museum. You can touch and feel things, actually — for a second — living the life of the past,” he concluded.
