Ideas for picking the best souvenirs on your holiday: Part 1

When travelling, I rely on my instinct and collect things that are unusual and spark joy. For my table, I sometimes buy one plate that is unique, and use it just for myself as a Sunday treat. It’s a guilty indulgence, and a happy one.

Abhinav Rajput and Nandika Kumari

Co-founder and COO, Nao Spirits; associate director, Dasra

While the few pieces we’ve brought into our home have mostly been paintings in different forms and styles, this black pottery tiger from Dastakar was the first sculpture that really caught our eye on a trip to celebrate our anniversary at Ranthambore National Park—which makes it even more memorable. The tiger, which was created by local artisans from the Sawai Madhopur program for women’s economic empowerment, sits at different spots around the house—in front of a black and white photograph of us from our wedding day on top of a dresser or the living room coffee table.

More than imagining things in our house, we like to form a connection with the pieces we collect, and, recently, record stores have become a whole new world of culture to immerse ourselves into every time we walk into one. We’ve discovered fascinating local artists and music styles that have a long history behind them, bringing back tunes from every corner into our home.

Kavan Shah

Architect

I inherited a home with objects that hold layers and layers of stories and personal narrations—I come from a family of keen collectors, and grew up seeing them constantly bring back art from their travels. As a quarterly affair, we would sit together over tea, discuss art and rearrange the pieces—new ones are mixed with the old; artefacts in storage pulled out, dusted off.

These seven apsaras with the musical instruments were carved in the late 18th century from Saurashtra, and sourced from a Jain temple on a family trip to our hometown in 2008. These were typically mounted in the central atrium of every temple to create a celestial theme. What's unique about these figurines is that they are intricately carved from solid wood, with hand-painted details in natural pigments. They now sit perfectly in the dining room along with other curiosities, such as ceramic pots made by my mother, Sri Lankan frescos on wood, and an antique temple in brass circa 1890, nestled between ferns, which was inherited from my grandmother's aunt.

Check out the second part here.