Che-9: The Old Curiosity Shop

A selfie with the shopkeeper-philosopher Lateef Mohammed. I don't know why it's taken me so long, but this weekend I paid my first visit to the magical Old Curiosity Shop, which - Lateef tells me - his family set up after leaving Kashmir almost ninety years ago.

Photography inside the shop is discouraged, but you can see from the crowded shelves just what a treasure trove it is - from 1950s LPs to wonderful old nautical instruments, from dusty books (all now carefully conserved) to the sort of knick-knacks tourists seem to love.

The Old Curiosity Shop (aka the Kashmir Art Palace) is on Anna Salai, the wide boulevard which was once known as Mount Road. The city's leading department store, Spencer's, used to be opposite.

​Still close by is the Connemara, perhaps the leading hotel in what was Madras in the colonial era and certainly the best of the old-style five star hang-outs.

Lateef Mohammed explained that he had been born in Chennai - though he can still speak Kashmiri. His shop has become something of an institution. A wonderful place to browse for half-an-hour - and yes, I did buy too - though not cheap.

There were several other shoppers when I popped by, and Lateef had time for them all - chatting, reminiscing, sharing a tea and showing his wares.

He had a lovely piece of ephemera from the 'Quit India' movement of 1942 - like so many of his choice items, it was strictly 'Not For Sale'.

I asked if he had any other political publications or ephemera. He took out two wonderfully well-kept bound volumes of the Harijan, the weekly paper founded by Gandhi. They were from 1946-8 and so straddled the era of Partition and independence. They had once been kept at The Hindu's editorial department, just down the road.

So of course I asked: how much? Five lakh (that's £5,000). I suppose that's another way of saying NFS.

I abided by all the signs requesting no photography inside the shop. But I did photograph the windows. They give you some idea of the eclectic mix, and delightful clutter, you find inside.