Singapore-based man toils to retrieve Indian artefacts smuggled abroad

India recently restored 157 antiques from the US, including the 10-century Nataraja statue of Punnai Nallur in Thanjavur with the help of Singapore-based S. Vijay Kumar, a native of Tamil Nadu. His India Pride NGO tracks and traces auction of idols in western nations. Till now in the last seven years, he has helped the government to retrieve 200 stolen items

Chennai: Indians often brag about glory and pride of the country's rich heritage and culture. But, very little is being done to preserve that. However, India recently restored 157 antiques from the US, including the 10th century Nataraja idol of Thanjavur, 24 Tirthankaras statues, 56 terracotta statues, 71 antiques, 60 Hindu religious statues, 16 Buddhist statues and 9 Jain statues.

This is considered to be a rare feat given the fact that from 1970 to 2000 only 19 idols has been recovered, and from 2000 to 2012 none of the stolen items has been recovered. Thanks to S. Vijay Kumar, a Singapore-based Indian, and his India Pride NGO, that traces the auction of idols in western nations.

Vijay Kumar is a native of Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu, and working at a shipping company in Singapore. In the last seven years, he has helped the government to retrieve 200 stolen items. According to Kumar, India needs to implement stringent laws to curb idol smuggling.

ETV Bharat Tamil Nadu caught him during his visit to Chennai. Vijay Kumar started India Pride project in 2014 to restore Indian cultural artefacts abroad and bring back them to home. He says while some countries demand proof of ownership in auctions, India has not done much in this area and the responsibility to prove its ownership lies with us.

Idols in the temples and artefacts from museums are stolen, smuggled to various countries and kept as showpieces and even sold to the highest bidders, he told us. "These deities, a piece of art and a symbol of cultural richness, are decorating the swimming pools and bathrooms of rich westerners. Some are buying artworks for money laundering and financial fraudulent activity," he noted.

After the arrest of idol smuggler Subash Kapoor in New York in 2012, an antique worth Rs900 crores was recovered. Vijay Kumar has gathered details about idol smuggling. He along with his team has toiled day and night to track and trace the details of the idols put up for auction in western museums. Along with the help of the law enforcement authorities in India and in the US, he managed to bring back the valuables.

"Antique material is what matters and the collectors prefer to offer a good price for historic pieces. Also, the collector value the artistry, style, figures, carving and making of the idols. However, contrary to the public perception, collectors in foreign lands don't consider the material in which the idols are made," he said.

Vijay Kumar says he got interested in idols and antiques after reading the popular Tamil historical fiction novel "Ponniyin Selvan." It led him to temples and other historical places and that's where he came to know about the theft of idols. He alleged that the lack of concern of the Indian government had led to an increase in smuggling.

"The smuggling of artefacts from India started even before the Independence and foreigners visit temples as tourists, took photos of them. Later they were smuggled to their places. For years they were smuggled out of ships and planes. Sometimes they were even sent through air cargo with fake documents," he elaborated.

Vijay Kumar wrote a book titled "Silai Thirudan" (Idol thief) based on organised theft and smuggling of idols. His journey is far from over, out of 248 stolen idols he identified only 57 has been recovered. He told around 1,000 statues are smuggled out of the country in a year and only 5 per cent of the thefts are being reported.