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Isidore Dominick Mendis

V. Raghunathan, President, ING-Vysya Bank, is also one of the world's largest collectors of locks. Isidore Dominick Mendis on his collection and how it all started.

In 1960, as a schoolboy in Chandigarh, V. Raghunathan was perpetually collecting locks. His mother would get exasperated with the clutter in the house, but always thought of it as a passing fancy that he'd grow out of.

Today, over four decades later, 47-year-old Raghunathan still collects lock. In fact, this former professor of the Indian Institute of Management and the President of ING-Vysya Bank is one of the world's largest collectors of locks.

Raghunathan has over 400 locks in myriad shapes and sizes. Padlocks, chest locks, door locks, trick locks and more He has a lock which resembles Lord Hanuman others in the shape of fruits, revolvers, buckets, pots and plants. Many are like animals — scorpion, camel, lion, horse, cow, dog and cat — and others look like ... well, locks.

He has the world's smallest lock measuring two centimetres and weighing five grams, as also the world's largest measuring over four feet and weighing 15 kilos. The age of his locks varies from 200 to 800 years.

"Collecting locks is a passion. I just love them and will travel any distance to procure one," says Raghunathan, who also has a passion for vintage cars and is a proud owner of a Austin 1937.

Though he has been collecting locks since his schooldays, the hobby turned into zeal in 1984, when he went to Gulmarg in Kashmir and stayed in a resort. "Our cottage had a lovely old lock. I asked the caretaker if I could get him a new lock in exchange for the old one. From that day, my search for exotic locks began in right earnest," remembers Raghunathan.

Like other collectors, he says, he is not in the mad race to have the maximum amount of locks in the world. Nor does he collect any old lock that comes his way. A lock has to meet certain criteria if it has to be a part of his collection.

First, it must be in working condition. Second, it should be Indian and third, it must have an element of ingenuity in its craftsmanship. "The only exception I have made is in the 800-year-old lock, which is not in a working condition," says Raghunathan of the ancient lock in the shape of a Jain monk. It doesn't have a key and he can't find anyone who can do the intricate job.

An exotic collection

Though he is proud of his entire collection, Raghunathan is particularly fond of a few — the lock with a fake keyhole, one that opens with the wrong side of the key, a lock where you have to press a hidden lever while turning the key, a lock that requires a secret combination of five keys and the one that rings an alarm when opened.

"The lock with a fake key hole can baffle even the wisest burglar. The real key hole is under the rim. Concealment of key holes was an important objectives of the locksmith those days," says Raghunathan.

The lock with five keys is from Rajasthan and it was basically used in government treasuries. Five keys provided absolute security from robbers. Five different people were given one key each for absolute safety.

Then there's a lock with two keys — one to open it and the other one to close it. This lock had an enormous utility in houses where the servant could lock the door from outside but couldn't open it unless he/she had the other key. The lock that rings an alarm had its own utility in scaring robbers.

Mysterious keys

Even the keys of these locks are fascinating. There are some shaped like screws, others like long needles and some like birds. The smallest key in his collection is half-a-centimetre long and the largest is two-and-a-half feet in length.

"A lot of research went into the making of these locks. Most old locksmiths used screw-spring combination. The key operated as a screw compressing a spring inside the body of the lock which released the shackle," says Raghunathan, who already features in the Limca Book of Records (2002) and could soon find his name in the Guinness Book as well.

Raghunathan has acquired locks from Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Kashmir and West Bengal.

Most of these have been bought from junk dealers for undisclosed amounts. "I never reveal their price for security reasons," says the collector.

However, he has a grouse. He says there is scant literature on locks. "After visiting scores of museums and libraries around the world, I have come across only two books on locks — one an Italian book and the other is the history of Indian locks at the National Archives in Delhi." Now he is planning a Web site dedicated to locks and follow it up with a book.

He feels that in today's era of mass production, these locks have lost relevance. "The bolts of modern doors would not be able to support half of these locks. They all belong to an era when bolts were huge and doors strong. Today, it is easier to break the door than the lock!" says Raghunathan, who is one of the leading financial brains of the country and has been on the boards of various banks and stock exchanges.

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