The key to his heart

The key to his heart
V Raghunathan is fascinated by the mechanics of locks, and stores over 700 — under lock and key —in specially-built cabinets

V Raghunathan (59) CEO, GMR Varalakshmi Foundation

V Raghunathan’s drawing room in his Hyderabad home has an unusual statement showpiece — a “monster lock” weighing 30 kg. A tour of his house also reveals three custom-built cabinets that store and display over 700 locks, a testament to his passion of over 30 years. The ex-President of ING Vysya is well-known within the small circle of middlemen who source interesting locks from all parts of India. In 2013, he even wrote a book Locks, Mahabharata and Mathematics, which explored connections between the three.

His fascination with the mechanics of locks began after he encountered an old lock in a cottage where he was staying during his honeymoon in Gulmarg. Raghunathan asked the caretaker if he could buy a new Godrej Nav-tal lock in exchange for the old. “The exchange made us both happy,” he recalls. Later that year on a road trip to Lalgudi near Trichi, he saw another old lock that was different from the first one he had. “I asked for this lock as a souvenir and they gladly gave it,” he says. The year wasn’t up but on a visit to the Ravivari market on the banks of the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad, he found another lock. “That’s it,” he says, “I was hooked.” He even scoured the markets for interesting locks during his stint as a professor at IIM (A).

The collection has grown on an “ad-hoc basis”, though he admits he prefers “made in India” locks. Ranging from half a centimetre to three-and-a-half feet, the locks are specimens of craftsmanship and intricate wizardry. “One of my favourites is a 200-year old lock that requires four keys to open it, with every key taking four-five steps,” he explains. Another favourite is one acquired in Aligarh, that has beautiful Buster etchings.

In his collection are also old handcuffs and leg cuffs — forms of locks. The costliest item “by far” is the monster lock, he says, without divulging the sum or the worth of his collection. “In the beginning, I didn’t even tell my wife for I would get a dressing down,” he says with a laugh. The only missing category is the chastity lock belt. “Thankfully, we don’t have them in India,” he says. Locked and loaded, is this collector.