On December 26, 2021, during a programme at Kolar, I happened to meet and interact with V Sivashankara Sastry, who invited me to visit his home later that day.

As I entered his house, painted in Warli design, I felt as though I had stepped into a mini museum. The house was full of his personal collections.

There were so many items that sparked my curiosity — fossils collected during his field trips and treks, a number of mathematical toys, simple tools and mechanisms designed by him for science demonstrations and books on a wide range of subjects.

Origami and paper models were scattered all around. There were bugs too. But on a closer look, I realised they were not real — they were life-like models made out of waste wedding cards.

I wondered how a person could have so many interests an

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