Thrissur: They may not drink tea or coffee, but they have a special fondness for cups. And so a couple from Kerala have ended up collecting unique cups from around the world. Sunil Ghosh of Puthurkara, Thrissur, began the hobby which is wholeheartedly supported by his wife, Sheela. 

What began as a pastime 35 years ago has grown into a collection of more than 1,500 cups.

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Sunil started collecting any cup he found appealing or unusual and bringing it home. Sheela created a dedicated space for the collection and kept everything neatly arranged, and the hobby soon grew into something much bigger.

Their collection now includes cups from various countries, including the UAE, Sri Lanka, Denmark, Tibet and Germany.

Of these, around 350 are one-of-a-kind pieces. Their very first items were gifted by Finn Petersen, a General Manager, when he was relocating to the UK. It was his question, “Why don’t you start collecting cups?”, that inspired Sunil.

The collection ranges from cups as small as five centimetres to those over a foot tall. One of the standout items is a 24-carat gold-plated cup used for drinking ‘qahwa’, the traditional Arabic coffee.

Once people learnt about Sunil’s love for cups, many began gifting him pieces, helping the collection grow further. The gold-plated cup was given by a friend from the Dubai Palace. Silver-plated cups also feature in the assortment. “Just as we can’t say which child we love most, we can’t pick a favourite among the cups,” the couple say.

The collection includes cups printed with everything from Dracula to Gandhi, as well as branded cups from top global car makers such as Ferrari. Three specially designed shelves across the two floors of their home house the vast array.

For the past 20 years, they have also been collecting crystal glasses, of which they now have around 700. As these can easily break if dropped, Sheela cleans them with great care. Their children, Nikesh Ghosh and Bharathchandra Ghosh, fully support their parents’ hobby.