Provided - Keppel Offshore & Marine

For the love of heritageMr Aziz Merchant, ED of KeppelOffshore & Marine TechnologyCentre (Deepwater), DeepwaterTechnology Group and Keppel FELS(Engineering), and his wife,Dr Reshma Merchant, SeniorConsultant & Head, GeneralMedicine at the National UniversityHospital and Assistant Professor atthe National University of SingaporeMedical School, are ‘lifelong loversof antiques’. They both developedand shared this passion since theiruniversity days in the UK.Their love for history and heritagewas captured in a Business TimesExecutive Lifestyle article publishedrecently on 13 April 2013, whichhighlighted the Merchants as keenantique appreciators who are alsostrong supporters of the AsianCivilisation Museum (ACM)in Singapore.While the Merchants’ interest inantiques started when they werein university, what ignited theirstaunch support of the ACM wasnone other than their 10-yearolddaughter Farah. Farah hadreturned one day from a two-hourvisit to the ACM and raved aboutthe visit.Dr Merchant recalled, “Farahwas very excited about whatshe had seen and couldn’t stoptalking about it. Aziz and Ibecame convinced that if twohours at the museum can instillsuch a passion for heritage andhistory in our daughter, imaginethe multiplier effect it wouldhave if more children got to seethese extraordinary antiques andartifacts from the past.”At the time, the couple had justmade a substantial donationto the ACM to help mount theTreasures of the Aga Khan Museumexhibition, a collection of Islamicart belonging to Prince Karim AgaKhan IV. However, the exhibitionwas not a permanent fixture at theACM and was later movedto Canada.The Merchants then sought tomake another donation thatwould become part of themuseum’s permanent collection.They eventually decided onan intricately carved 17thcentury Mughal cabinet madeof rosewood, ebony and ivory.The cabinet purchased by theMerchants is likely to have beenmade at the Mughal court in Agra,India, and is similar to what ShahJahan Agra had in the Taj Mahal.Mr Merchant said, “Singapore is amulticultural society with a lot ofexchanges and learning betweenthe different races and religions,and we find that the museum is thebest place to spread that philosophyof learning and exchange.”By displaying the rare antiquecabinet in the museum, the couplehopes that their contribution willhave a positive and lasting impacton future generations, providingthem with a visual record ofculture and history to enhancetheir learning experience beyondthe classroom.Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam (centre, in grey suit) expressingthanks to Mr Aziz Merchant (second from right) and his wife, DrReshma Merchant (right) at the National Heritage Board Gala Dinneron 15 March 2013, for their contributions towards the Asian CivilisationMuseum in SingaporeEager to promote multicultural exchanges and learning between thedifferent races and religions in Singapore, the Merchants purchasedand donated an intricately carved 17th century Mughal cabinet made ofrosewood, ebony and ivory to the Asian Civilisation Museum32OffshoreMarine March – April 2013