This tea set was a gift to my great grandmother in my mom's side from her family, as a part of her wedding present in 1926. They came from the region of Kashmir in India, which has remained very politically tumultuous. She is the mother of my grandmother on my mom's side, and her name was Durga Puri before marriage, and it was changed to Kamala Khanna after marriage by her in law family. Though the heirloom came from her own family, my grandmother isn’t sure if they bought it specifically for the occasion or if it is an heirloom that goes further back. Durga Puri was the daughter of a vizier to the then king of Kashmir. The vizier and his wife were barren, so his wife’s sister gave her child to his care. Hence, she was treated like Kashmiri royalty. My mother remembers the story that her feet were not allowed to touch the ground in the mornings, and a servant was expected to bring her slippers when she woke. The tea set is made of silver, and designed and handmade by Kashmiri artisans of the time. It includes a specific design of a leaf called the Chinar Leaf, which was a special design specifically made by the Kashmiri silver artisans.

– Jahnavi Zondervan

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more