Singaporean collector Peter Lee on checks, chintz and multicultural ports

Peter Lee is a man who wears many hats. The Singaporean collector, of Peranakan Chinese ancestry, is an independent scholar, researcher and curator. He is also an Indophile who believes that the “love of checks” unites Peranakan and South Indian textile collectors. “My father and grandfather wore what we call Pulicat sarongs at home [which can be traced to the 17th-century port town of Tamil Nadu]. They are so much a part of my memories of everyday life,” says Lee, who was in Karaikudi a few days ago to participate in the annual Chettinad Heritage and Cultural Festival.