Lucknow, Dec 18 (Inditop.com) An antique five-feet tall brass clock, a 1929 model Ford car, 150-year-old hookah, a collection of silver and gold coins from the Mughal dynasty – you are not inside any museum, but the house of an Uttar Pradesh resident who has a rich collection of antiques.
Meet G.R. Khan, 58, a resident of Shamli town in Muzaffarnagar district, some 350 km from Lucknow, who has virtually set up a museum inside his house that has become a centre of attraction for locals.
“Except during late night hours, almost at all times you will find visitors lining up my house to see my antique collection,” Khan, who lives in the Nazar colony, told IANS on telephone.
“It just feels great…Actually, I cannot express the feeling in words when people appreciate me, my collection and acknowledge the hard work that went into establishing the museum,” he added.
Prominent among Khan’s antique collection are brass clocks manufactured by Ansonia Clock Company, a 200-year-old ‘Made in Italy’ kitchen stove, nearly 3,000 silver and gold coins of the Mughal era, over 100 antique walking sticks, massive silver plates that can easily hold about five-kilogram of food grains and copper pitchers that are nearly 150 years old.
Of all the items, three clocks manufactured by the Ansonia Clock Company – one of the major 19th century American clock manufacturers – are Khan’s most prized possessions.
“The three clocks are of the period between 1882-1889 and they are still in working condition. Of all my items, the clocks are closest to my heart probably because they (watches) have their utility in this period also,” reasoned Khan, who is a property dealer.
“Other than the clocks, the collection of silver and gold coins is also rare. Normally, you will find coins of prominent emperors like Akbar, Humayun, and Shahjahan, but my collection also has coins from the times of Sher Shah Suri, Mohammed Tughlaq and Alauddin Khilji,” added Khan.
Asked how he managed to collect such rare items, Khan replied: “Actually, for this I give credit to my father, grandfather and ancestors, who had a habit of keeping even small things safely and handling them with care.”
“Moreover, we had relatives in different countries of the world like America, Holland, Italy and the Gulf,” he added.
The rare collection of items is housed in three rooms in Khan’s house, which has led to bit of a space crunch.
“I know for guests and family members it sometimes becomes difficult. But frankly speaking, they support me a lot in taking care of antique items by cleaning them regularly,” Khan said.
Fondly called Nawab Miyan, Khan has become quite popular not only in his neighbourhood, but throughout Muzaffarnagar.
“Inside Khan’s house you get the feel of a museum. We come here almost every day whenever we find time. And above all, for this museum, you do not need to buy any ticket as it is free!” said Kumar Kartikey Tripathi, Khan’s neighbour.
Vipin Tripathi, another resident of Nazar colony, said: “Of the visitors coming to Khan’s place, the maximum strength is of students and schoolgoers who visit his house regularly.”
