Koranic verses in golden letters, miniature Korans that are no bigger than the thumb, Korans in octagonal shapes, a variety of books, a huge collection of coins dating back to the times of Bahamani, Bareedshahi and Vijayanagar emperors, stamps from around the world... Liaqat Ali Khan’s house in Bidar is a storehouse of several such interesting nick-nacks, reminding one of Allauddin’s magic lantern.

This 65-year-old’s penchant for the collection of rare items is awe-inspiring, to say the least. A casual stroll around Khan’s rented home is almost like a marvellous tour around the world. As Khan pulls out numerous trunks from every nook and corner of the house, interesting things spill over, forcing the visitor to admire them, even as Khan details the significance of each item in his collection with pride.

Khan, a trader by profession, got most of his prized possessions from scrap dealers and heaps of books regarded as useless. In fact, the manner in which Khan started his collection is also equally interesting. About 50 years ago, when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited Bidar, Khan was part of the reception committee of children queued up to greet him. Pt Nehru lovingly spoke to each child and when he reached Khan, he shook his hands and handed him a small gift. Khan’s joy knew no bounds. Imagine receiving a gift from Pt Nehru himself!

Wanting to keep the joyous moment alive, Khan kept Pt Nehru’s gift safely. And this safeguarding of Nehru’s gift kindled in him the craze for rare items. Thus, Khan, bitten by the collector’s bug in his student days itself, has been on a collection spree since then.

The result: A rare collection of coins brought out by the 18 emperors of the Bahamani dynasty; exceptional coins dating back to the times of Bareedshahi, Vijayanagar and Hyderabad Nizams; heaps of coins in over ten different metals including copper, silver and gold; an extraordinary coin minted in the times of British rule, and so on.

Khan’s collection of stamps, numbering about 40,000, is also invaluable. Stamps printed during the reign of the Nizams and the emperors in pre-independent India, Germany’s three-dimensional stamps and Arabia’s sweet-smelling stamps are just awesome. The currencies of over 100 countries and matchboxes numbering over a thousand also form a part of Khan’s impressive collection. A priceless letter penned in Urdu by Mahatma Gandhi is also in Khan’s possession. This is not all. Certain important notices issued in the times of Hyderabad Nizams, newspaper copies printed on the days of national importance, swords, knives, lanterns, pens and paintings of historical significance... Khan’s collection has all these and more.

But, this enormous collection wasn’t at all easy, says Khan. “My family was quite unhappy with my craze for collection. They kept chiding me that I was more interested in my collection than in my children,” he says.

A dream that Khan cherishes most is to establish a museum for the display of his invaluable collection. He has forwarded many requests to this effect to both the State Government and the district authorities, but hasn’t heard from them as yet.

The authorities concerned should take immediate steps to establish the museum and preserve the rare collection for posterity, before it’s too late. It will, in fact, be an invaluable gift to our future generations.

Translated by Chethana Dinesh