JOIN USThey say there is a kid in all of us. And that inner child will squeal in delight once he/she steps inside Varun Arya’s apartment.
The gaming artiste is a toy collector and has a collection that will put any toy store in the city to shame. From superheroes from the DC and Marvel universe to cartoon characters, characters and colours abound in his accumulation.
“It has been five years since I took up this hobby seriously though I have been collecting toys from childhood,” says Varun. “I collect some toys for their detailing, some for their cuteness. But I buy it only if I am familiar with the character. I should have watched the series or read the book. If not, I will do all this first and then go back and buy the toy,” says the enthusiast who hails from Indore.
He adds that his collection gives him great happiness. “I spend time photographing the new additions in interesting settings. If the toy’s costume does not match that of the original character, then I repaint it to make sure that it looks perfect.”
It goes without saying that his hobby has earned him both admiration and ridicule though Varun is least concerned. “I don’t care what people say. I have had people telling me that I am crazy or childish. But despite all that, whenever anyone steps inside my house, they become a kid themselves for five minutes.”
Recalling a personal experience, Varun says, “There was a guy who used to ridicule me a lot. Once I invited him home. When he stepped inside, he was speechless for some time. Then he settled amongst the toys and started playing with them! After some time, I told him ‘You are doing the same things I do. How am I crazy then?’ He immediately apologised and said ‘Your collection is mind blowing’.”
But it was not a child’s play (literally) to build up such an extensive cache. “It is a very expensive hobby; I must have spent about Rs 2 lakh in the past five years,” admits Varun. Money apart, he has put in some crazy effort too.
“I usually order from Ali Express because its cheaper, though you can get these toys on Amazon too. But Ali Express takes some time for delivery. So it happened once that my shipment reached Mumbai within 30 days but it would have taken few more weeks for it to reach Bengaluru. I felt that I couldn’t wait that long for my Gohan (a character from Dragon Ball Z). So I drove down to Mumbai to collect my parcel.”
Another time he travelled across the city in one day, to visit 12 outlets of McDonald’s to collect all their minion toys. “They made some good quality ones and I wanted to have all the versions in my collection. So apart from the drive, I also had to eat 12 burgers that day for these toys,” he laughs.
Now he is looking forward to adding a life-size figure to his collection. “I have set my sights on some Batman ones that cost around Rs 6 lakh. Maybe not immediately but I will get it one day for sure,” says Varun.
Varun can be contacted on 8109673912