Odisha teacher converts home into museum with antique collection
Abdul Wadood Khan has spent 14 years collecting over 1,000 rare objects for his Ama Sangrahalaya museum.
An educationist in Cuttack, Abdul Wadood Khan, has converted his home into a museum named Ama Sangrahalaya to preserve rare artefacts. According to The New Indian Express, Khan has spent 14 years collecting more than 1,000 objects from the pre and post-Independence eras.
The collection includes over 100 old Odia newspapers, fountain pens, inkpots, and hundreds of old books. Other items include gramophones from the 1950s and 1960s, radios, cameras, projectors, and various types of lamps and lanterns.
Khan's museum also features copper and silver coins from the British era and various kingdoms, alongside notes and coins from more than 150 foreign countries. He also displays traditional household tools, agricultural implements, and musical instruments.
Khan, who started his teaching career in 1985 and retired in 2023, currently works as a guest teacher with a monthly salary of Rs 12,000. He stated that he spent large amounts to secure rare items and welcomes donations or purchases of old objects.
The museum is located in Kusumandal Gopinathpur village in the Nishchintkoili block of Cuttack district. Khan's son, daughter-in-law, and friends assist him in maintaining the collection within glass-fronted cabinets and exhibition rooms.