A Rare Collection of 800 Plus Still Cameras

800 plus still cameras, nearly 150 radios, about 1000 and   odd mobile phones, more than 5000 periodicals, and many other things, all related to news media; this is the collection of a young man Naushad A P from Thottassery Ara in Kannamangalam, Malappuram District. 

Naushad  is a media person by profession. Like many other children his childhood hobby was to collect stamps and coins. His fascination towards radios and cameras started when his father Ambili Paramban Kunjhimuhammed, who was in Middle East countries in those days brought a radio to his home. It’s around 20 years now, Naushad has been collecting antique items which are related to news and media. He has conducted many exhibitions mainly for schools, colleges and other organizations.

Naushad notes that the origin of the term Newseum is from USA, where a dedicated museum for news and media was running. It closed down two years back. And Naushad conducted his exhibitions with this concept of Newseum. 

Naushad has a collection of over 800 cameras which include all known brands like Kodak, Canon, Nikon, Yashica, Zenith, Pentax, Polaroid and Agfa. Some of these were manufactured in 1920s.  His collection also includes latest digital cameras. He also has a collection of around 50 movie cameras of different category. A unique among the still camera is ‘Vageeswari’ SLR camera, a brand manufactured from Alappuzha. The company was founded by K Karunakaran in 1942 and had exported the cameras to many countries in those days.  But after the introduction of digital cameras, they stopped the production during 1980s. Other antique cameras in his collection include Kodak cameras of 1930s, gunsight aiming point cameras used by the American military during World War II,   Cameras fitted with trolley used for shooting movies; folding type bellows cameras, etc.

Naushad’s collection of Radios includes radios manufactured in 1950s. It is possible to see the transformation of radios using valves to radios running with transistor radios of different generations.  

The highlight of his periodicals collection is the copies of four titles which were published by Mahatma Gandhi. These are Indian Opinion, Harijan, Harijan Sevak and  Harijan Bandhu. Newspapers and magazines from different countries with different titles, especially newspapers covering the news on the historical events like the death of important persons, news on war are part of his collection. 

Another item of collection of Noushad are mobile phones. His collection includes brick phones, precursor to the mobile phones to the recent mobile phone which existed prior to the touch phones. The collection is now crossed 1000. 

He is also collecting microphones of various types, ink pens of the yester years, stamps related to news media etc. as part of his Newseum concept. 

Naushad is an active member of Malappuram Numismatic Society, Malappuram, formed in 2013 and the present Secretary. According to him, association with this society and other numismatics and philately organization gave him opportunities to add new items to his collections. Apart from this he also utilizes his travel in different parts of India to collect items for his collection.

 “As far as I am concerned my valuable asset is this collection and the major portion of my professional income is spending for collecting new items. I also have a dream to establish a museum for my Newseum collections, so that the students, researchers, and the public will have an easy access to see it. ” Says Naushad. His collections are safely packed in many cardboard cartons and kept in his house at Thottassery  Ara, where he resides with his parents, wife and children. Naushad needs a dedicated premise for his Newseum.