Common Goans get to showcase their collections
People across all ages have numerous hobbies. Be it collecting stamps, currencies of different countries, first-day covers, antique coins. The range of collections can certainly amaze anybody. However, most of these collections remain confined to the four-walls of the homes. But Goa Science Centre and Planetarium at Miramar is providing an opportunity to display such a hobby collection as part of its International Museum Day celebrations from May 18-20.
One can
see collections like toy dinosaurs, various kinds of wrist watches - automatic,
manual and Quartz from HMT, Casio, Rico and Seiko companies by Elvis Dsouza.
Then one can see various models of mobile phones starting from the small
handsets by Nokia and Samsung of early 2000s to smart phones and tabs used
today by Aman Kabir Qureshi, antique coins collection by his younger brother
Amin Kabir Qureshi, toy shark, dinosaurs and transformers by Aarav Naik and
dinosaur collection by Shloakh Juwarkar.
One can also see
displays of toy motorcycles by Sheikh Samruddin and notes collection by Eric
Fernandes.
“I have been preserving
the watches of different companies and eras. People have lost touch with
earlier day watches. The current generation doesn’t know the evolution of wrist
watches, working of the watches, how our forefathers used to go about doing
their work using the watches of their era. Today there are mostly digital
watches or mobile phones doubling up as watches,” Dsouza said.
Dsouza has also put up
his collection of 273 coins from all over the world, including India. “It’s a
vast collection. I have even created a map of India using the coins,” Dsouza
said.
Speaking about his mobile
phone collection, Aman Qureshi said that he had the habit of restoring the
mobile phones broken by his younger brother Amin. Then he gathered more
discarded phones and started putting them together. This habit became a hobby.
Now he has displayed a large number of mobile phone models at the Goa Science
Centre.
Amin had the habit of
collecting toys initially. Gradually he started collecting antique coins and
stored them by putting them in his piggy bank. It has been five years since he
has been doing this.
Former chief scientist
at National Institute of Oceanography and noted philatelist Dr M R Ramesh
Kumar, who inaugurated the exhibition, along with his wife R R Radhabai and a
young philatelist Pratik Bhandare has put up collections as part of the International
Museum Day celebrations.
“Such exhibitions help
in encouraging people to come out with their collections from home to a public
platform. This will also encourage others to have such hobbies and spread
awareness about various aspects of our society through mediums like stamps and
first-day covers,” Dr Ramesh Kumar said.
Dr Ramesh Kumar has put
together a variety of collections that include ‘Indian Scientists Through
Philately’ and ‘India’s Rich Cultural Heritage’. His wife R R Radhabai has put
up exhibits on ‘Goa Through Philately’ and ‘Women Freedom Fighters in India - A
Philatelic Tribute’. Pratik Bhandare has put up ‘Goan heritage through
philately as exhibit’.
The event will conclude on May 20. The entry to this exhibition is free and can be viewed till 8pm.
