New Delhi:
Ameya Gupta may be just six years old, but few can measure up to his prowess. For Ameya has his name in the Limca Book of Records because of his collection of 1,239 measuring sticks or rulers from 12 different countries. But many would say this is par for the course for his Vikaspuri-based family.
Ameya is studying in class I at Maharaja Agrasen Public School in Ashok Vihar. His name was registered in Limca Book around 15 days ago.
Ameya's aunt Anuradha Gupta (41) an accounts teacher, first brought glory to her family. She has collected 30,000 matchboxes of 77 countries. Her 16-year-old daughter Kanika Gupta has a stockpile of 5100 erasers from 15 different countries. The fourth member who has brought glory to the family is Anuradha's sister-in-law Priyanka who has 13,096 name slips from 12 different nations. All four people have had their names registered in the Limca Book of Records.
"I was impressed by the achievement of my sister-in-law and her daughter so I decided to do something like them. Anuradha helped me. I started collecting name slips," said Priyanka. "I faced a lot of problems initially. I asked my friends to help me as well. I also did online shopping of name slips to complete my collection," she added.
Sharing her experience with MiD DAY, Anuradha said that she was studying in class IX when she started collecting matchboxes. "I liked matchboxes. But I didn't know that collecting them could be a hobby. I never talked about this to anyone thinking they would ridicule me," she said.
Anuradha said that she wanted to go to cigarette kiosks to buy matchboxes but was apprehensive of people censuring her. She then started picking them up from the roadside. She was preparing for her B.Ed exams when she was praised for her hobby by her teacher.
"He was grading us on the basis of our hobbies. He called the whole staff and praised me. Then I joined Vanasthli Public School as an accounts teacher. The school authority conducted an exhibition of my collection. In 1993 my name was registered in Limca Book of Records," she said.
Anuradha then helped her daughter Kanika, a class XII student, follow in her footsteps. The teenager confesses she likes erasers because of how they smell. Using her pocket money, which was around Rs 800 initially, she started on her mission. Anuradha and her husband Praveen Gupta were enthused. "We used to take her to exhibitions at Pragati Maidan to purchase erasers of other countries. We asked our relatives who stay abroad to send her erasers as gift. Now she has 5100 of them from 15 different countries. Her name was registered in the Limca Book in 2003," said Anuradha.