Assam Man's 25-Year Vintage Collection Now A Unique Museum

A private museum in Guwahati, Assam, now houses an extraordinary collection of vintage items, born from one man's life-long passion. Deva Kumar Bora, a 59-year-old government employee with the Assam Transport Department, has dedicated 25 years to gathering artefacts that were once commonplace but have since faded from everyday use.

His extensive collection, named Nostalgia, includes a variety of items, some dating back more than 300 years.

With old radios, black-and-white televisions, typewriters, wristwatches, telephones, cameras and coins, Mr Bora's museum is a treasure trove of the bygone era.

“Since childhood, it has been my hobby to collect unique items which were in use in day-to-day life in the past but are not found anymore. It's turned into a strong hobby and a passion for me. Wherever I used to go, I used to look for one unique item and bring it back. I feel nostalgic about it, so I named the museum Nostalgia, and it's an effort of 25 years,” Mr Bora told NDTV.

Some of the museum's prized possessions include a centuries-old table clock and rare timepieces from the 18th and 19th centuries, offering a glimpse into the craftsmanship of past centuries. The collection also includes items such as microscopes, gramophone records, old telephones, rare photographs of Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi, vintage matchboxes, watches, cameras, batteries and many other objects. The collection is so vast that Bora's home could no longer accommodate it, prompting him to take a loan of Rs 60 lakh from a bank and officially open the museum to the public in 2021.

‘Nostalgia' museum welcomes visitors free of charge, with entry granted by prior appointment. Bora's son, Bornam Bora, plays an active role in curating the collection.

“He has no interest in anything else, even does not buy clothes, but collects interesting and unique things that have gone extinct from our daily life and society. There is a process and love for antiques in him, and as a youngster, even I feel inspired that we get connected to roots, to items which our grandfathers and our forefathers were using,” Mr Bornam said.

One of the standout exhibits is a collection of radios from before the FM era that were used to tune into international broadcasts, like the BBC. These relics evoke a time when such devices were the primary means of accessing global news, adding a fascinating historical layer to the museum.