Pak couple's vintage collection holds key to rich heritage

From a gramophone of the 1920s, made in Lahore's Prem Gali by Thakar Singh & Company, to an old brass Ganesh temple lock with key and two volumes of Gita dating back to 1930, a vintage collection of a young Pakistani couple takes one right back to the pre-partition days.
An interesting hobby of Shahzebul Haq Malik and his wife Anum, who go around the country digging out pieces of a rich heritage, has helped them build a collection of vintage items, enough to take an individual back in the time.
Gramophones, telephones, cameras, luggage to antique coins, and swords, their collection on display at their home here is a treasure for vintage collectors.

For the etiquette-conscious lot, there is a 250-page 'English & Hindustani Etiquette for Indian Youths' by Mirza Habib Hosain, Lukhnow printed in 1901, on mannerisms prevalent at that time.
"I used to love vintage suitcases and I had some of them. When I used to participate in the vintage car rallies, all my friends used to take each of them, and then I used to go back hunting for more. That is how I began this collection," Malik, who works with a leading telecom firm here, told PTI.
Other interesting books include Constitutional History of India, 1935 and a copy of the 'Rahsya of Karma Yoga' by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, that he wrote during his prison term in Mandalay, Myanmar.

Another interesting one is the thumb-sized 1926 miniature early Liliput German Dictionary '12000 Words' by professor F J Wershoven.

He also has Indian and Pakistani newspapers dated August 15, 1947, announcing independence and creation of Pakistan.
Among other things, their vintage crockery collection is also eye-catching.
They have the 1940s Shelley 'Forget Me Not' tea-set with stunning blue forget-me-not flowers and green leaves adorning both the cup and plate.
However, the couple does not believe in selling the items for a hefty price.
"It is my hobby and not a business. I also prefer to sell within the country rather than send it abroad which would fetch me a much much higher price," he said.

Indians, who wish to visit his house in Pakistan, might as well get a good discount on identifying themselves.