Archive · 28 Sep 2026
Kolkata Collectors Preserve Magic, Kites, Tickets and More
Some people in Kolkata collect things that most people might throw away or overlook.
One person saves old magic posters, tickets and objects to remember magic’s history.
Another has more than 1,500 tiny model cars.
Someone else keeps old cameras so future generations can learn how photography worked before smartphones.
A student saves bus tickets because he enjoys bus journeys.
A teacher collects almost 2,000 kites because she sees their designs as art.
Another collector preserves movie tickets, including tickets from Shah Rukh Khan films.
A former journalist has more than 2,000 unusual ties.
An artist also keeps small animal toys that were collected by her parents.
Kolkata residents collect unusual objects including magic memorabilia, model cars, cameras, bus tickets, kites, movie tickets, ties and miniature animals.
Saileswar Mukherjee has preserved hundreds of magic posters, tickets, photographs, autographs and artifacts, including items connected to P.C. Sarkar Senior.
Balmiki owns more than 1,500 model cars, while Anushtup Roy Choudhury has 22 cameras and hopes to create a home museum.
Eeshita Basu has nearly 2,000 kites, and Aadrito Ghosh has collected more than 500 bus tickets since receiving his first one in 2022.
Other collections include nearly 500 movie tickets, more than 2,000 ties and vintage animal figurines inherited from family members.
- Who
- Ten collectors from Kolkata, including students, teachers, artists, a former journalist, a former BSNL employee and an astrophotographer.
- What
- They collect unusual objects such as magic memorabilia, model cars, antique cameras, bus tickets, kites, movie tickets, ties and miniature animal figurines.
- When
- Their collecting began at different times, ranging from childhood and before 1960 to 2022; the collections are described as current.
- Where
- Kolkata, with some objects sourced from other Indian cities and countries including Japan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
- Why
- They collect to preserve memories, family history, artistic craftsmanship, cultural history and personal interests.
- Magic memorabilia
- Saileswar Mukherjee has collected hundreds of posters, tickets, photographs, autographs, handbills, visiting cards, hats and wands.
- Model cars
- Balmiki has more than 1,500 model cars from international and Indian brands.
- Antique cameras
- Anushtup Roy Choudhury owns 22 cameras and two antique flashes.
- Bus tickets
- Aadrito Ghosh has more than 500 tickets, including tickets from Delhi and discontinued services.
- Kites
- Eeshita Basu has nearly 2,000 kites made from paper, cloth, plastic and other materials.
- Movie tickets
- Namrata Mitra has close to 500 tickets, including festival tickets and tickets from films made in Hungary and France.
- Ties
- Suvovrata Ganguly has more than 2,000 ties, including leather, denim, wooden and club-themed designs.