Odisha teacher turns home into museum after collecting 1,000 old objects

Ama Sangrahalaya is a home-based museum in Cuttack, Odisha. Its name means “Our Museum,” showing that Abdul Wadood Khan sees the collection as something to share. The museum preserves objects that reveal how people once lived, worked, communicated and entertained themselves. It gives students and visitors a direct experience that textbooks cannot always provide.

Khan, known as Raja Sir, built the museum inside his home. He arranged artefacts in glass-fronted cabinets, shelves and racks across exhibition rooms. The displays include newspapers, coins, gramophones, tools, clocks, cameras and agricultural objects. His own savings, time and space made the museum possible, with help from others.

Khan retired from regular teaching in 2023, but he continues as a guest teacher. He also continues collecting and preserving objects. The museum remains a living educational space, rather than a private storehouse. Its name reflects his belief that history becomes more meaningful when people can encounter it together.

Abdul Wadood Khan has collected more than 1,000 old and rare objects over 14 years. That scale is striking because the collection is housed inside part of his own home. It includes items from everyday life, education, communication, transport, agriculture and culture. Together, they create a broad record of changing life in India.

His collecting became more serious after his involvement in Bharat Scouts and Guides and Red Cross exhibitions. In 2012, he was selected as a Scouts Master. Exhibitions gave him opportunities to find historical objects, study their value and share them with others. Former students, family members and friends also supported the effort.

The collection covers both pre-Independence and post-Independence periods. Khan retired from regular teaching in 2023, but collecting remains important to him. His home museum continues to grow through purchases, donations and assistance from people connected to his teaching and exhibition work.

Ama Sangrahalaya brings together objects from many parts of India’s past. They include old newspapers, books, fountain pens, inkpots, telephones, radios, cameras, projectors, clocks, watches, coins, stamps and currency. Other displays show transport, lighting, cooking, agriculture, household work and rural life. The collection spans both pre-Independence and post-Independence periods.

Concrete examples show this range clearly. British-era postcards and coins sit alongside Indian currency from different eras and coins from more than 150 countries. Railway signal lamps, lanterns, coal irons, ploughs, bullock bells and musical instruments reveal working and village life. Gramophones from the 1950s and 1960s show older forms of entertainment.

The museum also preserves communication and printed history through more than 100 old Odia newspapers and hundreds of books. A tiny holy Quran, kept in an ivory box, adds religious significance. By displaying these objects together, Khan links national history with ordinary experiences in homes, schools, workplaces and villages.

Khan began teaching Urdu at Naiguan Daudpur High School in 1985. His work placed him in daily contact with students, learning and community life. His interest in old objects developed through Bharat Scouts and Guides and Red Cross exhibitions. These activities showed him that objects could teach history in a direct and memorable way.

A key turning point came in 2012, when he was selected as a Scouts Master. Participation in exhibitions gave him more opportunities to explore historical objects and understand their value. He began collecting with greater dedication. Former students helped locate objects and joined him at exhibitions, while former headmaster Ashok Kumar Swain and Scouts leader trainer Bipin Bihari Kar encouraged him.

Over time, collecting became a preservation mission. Khan built a museum at home so others could see the objects, not merely read about them. He continues this educational work after retiring from regular teaching. His collection now supports learning outside the classroom and connects students with earlier generations.

Khan did not build Ama Sangrahalaya alone. His former students helped him find old objects and joined him in exhibitions. Their involvement connected the museum to the school community he had taught. Family members and friends also contributed time and assistance, making the home-based collection easier to arrange and preserve.

Some individuals played especially important roles. Former headmaster Ashok Kumar Swain and Scouts leader trainer Bipin Bihari Kar encouraged Khan during the collection’s development. Retired teacher Azad Hussein Khan donated the tiny holy Quran. Khan also said some objects were donated, while he purchased others using his own resources. His son and daughter-in-law help maintain the displays.

This shared effort keeps the museum active. Objects are placed in glass-fronted cabinets, shelves and racks across exhibition rooms. Support from former students, relatives and friends allows Khan to continue collecting after retirement. The museum therefore reflects not only one person’s interest, but also a wider community’s participation in preserving the past.

Old objects help students understand history through direct evidence. Newspapers show what people recorded and discussed. Coins reveal changing systems of money. Tools and machines show how work, communication and entertainment took place before digital devices. This makes the past easier to picture and compare with present life.

For example, a gramophone from the 1950s or 1960s shows an earlier way to listen to music. A railway signal lamp connects to transport and railway work. Ploughs, bullock bells and agricultural tools point to rural labour. Old telephones, radios, cameras and projectors show how people communicated, captured images and shared information. The key mechanism is learning through real, usable objects.

Ama Sangrahalaya gives students access to these examples in one place. The museum’s displays cover homes, workplaces, schools, villages and public life. Seeing the objects together can help visitors connect separate topics and understand change over time. It also keeps older experiences visible for people who did not live through them.

Ordinary objects matter because they preserve everyday experience. Official histories often focus on major events, but newspapers, tools, coins, utensils and clocks show how those events connected with people’s lives. They reveal habits, work, communication, technology and social change. Written records add dates, language and contemporary viewpoints to the physical evidence.

Ama Sangrahalaya demonstrates this combination. More than 100 old Odia newspapers preserve printed records from earlier decades. Fountain pens and inkpots show older writing practices. Coins and currency represent different eras and kingdoms. Ploughs, coal irons, weighing instruments and utensils show practical work in homes, farms and markets. The key mechanism is preserving evidence that people used repeatedly.

Together, these objects help communities remember more than famous people or political milestones. They keep local and rural experiences visible alongside wider national history. Khan’s museum makes that evidence available to students and visitors. Its continued preservation matters because the objects can teach future generations about lives that might otherwise be forgotten.