One will come across a lot of people with hobbies of  collecting stamps , old coins , currency notes of different countries , cinema tickets etc. These people are so dedicated that they would not let their collection go away for anything on this earth , obviously because it has taken a lot of efforts by these people to maintain their treasure and are always on a treasure hunt to grow their collections manifold over the years .

We introduce you to one such person Naresh Dudani , former News Editor of Indian Express who is an avid collector of magazines since the last four decades and continues the hobby till date , read on as he gives the  detailed account of  how he was attracted to this  hobby of collecting magazines in his own words right from the beginning…..

We had come to Ahmedabad in 1969, after a 10-year stay in Mount Abu from 1958 to 1968; where my father, late Wadhio Rupsingh Dudani, worked as a librarian with the National Police Academy. My father used to buy magazines like Dharmyug, Saaptahik Hindustan and Parag and Chandamama, children’s magazines.

When Indrajal Comics was launched around 1964-65; my father started buying it regularly, initially in English, as my two elder brothers were studying in an English medium school, whereas myself and my younger brother were studying in Hindi medium school. I used to see only the pictures in English Indrajal Comics, as I could not read it.

After nearly 2 years, my father started buying it in Hindi. This is how the habit of reading was instilled in us by our father. My father had prepared an album, in which he had pasted the pictures of nature, wildlife and on other topics, removed from Dharmyug and Saaptaahik Hindustan.

We left Mount Abu in 1968, as there was no scope of higher education. When we arrived in Ahmedabad in 1969, only the Indrajal Comics were with us. The rest of the stuff my father had sold before leaving Mount Abu . In Ahmedabad, my eldest brother was enrolled in a college which was located in the city, about 10-12 km from the place, where we stayed, which, in those days, was outside the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation limits.

I got admission into a local Sindhi medium school, hardly half-a-km from our place, where my parents got a job as teachers. My eldest brother used to buy Dharmyug and Sportsweek issues randomly from the city. I got hooked to these magazines.

When I joined a college in 1973, I started hunting for these magazines. It was only in 1974, that I started buying Dharmyug, Sportsweek, Sarika regularly and Kadambini, Madhuri, Saaptahik Hindustan, The Illustrated Weekly of India, occasionally. My father encouraged us to preserve all the books and magazines. He was against selling them off.  All the credit for developing my hobby of reading quality magazines and books, goes to my late eldest brother.

During college days, I used to get pocket money of only Rs 20 a month, most of which I used to spend on buying magazines and books. I used to walk on Ahmedabad roads from one point to another, from one bookstall to another, hunting for the old issues of the magazines. I knew almost all the bookstalls, as these were my favourite hang-outs. I also used to visit the “Sunday Market” every week to buy old magazines.

I finished  my B Sc in Physics from Gujarat University in 1977 and after that remained jobless for a year, as I was bent upon becoming a journalist, whereas my father was against it.

In June 1978, I ran away to Pune, where my eldest brother was posted, employed with the Indian Oil Corporation. One of my college friends had informed me that Pune University offered a one-year full time post-graduate degree course in journalism, (in those days). I applied for the course, cleared the written test and interview and got admission. I completed my Bachelor of Journalism course in May 1979.

In August 1979, I joined the Indian Express and remained with it till my retirement in July 2014. During my job, I was able to spend more money on my hobby and I started buying new magazines also like Sportstar and Sportsworld, which were launched in 1978 and many other magazines in later years. I preserved all the magazines and books, which I started uploading on my Facebook account as my photo albums after my retirement.

My collection includes the following magazines: Dharmyug, Sarika, Kadambini, Ravivar, The Illustrated Weekly of India, Madhuri, Sportstar, Sportsweek, Cricket Samrat, Cricket Today, India Today, (Hindi and English); Outlook English (weekly); Outlook Hindi (Weekly, Monthly and now fortnightly); The Week, Sports Illustrated of India, Shukrawar, India News, The Sunday Indian, Filmfare, Femina, Open, Outlook Traveller; Tinkle, Tinkle Digest, Amar Chitra Katha, Tinkle Special Collections; Aha Zindagi, Hans, Naya Gyanoday, Kathadesh, Duniya In Dinon, Tehelka (English and Hindi); Live India, Yathavat, Super Idea, GR8, Indrajal Comics; Diamond Comics (Chacha Chaudhary, Phantom and Mandrake); Bombay, Sunday, Gentlemen, Society, Savvy, Grahshobha, Women’s Era, Jagran Sakhi, Vanita, Sunanda, Meri Sajni, Homemaker; Manorama, Meri Saheli, Wisden Asia Cricket, Cricket Talk, Cricinfo, Man’s World, Maxim, The Man, FHM, Cosmopolitan, Elle, People, Fashion Bloom, Seventeen India, Marie Claire, Better Photography, Smart Photography, The Times Journal of Photography, Sun, Jansatta Sabrang, Reader’s Digest; Sarvottam Digest; Vama, Khel Khiladi, Khel Hulchul; Gladrags, 4th D Woman; 4th D Meri Sangini, 4th D Vichaar Sarransh; Pratham Pravakta, Lokayat; Senior India; Youth Times, Chandamama, Paraag and miscellaneous.

Many of these magazines have ceased publication with the growing technology few of them are now online. I have a separate room, where I have kept all these magazines hard copies whenever available..