'Lovers of Light'

Mahjabeen Sadatulla is a phillumenist who has been collecting matchbook covers for over 40 years.

My first visit to this house was on the New Year eve of December 31, 2009. A few friends, who I was introduced for the first time by another friend, were feasting on barbeque chicken outside in the lawn. As my attention didn’t quiet stay on the conversations, I was more interested in what was inside the house.

There was something very unique about the house that intrigued me and I was impressed by the perfect landscaping around the house. It was a starry night and the dim lamps light the green patches of plants around the rocks which were so naturally placed. It seemed that they were resting for centuries and were determined not to be moved by any artificial force.

My visit didn’t last for long as I had other plans waiting ahead. But before leaving I managed to have a quick glance inside. I saw people sitting on somewhat antique looking sofas and laughing which was mixed with the sounds from the television. It looked like a living room with dim yellow lights brightening the corners of the room, highlighting various paintings and wall hangings on the white wall. What went unnoticed, only to be realized later, was an old chandelier hanging at the back of the room.

After leaving the place I realized, to my friends notice, that the hangings I saw weren’t any usual ones. They were a collection of matchbooks by my friends’ grandmother. This definitely left me surprised and I wished I could come back again. On January 19, 2011, I paid another visit. This time I had an appointment and knew exactly what my objective was. I wanted to meet the lady in person who had such an interesting hobby that I had never seen.

I was welcomed with a smile and a warm hug by an elderly lady, clad in simple orange sari and hair neatly tied back. She spoke to me in the most elegant manner that I came across in Hyderabad. She wasn’t bothered about the purpose of my visit, but was more concerned to offer tea and some snacks. Due to the presence of my friend, whom she knew well, she spoke about all her grandchildren and other daily activities. This made me more comfortable and her vibrant nature made me feel like home.

Mahjabeen Sadatulla, is a woman with grace and substance. She lives in creativity and nurtures every part of her belonging, especially her hobby of collecting matchbooks. Her collection started in the year 1965 when her husband, who was in the Air Force, used to get matchbooks for personal use at home. Finding the colourful pictures and various interesting advertisements printed on it, she did not throw them, instead, kept them in a glass bowl. But as friends noticed her interest, they started sending her matchbooks from wherever possible. Like she said, she did not put an effort into this hobby; people saw it and got her the things.

At that time the UK Couriers used to supply all these things. During 1970s India produced very little variety of match sticks and most of them were plain and simple. Only fancy hotels like the Taj groups had custom made matchbooks. Because of the exposure she had due to her husband Air Force job, she had more opportunities for expanding her collection.  With this, she took me around the house to show her collection.

I was amazed at one of the walls underneath the stairway. It was filled with picture frames of black and white era, framed medals and an entire family history was lined underneath on the shelf. Amongst all these, were the matchbooks. Framed on top of the wall, they hung unmoved. It was like a time lapse and the moment froze. I was appalled by the beauty of matchbook covers and wondered how a simple paper box could be so interesting to the eye!

I looked closely and realized that I was not just looking at matchbook covers, but an entire episode of history of advertising spread across the globe. There were covers from Australia, Great Britain, China, USA, Mexico, Sweden, Japan, Middle East, Kuwait, Iran, Houston, Germany, Palestine, Bali, and many more. The largest and longest one in the collection is from Canada. In most cases she removed all the match sticks in order to preserve the covers and for safety reasons. Till date, she keeps receiving different types and shapes of matchbooks from friends and relatives. Latest ones are from Hard Rock Café and Hotel Marriott from one of her grandson!

Apart from the frames, there was another thing that went unnoticed. The living room had side tables and each top was framed with matchbooks covers. This was a good utilization of source! Inside the bedroom were two more tables which were three times bigger in size. They were being used as side tables put against the two corner walls with lamp and books with her old stereo kept on it. I was again amazed by the extensive collection and effort one had to make to preserve them. She tells me, due to her old age now, it is becoming strenuous to keep them clean. She has to depend on the house maid to daily dust them.

One would be amazed to look at each cover and find that every piece has an interesting story. Some have funny cheesy liners, phone numbers of hotels, symbol of their city or country, random paintings, images of famous people and places. It took me more than four hours to look at just half of the collection.

While speaking to her, she revealed that apart from her other hobbies of collecting stamps, she also collected coins. This hobby was fancied by her father and later she continued. When in school she collected wild flowers and ferns only to dry them and make lovely frames. Gardening being her first love, I then realized the secret behind all the marvelous landscaping and beautiful flowers. Till date she has kept her interests safe. Everywhere I looked, I was a piece of her creativity in the house. For now she is satisfied and happy with what she has. In the end she smiled and said, "I still surprise people when they come across my collection."