Antique collector cherishes phones from bygone era in Ludhiana

LUDHIANA: In the glitzy world of high-end smartphones with futuristic features, an antique collector in the city celebrates the past through myriad phones from times long gone. Jagroop Singh Syan, 39, a resident of Ram Nagar near Gill Chowk is a machine tool manufacturer with a penchant for collecting antiques. The passion for relics of history stirred him since he was 12. Now, he has a sizeable collection of phones, including a candle phone used in the British era and many dialler telephones.
“I started collecting antique items more than 25 years ago, when a friend showed me his collection of coins. I would add whatever antiques I would find to my collection. I started with coins and currency notes but I also collected telephones, including those with dialer which were used in the 1980s. A person from Indore sent me the candle phone of the British era. The phone has a separate mouth and earpiece but no dialler. I also have other telephones which do not have diallers. One would not be able to make a call but officials at the telephone exchange would connect a caller to a recipient,” said Jagroop Singh.
He also has telephones with diallers, which were introduced around 1975 and 1980, marking a transition from previous telephones which didn’t have such a facility. His collection also includes digital key telephones, which were launched from 1990 to 1995 and phones with caller IDs which were introduced after 2000. One of the highlights of his collection is a very small yellow telephone, which is among the smallest of such phones.
A fax machine, which marked the transition from telephones to an era where one would be able to call and send written documents also occupies pride of place in his collection. Besides a collection of 16 phones including a fax, he also has stamps related to telephones.
“There was a time when the government would charge money as stamp duty for applying for a new phone connection. Such stamps would be pasted on the receipt of telephone bills. I have those as well,” said Jagroop Singh, who is now working on a theme collection.
Can be added as box: Coins from the Raj and beyond
The antique collector said that he has more than 1,500 coins, including 10 coins of 1835 which were used by the East India Company and those from Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s regime. He also has more than 100 stamps including revenue stamps from the princely states of Malerkotla, Patiala, Jhind and Nabha. “I also have wooden cameras of the 1930s, a cycle and radio registration certificates of the 1960s and a cycle lamp, apart from belt buckles (Chapraas) from before 1947,” he said.