India’s self-proclaimed ‘history hunter’ is on a drive to salvage the past for future generations

By Verda Sabzwari

Cameras from a bygone era. Rusty typewriters. Vintage radios. Matchboxes once used to light contraband cigarettes.

In an age of new technology and artificial intelligence, a visit to the New Delhi home of Aditya Vij is like stepping into a time machine. Every corner of his museum feels like a carefully constructed history chapter.

The anthropologist is an avid collector of artifacts and has dedicated his life to antiquities. Over decades, he has doggedly collected thousands of items that span several centuries and documented their relevance and the impact they have had on society.

Each collectable he has salvaged feels like a victory against time, Vij says, underscoring his belief that maybe one individual’s attempts can quietly resist their erasure from people’s memory.

“The deepest emotion I feel while collecting these items is the sense of satisfaction that I managed to save a piece of history,” said Vij,