A lifelong passion framed by 800 cameras
AP Noushad introduces the wonders of one of the world’s smallest cameras to his youngest daughter Zilya Fathim at their home near Kondotta in Malappuram district. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Like many teenagers in the mid-1990s, AP Noushad spent his free time collecting coins and stamps. However, sometime in 1996, his hobby took a new turn when his father, Kunhu Muhammed, a non-resident Indian working in the Gulf, gifted him a Yashica DX analog camera.
Initially, the proud owner of a facility that was the envy of his classmates, Mr. Noushad simply captured everyday life in his village in Malappuram. But over the years, his fascination developed into a passion for the instruments themselves.
Today, his extraordinary collection boasts over 800 cameras from over 25 countries. Spanning several generations of photographic history, the collection ranges from vintage box and bellows cameras to Polaroids, underwater equipment, VCRs and rare military and spy cameras. All these are housed in his private ‘Newseum’ at Thottasseriara, Kannamangalam in Malappuram.
“Most of these cameras are from personal collections. They were often collected by parents and grandparents, but the next generation may not be able to appreciate their historical value. When such cameras are offered for sale, I try to get them and keep them,” said the 43-year-old assistant information officer in Kozhikode.
The cameras in the collection also carry their own stories. Among them is what Mr. Noushad identifies as the oldest camera in his possession, a variant of the Graflex Speed Graphic, a print camera made in the early 1940s. “Vageeswari cameras, India’s first field cameras made in Alappuzha, also remain close to my heart as I searched for one for years before acquiring it from a collector in Kottayam,” he recalled.
His most expensive acquisition is a wooden bellows camera that he bought from a family in Mangaluru for ₹60,000. In addition to cameras, his collection includes newspapers from the late 18th century and over 200 radios, pagers and mobile phones. Among its highlights is a copy of The London Chronicle from 1764.
“I plan to set up a museum next to my house for public display of these collections,” said Mr. Noushad, who has shown his curators in about 20 exhibitions across schools and colleges.
Published – 18 Jun 2026 20:07 IST