By Bikash Kumar Das
Bhubaneswar: She is all of 13, but Divyanshi Behura has pieces of history from around the world with her matchbox collection from over 49 countries. Making her own museum, Divyanshi has gathered more than 40,000 matchsticks and matchbooks from USA, Japan, Australia, Germany, Italy, Thailand, Nepal, and Bangladesh, not to forget the ones from her own country India.
Residing at Nayapalli in Bhubaneswar, Divyanshi was drawn to the unusual craze five years ago when digital distractions have taken the youngsters by storm. A Class 8 student, she has meticulously collected and preserved each piece of matchbox – some in wood boxes, some in tin foil and others in plain paper covers featuring animals, film stars, and flowers. Not all the matchboxes have sticks. Every piece belongs to a time span and holds a slice of history.
Beginning with pre-Independence Indian matchboxes to those which have brand names, and also those being found in hotels, she has an unmatched collection of matchbooks too that have few takers in the present day. Interestingly, her collection also includes match boxes she got from the hotels situated within the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad.
Historians point to the fact that matchbooks were earlier used for advertising purposes; they used to write promotional information on blank matchbook covers by hand though later on printing materials were pasted.
In 2020, she clinched the champion’s title at a children’s competition which was held virtually, where they showcased their collections. More than 50 children participated from across India, including five from Odisha.
So, what draws Divyanshi towards these tiny pieces of history? “Preservation,” says she. “The ones I am keen on collecting are the objects or artefacts which, once a must-have, are slowly fading from daily use. Besides, as students we should be appreciative of things from the past and value their historical significance. Museums are few, and I want to create a mini museum,” she adds.
Supporting her in the endeavour is her family. Mother Gopa Behura proudly speaks of Divyanshi’s idea of collecting a unique object that usually does not stay in memory unless required or put to use. “She has been a good student in school securing not less than 90 percent in all subjects. She is also one of the few who is least interested to scroll the mobile for hours,” says a mother who helps her daughter in chasing history and curiosity.
Her father, a wildlife photographer, who keeps moving from place to place in India and abroad, makes it a point to get matchbooks and boxes for Divyanshi. Besides, family and friends travelling to places also fetch the collectable for her whenever they lay their hands on any variety. No wonder, today Divyanshi’s mini museum is a total of six steel almirahs (cupboards) filled with matchboxes and matchbooks. Only a part of it has been put inside albums to show people keen to discover her museum.
“If you calculate the exact number of matchbox or matchbooks Divyanshi has, they would exceed 60,000 or even 70,000. But since we have categorised – like flower matchboxes are all put under one count – so we say 40,000,” explains Divyanshi’s mother.
As our curious eyes look at the vast ensemble, Divyanshi discusses her future plans for the museum. “One day I will have my own museum and put all my pieces in it for people irrespective of age to marvel at. I can assure you; it will be an eye-opening collection for them,” assertively states the kid, while adjusting the rack of one of the shelves holding her prized collections.
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