Eclectic collector: Put a chain on those keys

Collector Raza Ahmed discusses his passion for key rings.

LAHORE:

Collect, collect, collect away! As we venture out to find people hoarding quirky items in their closets, we stumbled upon Raza Ahmed, a closet keychain collector. “No one, not even my best friend knew I collected up until a few weeks ago,” says Ahmed. “It has been such an underground passion that I never gave it a second thought.”

While rummaging through his father’s closet at the age of six, Ahmed came across his very first keychain and took it as a treasure of his own to keep. But did he  think he would be a collector one day? Probably not. “My uncle used to collect matchboxes and that is how I got interested,” continues Ahmed. “It has been 20 years now and I still box away any keychain I can get my hands on.”

At the age of 27, Ahmed is a private student consultant and a soon-to-be restaurateur. But his busy schedule doesn’t disturb his hobby. “It is not Guinness Book of World Record material, but I enjoy it,” Ahmed states. “And even though I have lost a lot of my keychains, I still have over 120 pieces left.” From destination keychains to multiple complimentary/promotional keychains, Ahmed has it all saved in his treasure trove.  His collection includes the first keychain McDonalds distributed upon its arrival in Pakistan as well as the iconic Agfa reel keychain that almost everyone got everytime they got their photos developed.

“I recall  the good times I have had at destinations through the keychains I collect,” says Ahmed as he shows a vast collection of keychains from Canada, Dubai, India, Turkey, Florida, Egypt, Orlando, Thailand, and San Diego. “But there is one keychain that I love the most because it has ‘Imran Tigers’ written on it.”

As a child, Ahmed harboured a passion for cricket and it is no surprise that he spent half his childhood playing cricket out in the streets of Lahore — secretly hoping to be Imran Khan one day. “Cricket was my life, I remember, I was so touched when the Shaukat Khanum Project came about that I went from house to house collecting money from all my neighbours.

I managed to collect around Rs3,000 for the cause, which was a handsome amount back in 1994.”

The young entrepreneur holds the ‘Imran Tigers’ keychain very close to his heart, not only to cherish cricket hero Imran Khan, but also to remember the good times he spent playing cricket with his friends. “Till today, whenever someone asks me what I want from a foreign location, I always ask for keychains because they have become a part of me now.”

When asked why he had never disclosed his passion to his best friends or any of his girlfriends, Ahmed responds, “It was such a personal hobby that I never felt the need to share it with anyone.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3^rd, 2012.