PROFILE

When he’s at work, fashion designer Arjun Khanna seeks out the newest cutting-edge trends. But his constant striving for the new and trendy conceals the heart of a collector who’s always on the lookout for old and beautiful objects.

It could be a silent-era movie projector or antique furniture, old radios or the huge trunks that people once took on sea voyages.

“One man’s junk is another man’s treasure and I’m crazy about collecting antique stuff. It could be anything from trunks to old embroidery and even machine parts,” says Khanna.

But Khanna has focused his love for antiques in two directions — old motorcycles and cameras. He has 15 bikes and 20 cameras. But he insists that numbers don’t matter in the collecting game.

getting into gear

(From left) Reflekta II, Canon FT,Polaroid 95a Land camera and A classic Agfa camera

Khanna started collecting motorbikes six years ago. As a kid he always wanted to own a bike and was very impressed by a PT teacher who came to school on a black Royal Enfield. “The sound of the Bullet used to give us a kick and I cherished the ambition of owning one someday,” he said, laughing.

He failed to persuade his reluctant parents to buy him one. Then on a trip to Chennai six years back, he saw an old Enfield, fell in love at first sight and bought it. Returning to Mumbai, he became a member of UK’s Royal Enfield Club. “Today, they send me brochures and pictures of old motorcycles from the Enfield company. It helps me restore the old pieces,” he says. Besides, he is also in touch with several collectors in India and constantly surfs the Internet to network with other buyers. Mumbai’s Chor Bazaar is a “one-point market for any machine parts and antiques”, he says. Once he managed to pick up all the crucial parts of a BSA motorcycle in a gunny bag from there. He then restored the bike with his mechanic’s help.

biker heaven

(From top) Royal Enfield 1960, From left: Royal Enfield 1953; Royal Enfield 1960; M20 BSA 1960 and Norton 1938

Khanna has several Royal Enfields that have been lovingly restored. He admits that he loves their retro looks. He once drove from Mumbai to Pune in four and a half hours. “They’re not speed machines,” he says.

Today he’s also the proud owner of a string of other motorcycles like the 1938 Norton 500cc, a British motorcycle company based in Birmingham. He picked it up for its history, innovative engineering and great road presence. Other special pieces are a 1955 Triumph, the 1950s AJS (A. J. Stevens & Co. Ltd), and the Matchless (1950).

“Japanese competition had driven British firms such as Enfield, Norton and Triumph underground. But I really got hooked on to these old British motorcycles and love owning them,” he says.

Another showstopper in his collection is a 1960 M20 BSA (Birmingham Small Arms). He recalls how a Parsi gentleman contributed mechanical parts to help restore this machine. Khanna, along with his mechanic, has carefully restored it, adding new tyres, seats and other parts.

The cost factor is not crucial when restoring bikes, he insists and he has bought engine parts for as little as Rs 1,000 from Chor Bazaar.

He keeps his motorcycles outside his studio in Mumbai. “Since these are old machines, glitches are bound to happen. I maintain them regularly,” he says.

making it click

(From top) Brownie Reflex Synchro; Yashica D

However, he doesn’t restore the cameras. “As a child, I loved taking pictures and treasured the camera which my father gave to me. When I grew up the passion remained and over the years I have built quite a collection,” he says.

He admits that he goes more by looks than technical details. “I’m a sucker for great looks,” he says. His collection ranges from a 35mm to box cameras and field cameras (used for landscape photography). He prefers collecting the German classics from makers like Agfa, Reflekta and Zeiss Ikon to the Japanese ones like Yashica and Canon. “I appreciate the fine engineering in them and also because as a kid I wanted to own them,” he says.

Also, there are old-time favourites like the Rolleicord twin-lens reflex camera (one lens was used for taking pictures and the other as a viewfinder) dating back to 1933 when it was first introduced in the market with 120 film and a metal body.

Sharing shelf-space with it is a Yashica D, made by Japan’s Yashica Co. in 1957. It’s again a twin-lens camera which used 120 film. “Yashica-D was actually a budget model aimed at amateurs,” he says.

But it’s the Polaroid’s Land camera which is a favourite. Polaroid’s were invented in 1947 by Edwin Land. Khanna owns a Polaroid 95a Land camera manufactured between 1954 and 1957. “It’s iconic, has a polished steel body and fake-leather covering. Though I appreciate digital cameras, working with the Land camera was unique as all photographers would agree,” he says.

The 1970s 35mm single-lens reflex Canon camera given to him by his father still works. “Its sturdy design and features like precise aperture control made for great photography,” he says.

He’s fussy about looking after these cameras. “The lens should be wiped with a soft cloth and be dust-free. Since a number of mechanical parts wear out over time, it’s important to take proper care of these parts,” he says.

However, Khanna is hoping to add an older plate-film camera (which uses glass-plates instead of rolls) with a wooden tripod to his collection in future. He also hopes to open a museum where he can display them.