Hats-off Collection

To call Anant Joshi (42) a man of many hats would be an understatement he has 1,500 hats,the result of a hobby he started developing 35 years back.

To call Anant Joshi (42) a man of many hats would be an understatement he has 1,500 hats,the result of a hobby he started developing 35 years back. Collecting hats is now his foremost passion and he calls it his first wife.

In the outhouse of his Kalyan home where Joshi lives in a joint family is a treasure trove of hats,caps,helmets,pagdis and phetas from various parts of India and abroad. Joshi takes utmost care of the collection that includes 17th century headgear. I spend at least an hour every morning cleaning my collection, he said.

Joshi,who also runs a gift shop in Kalyan,said that as a child he suffered from jaundice for three years and was confined to bed. I watched a lot of television at the time. I was fascinated by cowboy hats when I started to watch Westerns videos. The way cowboys in movies kept doffing their hats left an indelible mark on me and soon hats became my favourite toys, Joshi said.

When he was 12,his mother bought him a real cowboy hat from a visit to the USA. I practically wore it all day long and just couldn’t let go of it,” Joshi recalls.

Even on occasions like Diwali,I would tell my parents not to buy me clothes but a new type of hat instead.

Headgear from different periods of time,parts of the country and the world find a place in Joshi’s collection from three trips across India,and friends and acquaintances making foreign trips. I get at least 30 mails a day from people across the world wanting to sell hats. Other countries have been much more receptive in providing information on hats or selling them.

The collection comprises over a 100 types of phetas,helmets,cane and bamboo hats,miniature models of hats and a striking collection of police caps. I have police hats from India and countries like Germany,France and Italy as well. The collection,I hope will keep growing, Joshi said.

Story continues below this ad

Joshi,a Limca Book record-holder for 15 years also has a permanent collection of his headgear placed at the Prince of Wales Museum. I change the hats placed there every 10 days. People are allowed to put them on and take pictures, he said.

The collection includes hats in all shapes and sizes. The headgear in various communities of the world is indicative of social stature,religion and climate of the region,Joshi said.

Although Joshi’s collection is not open for visitors yet,he accepts requests from people coming to visit his prized possession. I have visitors from other countries as well. I am right now doing the work of naming the pieces in my collection and once that is done I plan to open it for visitors, Joshi said.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
Diwali
Germany