LUCKNOW, Aug. 9 -- An exhibition of 54 rare newspapers, collected over three generations, opened at Kokoro Art Gallery here on Friday, offering a glimpse into over a century of world history. Curated by the Architecture College of AKTU principal Vandana Sehgal, the exhibition titled 'Dastavez' will remain open till August 12 from 11 am to 8 pm daily. The collection, owned by Suboor Usmani, directorate general of income tax (intelligence & criminal investigation), Lucknow, begins with an edition from 1901 reporting the death of Queen Victoria, preserved by his grandfather, freedom fighter Saidul Hasan Usmani. It also includes front pages on the Titanic sinking, the retirement of Thomas Edison, India's 1983 World Cup victory, major plane crashes, and reports on the passing of leaders and cultural icons such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, John F Kennedy, Ayatollah Khomeini, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Michael Jackson. The exhibition features newspapers in vernacular and English, sourced from across the world. Usmani said his collection is stored in air-tight polybags between acid-free sheets. "I began collecting newspapers, stamps, Bollywood posters, rare books, cricket trivia and autographs when I was 10. Some pieces were gifted, others I purchased," he said. Usmani, whose archive now holds over 2,000 editions, said the hobby began with his grandfather and father. Sehgal said that preserving the fragile paper was challenging. "We displayed them between glass panels to prevent damage, but two exhibits were still damaged during setup," she added. HTC...