How Zippos became a passion for Pepperfry's Ambareesh Murthy

On a sunny afternoon, Ambareesh Murthy is sitting next to a neat line of Zippos on a wooden chest in his Mumbai office. Although he started smoking early on, Murthy's interest in Zippo lighters was ignited a decade ago when a close friend gifted him a black Harley Zippo.
Founder of Pepperfry.com, the furniture and home decor e-tailer, Murthy owns around 35 Zippos. He, however, stresses that he only collects those Zippos that catch his fancy — rock music, comics or landmarks. He says that a Zippo is more than a lighter: "They use social contexts to connect to the present culture."

He, however, says he is not a classic collector who is purely in acquisition mode. "I have also gifted them to people," says Murthy, who now wishes to own some historical Zippos.

He buys a Zippo from every Hard Rock Cafe (HRC) he visits. "I'm also an HRC fan. So, you will find HRC Hong Kong, San Fransico and even Singapore in the collection. Similarly, I bought a Jeepney Zippo, which is very Filipino. It's an extended jeep that houses a dozen people and functions as a taxi," he says.

Then there are Zippos that he feels are perfect matches of people's personalities. Hence, the Superman/ Superwoman Zippo for his wife Anupama. "We have a three-year-old son and my wife's working. She's a superwoman. Besides, she smokes, so I know she will appreciate it," says Murthy. One of the most expensive in his collection is embellished in gold and silver design. A limited edition Zippo, he bought it from Manila for Rs 30,000. "My taste is sober, but I felt I should once buy a Zippo that's over the top."

Praising the craftsmanship and quality of the cult lighter, Murthy says that one can rely on a Zippo to light as long as there is gas in it. "If for some reason the flint roller stops working, you can replace it yourself."

Interestingly, he doesn't usually use a Zippo to light his cigarettes. That's reserved for special days. He also doesn't like to exhibit his collection, because, he reasons, it is personal.