A stamp of passion

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Ameya Gupta with his aunt; (left) stamps at the exhibition

In times of email and social media, correspondence doesn’t often involve putting pen to paper, or stamp to envelope. And in these changing times, philately is a fading art.

But a huge collection of special stamps and a number of stamp lovers came together in the city at the three-day long stamp exhibition, Stamps Of India National Exhibition (SINE) held at NDMC Convention Center, Parliament Street recently.
From the first adhesive stamp of the world, Penny Black, to those on legendary singers like Hemant Kumar, Prince Charles with Diana stamps, special commemorative stamps printed on Khadi, and many more were exhibited at the 3rd edition of SINE organised by Bhartiya Daktikit Sangstha and Stamps of India.
An exhibition is an ideal platform to showcase new ideas and concepts in philately, says Angeet Suri, one of the participants at the exhibition. “Unfortunately, the art of stamp collection is slowly dying. Very few people are in love with stamps these days,” says Suri, who has been collecting stamps for years and has lost count of how many he has.
The exhibition, says Savita Jhingan, one of the organisers, is an attempt to renew collectors’ resolves to collect stamps and encourage youngsters for the same. “We are trying to create an awareness among the youth to pursue the educative hobby of philately,” she says.
Kanika Gupta, an MBBS student, exhibited her collection of Rabindranath Tagore and Mother Teresa stamps. “I was inspired by my mother who collects stamps too. I started collecting stamps at a very young age and have stamps from about 35 countries,” says Kanika. She has got a formal confirmation for her name being added in the next Limca Book of Records for maximum philately collection on Indian Nobel Prize winners.
Another exhibitor, 20-year-old Yogani Jhingan, talks about her Harry Potter stamps collection. “I find stamp collection not just a hobby but also a very informative exercise. One gets to learn about so many people and places while making these collections,” says Yogani, who claims to have more than 1,000 stamps.
The exhibition was inaugurated by 7-year-old Ameya Gupta, a St. Xaviers School student and International Record Holder for the largest collection of scales and Children’s Day stamps.
This year’s special focus was on Gandhi stamps. It’s a rare sight to see so many stamps from all over the world, says Ashish Singh, a visitor. “I have recently started collecting stamps and hope to exhibit my own collection soon,” he adds.