A district-level philately exhibition commemorating Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary will be held from September 5, the Coimbatore Postal Division announced here on Friday.
Titled ‘Shantipex 2019’, the first bulletin of the event was launched by Sheuli Burman, Postmaster General, Western Region; K. Ramasamy, Director of Postal Services, Western Region, and Sudhir Gopal Jakhere, Senior Superintendent of Post Offices, Coimbatore Division.
The event will be an opportunity to “interact, discuss and contemplate” the values of Mahatma Gandhi such as non-violence, peace and tolerance, Mr. Jakhere said.
Online project
The exhibition will showcase a 100-frame stamp exhibition on Gandhi and will also witness Postcrossing meet-up, an online project where members may send and receive postcards from all over the world, he said.
“Philately as a hobby will never die,” said Ms. Burman during her special address. Noting that philately is called as the 'king of hobbies', Ms. Burman said that officials of the Department of Posts and senior philatelists have the responsibility to encourage philately among school-going students.
Mr. Ramasamy mentioned in his speech that around 5,000 school students are expected to visit the exhibition, which will take place at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
Regarding the relevance of philately in today’s era of digital communication, Mr. Jakhere said that philatelists will learn qualities such as patience and being systematic. “The knowledge they gain though collecting stamps will help them in many competitive examinations,” he noted.
Ms. Burman said the Department of Posts is focusing on e-commerce, with state-of-the-art technology for the domestic and international delivery network.
Website
The event also saw the launch of a website for the exhibition ( www.shantipex2019.com ) and exclusive pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Regular updates regarding ‘Shantipex 2019’ will be updated in these websites, Mr. Jakhere said.
