“There are 81 postal stamps of Mahatma Gandhi issued in our country between 1948 and 2019. I have all of them,” says C Selvaraj, a philatelist.
He is one among the 160 people who have exhibited their collection at Shantipex 2019, a district level philatelic exhibition organised by the Government of India, Department of Post, Coimbatore Division. The exhibition is to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
Selvaraj has displayed 65 sheets of stamps. One of his most prized possession is a sheet that features Gandhi, issued in 1948. “Each stamp cost ₹10 then, but now it is so rare that the price can go up to ₹200000. It is a limited edition.” He started his collection 20 years ago. “I own more than 1500 sheets of Indian stamps. Over the years have I learnt through them about Indian and world history,” he says.
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Shantipex is particularly attractive to anyone interested in history. They can follow the journey of postal stamps through the times both in the country and out.
One of the key attraction of the exhibition is Penny Black, the world’s first adhesive postage stamp used in the public postal system. It was issued in UK on May 1840 and has the profile of Queen Victoria as a 15-year-old on it.
Also exhibited is the Scinde Dawk, the first stamp issued in India for use in Sindh Province in 1852 by the East India Company. “They appeared in white, blue and scarlet. The scarlet one was made of sealing wax making it fragile and difficult to preserve,” explains Dr Sudhir Jakhere, Senior Superintendent of Post Office, Coimbatore.
Sudhir Gopal Jakhere
What makes a stamp rare? “It can be the number of copies issued, a mistake or the changing socio-economic conditions of the country,” says Sudhir. He narrates the example the time the US Government in 1918 printed the image of an aeroplane upside-down. The government tried to recall the stamps. Now that mistake has made the stamp a sought after one by philatelists from around the world.”
Our government made a mistake too when a stamp on Begum Akhtar and on water birds in 1994 had to be recalled as they were printed in water soluble ink.
- Shantipex saw the launch of
- a pack of 10 postcards with photographs of Coimbatore as seen through the lens of The Hindu
- A philatelic passport that traces the places visited by Gandhi in Tamil Nadu
- Envelopes made of Khadi cotton and more are on sale
Philately can be both a hobby and an investment says Sudhir. “There are duplicates available in the market. It is important to have a deep knowledge in the subject to avoid being cheated. If done right, it can be one of the best investment anyone can have,” he says. Sudhir plans to conduct more exhibition in the coming years in the city.
He feels that “In this world of WhatsApp, we need to develop a love for other hobbies and I hope such initiatives will increase the curiosity of kids.”
Shantipex is open today from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Lawley Road. A jury consisting of C G Bhaskar, a philatelist from Chennai and Chaitanya Dev, president, Karnataka Philatelic Society will review the collections and announce the winners today.
