He has got the stamp of approval from thousands of schoolchildren for taking 38 years of philatelic legacy beyond his albums.
M.R. Prabhakar (65), a retired engineer from HAL, has conducted 1,780 philately exhibitions in various schools and colleges. Armed with his stamp collection, he has toured on his cycle for most of the exhibitions in rural areas across the State that he conducts without charging any fees.
His tryst with philately began in 1977 when he attended an exhibition in the city, and since then, he says, he has been hooked on to it. Mr. Prabhakar’s collection is sure to leave anyone stumped. He has 50,000 stamps, the oldest one dating back to 1840. Not just that, he has collected every Indian stamp printed after the Independence. He has travelled to several international philately events and has stamps from 125 countries.
“A small piece of paper carries immense information. Children, after attending my workshops, not only collect stamps but also begin gathering information about them,” he said.
He has conducted exhibitions on various themes such as environment and cricket. Even the Philatelic Bureau turns to him for assistance when it conducts workshops.
