The dying art of stamp collection

Ranjani Raghavan writes on the Express India website, "When 54-year-old Kishore Chandak was in school, stamp collection was the ‘in’ thing for the boys. Not any more, he said — as jury head of the ‘Stampex’ Exhibition — which concluded on Sunday."

Not to be outdone by new technology, however, the society has targeted schools and students to rekindle the art of stamp collection. Of the 1,200 visitors at the exhibition on the first and second days, around 700 were students. This is the third time the society has organised a stamp exhibition since 1995, when it was kicked off. But this is the first time members went to schools to ask students to come by.

Raghavan goes on to say, "With the proliferation of the internet and with better telecommunication, stamp collectors in the city are bracing themselves for a future when stamps could become a rarity. However, they are doing their bit by promoting it as a hobby and as a topic of study — called ‘philately’ — besides providing advice to the postal department."

Shown above are India's rose and sandalwood scented stamps, which according to Raghavan, less than one per cent of the Indian population are aware of because India Post is not promoting the hobby.

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