Stamp Collector from India Loves Everything Japanese

India's Hindu reports, "Even after collecting 10,000 stamps and a lifetime of loving everything Japanese, R. Ranganathan still pursues his dream of collecting all stamps Japanese. And, who said they had to come only from Japan?"

Reporter Asha Sridhar pens, "He once bought a British stamp that was objected to by the Church of England merely because the artist was Japanese. And, from Congo came a stamp that had Pope John Paul II with Japanese trains behind him. The Pope had never visited Japan, and the story of the stamp goes thus: the Pope had given a message of peace in troubled Congo, and that was read by a Japanese boy at the Nagoya expo in the country."

R. Ranganathan, who now lives in India, became fascinated with Japanese culture after visiting the country on a student scholarship. While there he fell in love with the country's customs and language. This led to a lifelong obsession with stamps and other material with a Japanese connection.

According to the article, "In Japan, more than 90 per cent of children collect stamps. The country has a glowing culture of stamp collection."

Shown above, R. Ranganathan and some of his albums.

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