Stamps Give Seniors a New Lease on Life

India's The Hindu reports, "Every second Saturday, at the philatelic bureau here, a largely silent crowd gathers to delve into the world of stamps. They include school children, a few college students and many senior citizens. Tweezers are passed around and instructions given on how to handle the stamps very carefully. For these elderly people, the hobby in a way has given a fresh lease of life after they retired from work."

S. Visvanath, who has been collecting stamps for the last 55 years, is quoted as saying, "“For a true philatelist, the true pleasure lies in the knowledge he gets out of the stamps he owns. It has helped me appreciate art better. I buy books on artists the stamps have featured and then read about them. While one might have a huge collection of stamps on blood donation, another's cherished collection might be on holograms."

According to the article, "The Philatelic Bureau has been regularly sending stamps to over 1, 200 people across the country, and since most backlogs have been cleared, there is better quality coming in, say officials. The Black Penny issued by Great Britain and the stamp on Gandhi printed in Switzerland in 1948 are the present rage now, say philatelists."

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