JOIN USThe collecting of stamps brings untold millions of people of all nations into greater understandings of their world neighbours – Francis Cardinal Spellman, 1972.
These lines, voiced four decades ago, hold as true for the National Philatelic Museum in the Capital. The stamps stored here offer an insight into history, geography, art, culture and different religions from across the country.
Located in the office of the Director General of Posts in Dak Ghar on Sansad Marg, the museum has some rare and interesting stamps released post Independence. As you enter, you see stamps dating back from 1947 to 2012 displayed chronologically. The collection includes stamps dedicated to freedom fighters and important political personalities – responsible for laying the foundation of the world’s largest democracy.
An entire wall is devoted to the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Over a 110 countries have issued stamps dedicated to him and even the very first stamp issued on the Mahatma and released on 15th August, 1948 is on display here. A rare stamp where Gandhiji is shown writing with his left hand and released by the German government, is also part of this display.
Colourful miniature sheets on spices and heritage sites of India have also been created for the visitors. One of the most interesting among these is a sheet of 11 stamps based on Jaidev’s Geetgovind. There is a special section where stamps released on various modes of transportation down the years have also been preserved in glass shelves. For instance, a stamp commemerating 100-years of the Kalka-Shimla Mail is part of the section on Railways; In ships, the honour has been reserved for the first Indian sailing expedition around the world whereas aviation is marked with a release of a postage stamp on the first flight.
There are exclusive stamps from the Army Postal Service, giving an insight into the posts used by defence personnel too. Symbols marking different battalions and soldiers are also likely to grab your attention. One can also get an account of the country’s development in the field of technology through a colourful stamp depicting the successful launch of Brahmos missile marking India’s one of the many space accomplishments.
The museum understandably attracts kids of all ages. A special diorama copied from original stamps creates a village scene and is a special stopover. It includes sanctuaries and evolution of the postal service in the country.
The also museum provides a space for organising events, talk shows and presentations related to philately but what is more interesting is the Artist Corner which showcases the designing of stamps, where artists provide live demonstration of the making of a stamp.
Interestingly, the museum also houses some of the oldest paper stamps, known as Scinde Dawks but these are not open for public viewing. Archana Mishra