Olympics on stamps

What connects Olympics Games, stamp collection and business? Hobby. Meet Jagannath Mani, a Bengaluru-based businessman, who has one of the rarest collection of stamps issued by various countries to commemorate Olympics Games. It all started when Bengaluru hosted the National Games in the 1990s. On the occasion, a stamp exhibition was organised in the City. Jagannath, who visited the exhibition, met T N Prahlad Rao, a veteran philatelist, who was known for his collection of sports stamps, specifically Olympics. Inspired by Prahlad Rao’s collection, Jagannath, a sports enthusiast, started collecting Olympics stamps. While he took guidance from Prahlad Rao, Jagannath also developed contacts with sports philatelists from different countries.

Now after two decades, Jagannath has a wide range of Olympics stamps issued by different countries. The first modern Olympics was held in Athens, Greece in 1896. Jagannath has eight of the 12 stamps issued by Greece to mark the occasion. Along with postage stamps, his collection includes other philatelic materials like Olympics First Day Covers. He has researched hundreds of books and magazines to know the history of Olympics Games and got the information about Olympics stamps issued by different countries. To nurture his hobby, Jagannath has participated in many national and international philatelic exhibitions. His collection has won many awards, including a bronze medal at an international philatelic exhibition organised during Beijing Olympics. An active member of the Karnataka Philatelic Society, Jagannath participates in demo workshops organised in schools and colleges. Everyday, he WhatsApps information about the ‘day’s stamp’ to those interested. For more details, contact Jagannath on 9900404808.