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| Visitors at the exhibition in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati |
Bhubaneswar, Aug. 24: Odipex-2014, the ninth edition of state-level philatelic exhibition, saw a big display of postage stamps that are considered small packets of information.
Organised by Odisha Postal Circle, the three-day exhibition concluded on Sunday evening at Unit-VI, here.
Nearly 160 participants contributed over 400 frames, each containing between 20 and 50 stamps.
Each participant had spent years collecting stamps on particular themes and their collection spoke volumes about Indian history.
The collection on transport systems, for example, ranged from horse carriages to metro trains. There were sections on poets, freedom fighters, iconic women of India and many others. A wide range of flora and fauna ranging from butterflies, tapirs, dogs and many more were also on display. Stamps on Air India and Indian Railways were also facinating.
Ojasmita, a participant, had collected postal stamps themed on Children’s Day from 1957 to 2013. Saroj Ranjan Kar, in his five frames titled ‘Fancy and Beautiful’, had displayed dated stamps made of ceramics, wood, and pulp etc.
A panel of three jury members marked the participants on various aspects.
“Since, philately cannot be pursued without proper research on a particular subject, stamps serve like an external memory. You keep them safe and when you revisit them, the past comes to the fore again,” said Sahadev Sahoo, a jury member.
The winners in different groups were announced on Sunday morning. Hari Bandhu Ojha was awarded for his collection on birds and the environment. “I have been collecting stamps since 1970. I have more than 10,000 stamps,” said the 60-year-old.
The philatelists rued about the present state of the hobby. “Philately is dying. With the advent of technology, the current generation has no use of stamps. India Post should do more to promote it like trying to get it in the school curriculum,” said Anil Dhir, who had displayed a collection titled ‘Scinde Dwaks’, the name with which initial Indian stamps were referred to.
The expo also featured 20 kiosks of stamp, coin and currency note dealers from across India. “While we have all kinds of stamps and coins, philatelists and numismatists come to us with specific requirements. We feel happy if they find what they need to boost their collection,” said Zakir Hassan, a stamp dealer.