Children take a look at stamps from India and abroad at the Bhubaneswar Philately Exhibition. Pictures by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, March 25: Trump cards for some, windows to the world for others, stamps from around the globe have found their pride of place at Bhupex (Bhubaneswar Philately Exhibition).

Veteran philatelists and schoolchildren displayed their prized possessions at the two-day exhibition that began at Jayadev Bhavan today.

Exhibits include the collections of 40 philatelists — 10 adults and 30 school students. On diverse subjects and varied themes, the stamps are from different eras and 160 countries.

The stamps, miniature sheets and special covers collected from India, Bhutan, Pakistan, Russia, USA, UK, New Zealand and Australia among other countries, display themes as varied as wildlife, nature, sports, history, films and geography.

There’s something for almost everyone. Lovers of verse will be delighted to see illustrations of couplets from Jayadev’s Geeta Govinda on a miniature sheet, while those who are fond of heritage will be pleased to see various postal heritage buildings on another. Filigree necklaces designed in Odisha adorn one special cover, as Rourkela Steel Plant stands tall on another.

Wildlife enthusiasts will be tempted to plan a trip to Australia upon seeing the birds, animals and aquatic life peculiar to that country on hundreds of stamps. A special treat awaits dog lovers too. Exotic breeds from Nigeria, Cuba, Bhutan and New Zealand to name a few, are displayed on quite a few of the stamps.

Ships and boats for the seafaring types, and stamps featuring the football World Cup, the Olympics, and the Commonwealth Games will steal the hearts of sports lovers.

Sons and daughters of the soil will smile proudly at special covers that depict Odisha’s tourist hotspots — Puri and Konark — while those who eat and sleep movies will be happy to see covers on James Bond and Harry Potter films.

Also exhibited are some of the oldest stamps in the country. Anil Dheer’s collection has one of the last 25 pieces of the first stamp from India. The half-anna blue paper stamp dates back to July 1, 1852, when it was launched for the Sind Province. It would be roughly priced at Rs 5 lakh if auctioned, said Dheer.

“Philately is a passion. One needs to be dedicated to collect and buy stamps from all over the world. Sadly, it is a dying hobby. The Indian Postal Network is the biggest in the world and yet they have not promoted stamp collecting,” said Dheer. He said that like China, where philately is included in the syllabus, Indians too needed to encourage children to take up the hobby.

Philatelist Bibhudatta Mishra has a vast collection of stamps on fishes among other subjects. “Stamp collection is an enriching hobby. It empowers you with knowledge and earns you friends. We are glad that school students have taken part in this exhibition,” he said.