Keekli Reporter, 8th June, 2018, Shimla
A hobby gaining momentum in recent years among the young is Philately or in common terms stamp collection. To encourage and enlighten the younger brigade, SSP SHIMLA Bishan Singh and Philatelic Incharge Bishan Singh were present, from the Postal Department of Shimla initiated a three-day summer camp for school kids for philately enthusiasts. Major (Dr) Ritu Kalra, President, Himachal Philatelic Club and Founder Member was requested to convene the proposed summer camp, who willingly volunteered for philatelic promotion. The postal department has officially appointed her as the mentor for promoting philately in this region.
Students from Dayanand Public School, Loreto Convent Tara Hall and from other states were present for this workshop. Major (Dr) Ritu Karla along with Bishan Singh taught the kids about the importance of stamps and how it teaches about our heritage. Dr Kalra further informed the kids about the government’s initiative to promote stamp collection and how it was giving scholarships through the scheme Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana. She also informed that there would be a Quiz Contest and Dhai Akshar Letter Writing Contest, whose dates would be declared soon.
Dr Kalra enlightened the kids that though this hobby may seem to be expensive for some when you value it in terms of money, however the overall cost seem peanuts when you realize the vast knowledge and world thrown open to all through this channel, as this a lifelong activity, one that is passed on from generations to generations. Children may not invest individually, but Clubs can be collectively opened in Schools through a single account in the Postal Bureau.
In today’s session, the kids were shown the first stamps post-Independence, they were taught to dismount stamps, mount them in stalk books, and various types of stalk books available among other things. As a kind gesture and to engage kids in this hobby, Dr Kalra distributed few stamps from her personal collection to every child present in the session. Children brought their own collections too, to share their experiences, knowledge and discussed about the Philatelic Projects that have to be made with 8 stamps for the SPARSH scholarship.
As an encouragement and to interest the children, the Department gave brochures of many stamps to kids so that they could increase their knowledge. To developing interest and to make children inquisitive towards philately, the meaning of philately was explained to them while telling them stories about the birth of the first postage stamp. The session ended on a happy note as children left armed with new knowledge about stamps and were eager to share it with their family and friends.
For those who are new to the term philatelist, he/she is a person who collect stamps for pure pleasure and relaxation, to gain insight into the historical value and its geographical facets. This may lead to amassing a huge collection of stamps, which includes both commemorative and definitive stamps, miniatures sheets or first day covers along with the informative catalogues detailing the history and making of that particular stamp. Over a period of time, those who collect stamps have learnt to categorize them according to various themes ranging from flora, fauna, transport, flags, presidents, among many others.
*Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana
(*sourced from Postal website)
Reinforcing the efforts aimed towards increasing the reach of Philately, the Department of Posts launched a Scholarship Scheme called Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana Under the scheme of SPARSH (Scholarship for Promotion of Aptitude & Research in Stamps as a Hobby), it is proposed to award annual scholarships to children of Standard VI to IX having good academic record and also pursuing Philately as a hobby through a competitive selection process in all postal circles. Launched in November 2017, under this scheme, it is proposed to award 920 scholarships to students pursuing Philately as a hobby. Every Postal Circle will select a maximum of 40 scholarships representing 10 students each from Standard VI, VII, VIII & IX. The amount of Scholarship will be Rs. 6000/- per annum @ Rs. 500/- per month. Selections under the SPARSH scheme would be made based on the evaluation of Project work on Philately & performance in Philately Quiz conducted by the Circles.
The objective of the scholarship is to “Promote Philately among children at a young age in a sustainable manner that can reinforce and supplement the academic curriculum in addition to providing a hobby that can help them relax and de-stress”.
The details of the scheme are available on the website at www.postagestamps.gov.in and www.indiapost.gov.in. The hobby of collecting Stamps includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloguing, displaying, storing, and maintaining the stamps or related products on thematic areas. Philately is called the king of hobbies because Stamp collection as a hobby has lot of educational benefits – it teaches a lot about the socio economic political reality of the period in which the stamp is issued or the theme on which it is issued.
