Dear Comrades,
When his fellow mates prefer to collect stamps and coins as
their hobby, Neelayya Bajpe thought of something different from others.
That decision was not in vain as he now owns all the post cards, inlands
and airmail covers of post independent era issued by the Indian postal
department and also has a good collection of that of pre-independence
era.
An exhibition of his collection at Pandeshwar Head Post Office in City during the Dakshina Kannada Philately and Numismatics Association (DKPNA) monthly meeting thrilled many.
An exhibition of his collection at Pandeshwar Head Post Office in City during the Dakshina Kannada Philately and Numismatics Association (DKPNA) monthly meeting thrilled many.
The 74-year-old retired veterinary department employee’s collection is mainly on postal stationeries which include post cards, inland covers, registered envelops and airmails. The post cards include those which were used only for local delivery and the one with reply post card attached. Such post cards are not in use at present.
Another noted item in the post card collection is the competition post cards which were used to send for competitions in Akashavani and Television. The post cards show the changes that took place in the design, colour, price and emblem in the post card over the years.
Neelayya Bajpe has all the inland letter covers issued by the postal department starting from the one issued in 1949. Gandhi Centenary inland cover and the refugee relief tax stamp envelops issued during the third Indo-Pak war over the Bangladesh issue in 1971 are the important inland covers in his collection. Express delivery envelopes which were cancelled later and registered envelopes are also part of his collection.
The inland covers had the pictorial representation of personalities like Gandhiji, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Mother Theresa and that of monuments like Taj Mahal, Tanjavur Brihadeshwar Temple and Agra Fort.
Airmail letters contain those which were used exclusively for interior use as well as to foreign countries, issued way back in 1948. Gandhi Centenary airmail cover and airmail post cards issued in 1958 and 1963 are rare among his postal stationary collection.
Neelayya Bajpe started collecting stamps in early 1970s, but took it as a serious hobby from 1979. He joined the Dakshina Kannada Philately and Numismatics Association (DKPNA) in 1975.
Deccan Herald
