Rare Stamps and Coins on Show at Exhibition

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan on Friday inaugurated Karnapex, a four-day zonal-level philatelic exhibition, at Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in the city on Friday.

Stamps, picture postcards, special covers, coins and other philatelic paraphernalia is beiing displayed at the expo, which was  conceptualised by the Karnataka Postal Circle.

Siddaramaiah and Radhakrishnan kicked off day one, titled ‘Vigyaan Divas’ in celebration of science, by releasing a special cover commemorating ISRO’s Mangalyaan, a book titled Mysore Anche, stamps on Karnataka and special covers on the 12 districts whose names were changed recently.

“Stamps offer a unique commentary on the colourful past of our country, culture and heritage. Bearing this in mind, philately has to be preserved and exhibitions such as this are a good initiative by the department,” Siddaramaiah said.

Over 250 participants from places like Kerala, Puducherry, Hyderabad and Surat are participating in the event, with more than a lakh stamps accompanied with splendid vignettes on display.

One such philatelist, Akshay Borad, kept visitors engaged by narrating stories about his collection of unusual stamps, which included a stamp issued by the Portugal Post in 2007 and made of wafer-thin cork (35 mm thick), a limited edition chocolate-themed stamp to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the use of chocolate in France, India Post’s first scented (sandalwood) stamp and the first crystal-coated stamp issued by the Austrian Post in 2004.

Similarly, there was R N Prabhu who had on display the first postage stamp of the country - Scinde Dawk - that was withdrawn from circulation in 1854.

Apart from philately enthusiasts, students from schools like Little Flower Public School came to the expo in droves.

The exhibition will be open till Monday and day two will see the release of a pack of postcards titled ‘Heritage Bengaluru’, depicting the ancient monuments of the Garden City.