It’s the time of year when schools and colleges wrap up classes and families start making summer vacation plans. However, with uncertainty surrounding international travel, perhaps it’s time to look closer to home – at the Karnataka Postal Department’s philately passport, which has become a hit among young travellers following a few viral videos. The small book showcases 100 significant locations across the state you can visit and collect permanent pictorial cancellations based on Karnataka’s flora and fauna, historical monuments and famous personalities, to remember them by. “The postal department periodically brings out permanent pictorial cancellations based on the history and the importance of a place. This passport, which has the location, a picture of the cancellation and a short description on each page, was meant to make more people aware of them and encourage them to visit these places,” explains Shanthala Bhat, assistant director, philately. Something seems to have clicked as Vasanth Kumar, the designer of the passport notes, “We’ve been seeing a lot more college students and travellers in their 20s, when it used to be mostly people over 40 who were interested.” Since last year, the department has released three versions of the passport (the first with 20 locations, followed by 80 and 100), each selling out quickly.
While the passport’s latest reprint too has sold quickly, the Bengaluru GPO is expecting new stocks soon. These cancellations can also be collected on other postal materials like envelopes and post cards.
Exploring ooru
If you have just a weekend to spare and don’t want to take a day trip, there’s plenty to see in Bengaluru too, with eight locations offering special cancellations. Going from Vidhan Soudha and the High Court to the colonial mansion that is Beaulieu in central Bengaluru, to Lal Bagh’s watch tower, Rajajinagar’s foundation pillar and the Ashoka Pillar in Rajajinagar, followed by IISc , ISRO, Sandesh Museum of Communication, will give explorers a sense of both the breadth and history of the city. For a nearby nature escape, Bannerughatta National Park also has a special cancellation – a delicate butterfly representing its butterfly sanctuary.
Ancient room with a view
Beluru, Halebeedu, Badami, Pattadakal and Somanathapura are some of the most well-known monuments with cancellations; some lesser-known ones are waiting to be explored. Bhat recommends taking a drive to Belgaum to see an 800-year-old Jain structure known for its intricate, lotus-like carvings. “The Kamala Basadi, within Belagavi Fort, is very beautiful, surrounded by nature and water. Many are not aware of it at all,” she says. The Varanga Kere Basadi, too, is a remote escape, a location right in the middle of a lake, giving it a sense of serenity. For a beach escape, Kumar points to the St Mary’s Islands, located off the coast of Udupi, known for ancient rock formations captured in its cancellation. “The post office is on the beach, and right after you get the cancellation, you can take a ferry to St Mary’s Islands,” he notes.
A walk on the wild side
If historical monuments are not your style and you’d rather prefer to spend summer exploring the wilderness, these special cancellations may lead you to low-key locations beyond the wildly popular Bannerughatta and Nagarhole National Parks. “In a remote village in Shiroli, Belgavi, there is the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary, famous for being a place where rare bats (Wroughton’s free-tailed bats) mate. While everyone knows Bandipur and its tigers (which also have special cancellations), there are many in Karnataka that are unexplored. The Black Buck Sanctuary in Ranebennur is also beautiful and doesn’t get huge crowds,” shares Harish Selkey, an associate manager in a top finance company who has travelled to 79 locations so far. Meanwhile, Kumar points to the kalinga (king cobra) cancellation that can be collected at Agumbe post office, for someone looking for a challenge and a trek through remote climes.