THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The first Mahatma Gandhi stamp released in 1948, on India’s second Independence Day, or Bapu’s first-ever 3D stamp released by Sanda Island in the Great Britain, V S Hezekiel has them all.
The philatelist, a former head postmaster from Thiruvananthapuram, has been collecting rare postal stamps of the Father of the Nation, who turns 155 on Tuesday, for the past 43 years. In his treasured and rare collection are around 140 stamps released by various countries commemorating Gandhi, right from the first one released in 1948.
Hezekiel was drawn to philately by his older brother who asked his help to read the details printed in small letters. “Like every child I started with collecting the stickers printed on the match boxes,” he told TNIE. “Then I started collecting postal stamps. The passion grew and I opened a deposit account in the philatelic bureau to get newly issued stamps,” he said.
India released the first commemorative stamp on Gandhi on the country’s second independence day on August 15, 1948, soon after Bapu’s assassination. Hezekiel has 70 commemorative stamps of the Father of the Nation released by the India Post.
Commemorative stamps are collector’s item. In addition, he has 13 definitive stamps of Gandhi that are used for daily postal purposes. There are also 12 postcards, 15 inland letters, 14 miniature sheets and three post covers of Gandhi in his collection.
“Soon after the release of Gandhi’s first commemorative stamp in 1948, the postal department printed ‘service’ by lithographic process in black by India Security Press Nashik for the exclusive use of the first Governor General of India C Rajagopalachari’s secretariat. This rare stamp is now valued at around Rs 22 lakh,” said Hezekiel. He later joined India Post and retired as head postmaster.
The first commemorative stamp of Gandhi included four stamps, priced at one and half ana, three and half ana, 12 ana and Rs 10; the last one is now valued at around Rs 1.5 lakh now.
The highest number of postage stamps in the world has been issued in the name of Mahatma Gandhi – more than 300. It was the US which was the first foreign nation to release a Gandhi stamp on January 26, 1961 under the series ‘Champions of Liberty’.
In 1969, Britain released the first ever stamp on Gandhi. While Mauritius released the stamp of Gandhi with a younger picture, the Sanda Islands brought out a 3D stamp of Gandhi both of which are in Hezekiel’s possession.
In 2000, the postal department awarded Hezekiel the Dak Seva Award, the most prestigious award conferred to employees of the department for their meritorious service. As a philatelist he was also part of many district, state, national and international level exhibitions.