The collection of stamps and coins is a good hobby which a few pursue. One such philatelist-cum-numismatic is S. Amrutesh, who has kept a low profile after settling down in Mysuru. Very keen to know what efforts the University of Mysore (UoM) was doing to bring out the commemorative stamp and coin during its Centenary celebrations, this shy, reticent, passionate collector opened up to Senior Journalist N. Niranjan Nikam to share his rare collection and the journey thus far.—Ed
by N. Niranjan Nikam
If the physically challenged young man had not cajoled me to start the stamp collection, I would never have started this wonderful hobby at all and my life would have been poorer today,” said the tall, erect, shy 83-year-old, even as he started looking at the many stamps and coins, he had spread on the table, through the magnifying glass.
This passionate collector who retired as Manager, Circulation, Times of India, Mumbai, after 36 years of service, settled down in Mysuru almost 24 years ago, was very excited when he heard about the Centenary celebrations of the University of Mysore. He took the stamps of the three Universities of Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai released in 1957, during their Centenary celebrations and rushed to a Professor in the University asking him whether he could do something to bring a commemorative coin and stamp of our University also.
The philatelist-cum-numismatic was very pleased to hear that the University was making all efforts to bring out both the coin and the stamp this year when it completes its Centenary.
Recalling the days when he first landed in the then Bombay to start his work as an apprentice at the Times of India in 1956, the very calm, composed and reticent S. Amrutesh said, “I used to walk on D.N. Road every evening after work and there were all these stamp dealers who were showcasing their wares in shops and makeshift stands. This boy who was differently-abled and was dealing in stamps of all hues and sizes would change the display every three or four days. One day he called me and asked me whether I collected stamps. I replied in the negative.”
The young man would not leave the passerby alone. He told him, “You just start collecting.” But the problem for Amrutesh was he did not have money to buy the stamps. The dealer asked him how much he could afford and he told him not much. He gave Rs. 60 worth of stamps and asked him to clear it in instalments. “I could afford only Rs. 5 a month for which the young man agreed!” he chuckled.
Asked whether he had any other influence on him, Amrutesh said that his uncle who was a Hindi Professor in the University of Mysore was a collector of stamps. But he always used to show a few collections and immediately hide them. When one is young it is common to show interest in collecting matches, marbles, stamps, coins, peacock feathers, dry leaves and flowers keeping them in-between sheets of books, pencils, pens, erasers, sharpeners and the list can go on.
A majority, however, give it up as one grows and the interests change. The passion for such hobbies is something that one needs to cultivate. “Once when the Gandhi Centenary stamp was released, I stood the whole day in the queue as it snaked its way from the GPO to the VT Station. I finally managed to buy the stamps worth Rs. 50 in the evening at 5.”
There are more than 5,000 stamps in his collection. When one looks at them each one is eye-popping. I was privy to a couple of hundreds only as Amrutesh has stacked them in all available spaces in his home — on the lofts, in the almirahs, in the old aluminium trunks and nooks and corners!
The collection of stamps includes First Day Covers. The Royal Mail First Day Cover issued when it completed 500 years is really eye-catching. The Magna Carta, 1215 — Foundation of Liberty reads, “No Free Man Shall Be Seized or Imprisoned…Except by the Lawful Judgment of his Equals or By The Law of the Land. Magna Carta, 1215.”
There is history, romance, knowledge, ideas and excitement when one embarks on such journeys that last a life time. “One day when my husband was out at work, I got a mail from England from my brother-in-law. In the eagerness to read the letter, I just tore the cover open only to realise that it was a First Day Cover featuring Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s Royal Wedding,” said Jayanthi Amrutesh and added, “I was terrified and grief-stricken to face my husband when he returned. All he did was had tears in his eyes. I promised myself that I would never again repeat the mistake.” But she was happy that her brother-in-law sent a new set which she proudly displayed to me.
Amongst the collections, one which caught my eyes again was the new UN Stamp Supporting Gay Rights, a hot topic these days on LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) which the world body has taken note of. “I had asked my son Karthik who lives in the US to send it to me, once he receives it himself at his home, as I was afraid that if I asked for it directly, it would be stolen, something that I had experienced before,” said Amrutesh.
There is also a special commemorative stamp on Mahatma Gandhi printed on Khadi in 2011, as also on First Man on the Moon-1969. The list of stamps include cinema, sports, defence, musicians, composers, freedom fighters, christmas, soccer, birds, wildlife, politicians, tribes of India, sadhus and seers, actors of the likes of Madhubala, playback singers like Lata Mangeshkar, countries that include Pakistan, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Indonesia.
The brochures that are brought out along with the release of stamps are very informative. For instance, when you read about Nabakalebara, a stamp released in 2015, it gives so much of information that I was inspired to write on it in a Kannada magazine, said Jayanthi.
Coin Collection: Asked when the coin collection began, Amrutesh said that he started collecting them after his retirement. Taking out a collection of coins of England, America and our own country’s old coins which take us back to the ‘good old days,’ when we still used to see the annas, paise (mooru kasu) and the rupee had cent per cent value, Amrutesh said that he has more than 500 coins and still counting.
The Rs. 1000 commemorative coin of Brihadeeshwarar Temple when it completed its 1000 years is a rare collection.
In the present day when hardly anyone writes in post cards, inland letters or airmails, how does one maintain interest in stamps? This question does bother Amrutesh. The attitude of the Postal Department is also something which leaves a lot to be desired.
“The fear of stamps being stolen is always there. Once, I complained to the Royal Mail, England, that I had not received the stamps and the First Day Cover they had sent me. I had written to them after a lot of hesitation thinking that they would ignore my complaint. But I promptly received a fresh set with no questions asked,” he said.
Sadly the same is not true in our country. “I have not received any fresh set of stamps in the last six months. The Post Office in Saraswathipuram is very non-committal,” he added.
He sometimes thinks of quitting but the moment he sees on the internet the stamp on Geological Survey of India released a couple of months ago, “my heart flutters and I feel that I should continue,” said the octogenarian with agony in his voice, even as he answers a phone call from a young stamp collector wanting to know when he is going to get the new set of stamps.
If one is interested in stamp collection, his advise to the collectors is to open a “Philately Deposit Account,” by paying a minimum of Rs. 200 in the Post Office and they would get all the details about the stamps.
However, whether it is philatelist-cum-numismatist Amrutesh, the coin collector R.M. Chetty of the Senior Citizens Forum, Rajarajeshwarinagar or Sanjay Kansal, the coin expert from Delhi — their common interest is to see that the University of Mysore comes out with the Centenary Commemorative Coin and Stamp.
We only hope the Ministries concerned are listening to the call of the collectors.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / March 11th, 2016