Karnataka - Bangalore   

A view of the world through stamps

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: When a plane lands, one is familiar with the ground staff guiding it to the bay using two table tennis racket-like objects.

This method of communicating with the pilot is called semaphore, an ancient mode of sending messages across long distances.

Stamps on semaphore and its history are part of a collection on the theme "Communication" on display at Philex, a three-day district-level exhibition of stamps and postal covers organised by the Postal department here. Wednesday is the last day of the exhibition being held at Jnana Jyothi auditorium on Central College premises.

The exhibition focuses on semaphore and its evolution into modern-day communication methods.

The topics covered include the genesis of telegraph, telex, HAMS, photography, the launch of satellites, about space stations and the latest in space research.

Research

Through stamps, the progress in communication comes through clearly. "This is a reflection of the research done by the philatelist. These colourful stamps help in effectively making people aware of the issue," says Sangoram, a philatelist involved in propagating the benefits of his hobby among children and youngsters.

"On an average, a philatelist takes six months to make a presentation," adds this retired professor of MES College. The exhibition features 125 issues prepared by a number of philatelists, the majority of whom are aged between 10 and 20.

It starts with a thematic collection titled "Heroes of medicine," featuring the work of researchers and doctors on communicable diseases such as leprosy and AIDS. There are presentations on the solar system, and a feature on the work of Nobel Laureates. A picture of India and its heritage starts with the work of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawarharlal Nehru. In the sports category, there is a feature on World Cup cricket, and summer and winter Olympics. It ends with a feature on philatelic errors explaining mainly those related to printing.

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