The Hindu : Kerala News : A stamp-size dose of medicine

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala

A stamp-size dose of medicine

Shyju Kudiyirippil never imagined that his chance meeting with Ireland-based doctor William Olbrys way back in 1992 would take him to the world of medical philately (collection of medical stamps) in such a big way. There are now over 2,000 medical stamps in his collection, and it is increasing by the day.

Shyju, then a journalism student, was at a stamp exhibition being held at Town hall when he met Dr. Olbrys. The fact that he had come all the way down to Kerala in search of an ‘Anchal’ stamp of the Travancore era with the word ‘medical revenue’ inscribed on it amazed Shyju no end.

“I already had the hobby of stamp collection which started with a few stamps that my grandfather had given me. But the importance and worthiness of the habit dawned on me during the meeting with the doctor,” says Shyju. He was also drawn towards medical stamp collection as a result of that encounter.

His thematic stamp collection received a shot in the arm three years later when he joined LF Hospital in Angamaly where he works till date as the public relations officer.

It gave him the much-needed opportunity to learn about various medicinal wings and their importance. This knowledge helped him to categorise stamps under different heads. Flipping through his albums is like a walk through the corridors of a hospital, as there are exclusive stamps on different medical wings.

Shyju, who six years ago had filed a Public Interest Litigation in the High Court seeking an order making HIV test compulsory before marriage, is now focused on collecting stamps based on HIV and AIDS.

“There is one Turkish stamp which informs about the four different ways of contracting AIDS and warns against it,” he says.

He also has in his collection stamps issued to commemorate important milestones and achievements in the medical field and special envelops issued by the Postal Department celebrating special events or days.

The oldest stamp in his collection is the one on eradication of Malaria, issued in 1962.

For Shyju, stamps are carriers of knowledge on various topics and are no less effective than lengthy essays. He points at the South African stamp marking the anniversary of the first heart transplantation surgery there. “It helps us know when it took place and who did it,” he explains.

He is a member of philatelic clubs in the U.K. and the U.S. and keeps getting medical stamps issued in these countries.

M.P. Praveen

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