Morung Express News
January 15, 2006
Dimapur: “I am happy that the 3 Corps has commemorated the Army Day in such a unique manner to propagate the Philately hobby among children, jawans and family members”, said Governor of Nagaland, Shyamal Datta while addressing the gathering at the Army Day celebrations at Manekshaw Auditorium, HQ 3 Corps. Datta inaugurated the Spear Philex 2006, the first of its kind Army Philately Exhibition organized at HQ 3 Corps today. Apart from the Governor and his wife, Ishani Datta, the inaugural function was attended by a host of high ranking Army officials, security personnel and family members.
Speaking on the occasion, the Governor applauded the Security Forces for their grit and determination in fighting insurgency and maintaining peace and calm in adversity at the same time facilitating the developmental efforts in Northeast to show its results on ground.
Datta stressed on the significance of the exhibition to depict the philatelic hobby by repeating the history of postal stamps system. He described philately as the art of acquainting oneself with stamps preserving the rich history and culture attached to it. Philately is the art of collection and study of postage stamps, postmarks, and related materials. He also described it as hobbies which cultivate properly often evoke other hobbies like pen-friendship.
The story of philately is one that goes back to about the year 1841 when the first stamp collectors in the world began to emerge.
“To tell the story of the postal service is to try to write the history of the world, for every civilization in every country has contributed something to its development”, reminisced the Governor. But this definition is too restricting. Philately embraces not only the love and knowledge of stamps, but also the study, love and knowledge of all issues and material related to the postal services from the earliest known times in mankind’s history.
The Governor further highlighted on the development of the postal stamps adding that Great Britain issued the first adhesive postage stamp to prepay for the delivery of mail on May 6, 1840. Postage stamps were the idea of Sir Rowland Hill, as part of Great Britain’s introduction of standardized postal rates. The first postage stamp, commonly referred to as the “Penny Black”, helped eliminate a number of problems that the British Post Office had experienced up to that date.
Earlier, the Governor released a Special Cover and Information Brochure on Spear Philex 2006 issued by the Army Postal Service. Lt. Gen Z U Shah, SM, VSM GOC 3 Corps, released a Digital Souvenir on Philately, the first of its kind in the Indian Philatelic History. Prizes were given away by the Governor to the winners of the Philately Competition held on the occasion of the Army Day.
Exhibits which have won prizes at the International level such as ‘Magic of Christmas’, Mahatma Gandhi- A study’, World of Dogs’, British India Postage stamps’, Milestones in medicine’ and Fiscals of Indargarh’ were the highlights of the Exhibition.
