Siliguri: Head Post Office gets Philatelic Bureau, expo hall

siliguri: With the aim to showcase old and historic postcards and postage stamps the India Post, under the Ministry of Communication, Government of India has set up a Philatelic Bureau and exhibition hall at the head post office of Siliguri. Students and collectors visit the bureau to learn more about these vintage items.

Many historic postage stamps, postcards are exhibited here. The transformation of the Indian National Flag, from the early stage to the present day have been displayed on the postcards.

On 24 March, Colonel Akhilesh Kumar Pandey, the Postmaster General of North Bengal and Sikkim, had inaugurated the Philatelic Bureau.

“Earlier there was no such exhibition hall in North Bengal. Some people used to collect the postcards and postage stamps as their hobby but the number has steady decreased over the years. To revive the interest and showcase the old postcards and postage stamps, specially to the new generation, we came up with this,” said, Pandey.

A total of 300 types of postage stamps, postcards have been displayed at the bureau. This includes many rare stamps along with stamps of different countries, special covers and corporate stamps.Deshbandhu Museum; Batasiya Loop of Darjeeling; Mangoes of Malda; Special chilies of the hills (Dalley) that was recently accorded the GI and Red Panda have been displayed through stamps and postcards.

The Postal Department hopes that such exhibitions will bring back the interest of collecting postage stamps and postcards.

Anirban Roy, a student of class X who went to the hall, said: “I have never seen these postcards before. I am happy that I could see such diverse types of postcards and stamps together in one place.”