Indian philatelist Markand Dave FRPSL meets Queen of England
Opening ceremony of new building of The Royal Philatelic Society, London
Yes, if you collect stamps you can have a chance to meet Queen Markand Dave told TOI.
Markand said, " King of Hobbies and Hoby of Kings, this slogan became popular when King George V started collecting stamps."
People asks Markand that how did you start stamp collection? and he replies with a big smile on his face that its in my blood!
My father was a stamp collector and he started his collection without pocket money, he used to stop at the gate of the post office when the postman deaprts for mail delivery in his area and politely asks the postman, "do you have any mails with Foreign stamps?" and then he used to walk with postman, once the letter is delivered then he asks the recipient "Can I have that stamps please?" and that is how passionate and serious collector Markand's father Dipak Bhai was in his childhood.
Markand took it forward and became member of Gujarat Philatelist's Association in 2005 and now he is serving as President. He is also serving on editorial board of Philatelic Congress of India and as a Governing Council Member of Philatelic Traders Society in England, also member of American Philatelic Society.
In year 2009 he joined the prestigious and world famous philatelic organisation The Royal Philatelic Society London, in 2013 He was appointed as a representative of India for the society with all the promotional work he was doing for society and in 2014 he was awarded with the Fellowship of the society and became youngest fellow in the world, in 2018 he was awarded with Society's London Medal for his out standing and committed work for the society he did to promote philately on a large scale in India with organizing many important meetings, receptions and Philatelic Seminars.
Markand has formed stamp collections on various subjects and exhibited his collections in countries lime USA,UK,UAE,South Africa,Hong Kong,Czech Republic. Very recently in September and this year in February he was awarded with Gold Medal for his stamp collection of The 1929 Air Mail Stamps of India. In recent Aeropex 2019 he won Gold Medal for his 1929 Air mail stamps exhibit. This exhibition celebrated the centenary of the epic England to Australia
flight of Sir Ross & Keith Smith in 1919.
