24 May 2020

Virtual Stamp Exhibition by GPNS


Virtual stamp exhibition by Goa Philatelic and  Numismatic Society




The current restrictions on movement and enterprise were first met with resignation, then some restlessness as people wished to get back to work. Now there is more acceptance, and everyone actually seems to be finding ways to live a life rather than be dictated by a virus whose provenance and behaviour are still unknown. After spending the initial days jostling for provisions and supplies, there are more than a few who are now doing not just that, but also engaging in work and have resumed pursuing their hobbies.

There is however an acknowledgement that things are not going to be quite the same. That curbs on the way people will behave and interact with each other are here to stay. And that life will have to move forward with these curbs in place. Even when you are pursuing a hobby.

And so, the Goa Philatelic and Numismatic Society decided that the much-anticipated exhibition of coins, stamps, and other related and independent collections would be a virtual one. Such an idea had not been attempted earlier but that hardly deterred the Society members from giving it a go. A plan was drawn up, members of the Society were informed and the plan tweaked after taking their opinion, and the stage was set for the exhibition to go live on the 18th of May.

And go live it did. The virtual exhibition, possibly the first of its kind anywhere in India, and a glowing testament to the tenacity of its members, went live on the 18th of May on the Society's Facebook page. The date coincided with the World Museum Day, and so the virtual exhibition was, rightly, titled My Room My Museum, acknowledging that stamp and coin collectors have set up mini museums in their rooms with the delightful collections they possess. This was the world's chance to get a glimpse of what they had.

The exhibition was arranged in three categories: Philatelic (of postage stamps and other aligned material), Numismatic (of coins and other aligned material) and Others, which saw some delightful collections of watches, matchboxes, model cars, erasers, and other such items. The coins and stamp collections on display were of high intrinsic value, many of them  having been already awarded at Philatelic and Numismatic exhibitions in India. These were rare and rich collections, assembled patiently over many years, with the doggedness that only a committed collector can bring to bear.

Our attempt in going live through Virtual Exhibition via  Facebbook was received well by philatelists all over India and public in general and there have been several likes for our Facebook page and there have several interesting comments  too. Earlier, people have been using social media such as Whatsapp and Facebook for sharing of knowledge, selling and buying philatelic material, we have used this media as an outreach tool to exhibit our valued exhibits.

As a part of the Virtual Exhibition of the Goa Philatelic and Numismatic Society, a special cover was launched and was also posted by the various members of the Society amongst themselves on 18th May, 2020. These covers posted from different post offices within Goa had post office cancellations including on Experimental Cancellation of the newly formed post office at the Tapal Bhawan, Patto, Panaji. Images of three different cancellations one from Panjim Head Post office with date cancellation and another with the Experimental cancellation from the Tapal Bhawan, Patto, Panaji and the third one from Curchorem, South Goa are  attached with this article.




A cover posted from the heritage building of the Panjim Head Post office with date cancellation.


A cover posted from the newly formed Post office from the Tapal Bhawan, Patto, Panjim with the experimental cancellation.


A cover posted from Curchorem,  South Goa is depicted above

More importantly, what came to bear was the enthusiasm and tenacity that the members of the Society displayed in ensuring that the exhibition was successfully executed. It might easily lay the path for other such exhibitions to happen, whether or not lockdowns and curbs are here to stay. We may venture into new outreach areas such as online Philatelic Quiz, dissemination of new knowledge, general and thematic philatelic Workshops to the public and students.











- Dr Ramesh Kumar email : rameshkumar.mr@gmail.com



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