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.
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