Stamp collection is a common hobby among people of all ages but having a thematic collection of philately material is an art in itself.
Upender Vennem, an Indian Postal Services Officer, presently Chief Vigilance Officer in Bharat Dynamics Limited, stands out for his personal collection of philatelic material containing the quotes of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi.
“As a Postal Officer, I had organised a few philatelic exhibitions. Initially, I was passive towards stamp collecting. It is only when I was involved in State-Level Philatelic Exhibition held in Vijayawada during 2014 that it occurred to me that why I should not collect stamps,” said Mr. Upender recalling his humble effort then.
500 sheets
Passionate about his hobby, the 1999 batch IPoS officer has built up collection of over 500 A4 sheets of philately material across the world. Some of his significant collection are: The Story of Ramayana (80 A4 size sheets), Study of Animals, Plants and Society in Valmiki Ramayana(80 A4 size sheets), Poets of World including Nobel Laureates (80 A4 size sheets from over 100 countries, Indian Poets and Writer (80 A4 size sheets), Quotes of Mahatma Gandhi - A Philatelic Tribute (80 A4 size sheets),The Ganges-A Flowing River Goddess (80 A4 size sheets), The Mahabharata, Lord Hanuman and Philatelic Fragrance of Telugu Land.
The theme of collecting stamps on Mahatma Gandhi was very popular, he said noting that the philatelic material containing quotations of Mahatma Gandhi was difficult to collect as the same is not readily available. The stamps on Mahatma Gandhi issued during August 15, 1948, on the eve of India’s first anniversary of Independence were significant ones. More than 120 countries had issued stamps on Mahatma Gandhi during his 150th year of birth anniversary, he noted.
249 quotes
Elaborating on the philatelic material containing quotes of Mahatma Gandhi , he said the quote “Sabko Sammathi De Bhagvan” were difficult to secure. A total of 249 quotes were used in building up philatelic exhibit on Mahatma Gandhi.
The philatelic material on Gandhi quotes contains quotations on different aspects like “My Life is My Message, Service is Worship, against practice of untouchability, against use of tobacco, cleanliness, Swadeshi, Spinning Wheel, Truth is God, Non-violence, Ideal Living etc. The Department of Posts issued beautiful commemorative stamps on Mahatma Gandhi with an eight-side polygon during the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, showcasing Gandhi in his different ages.
Gold medallist
A gold medallist in Mining Engineering from Osmania University, Mr. Upender is a multi-faceted personality, having published books on his poetry and collection of short stories. Recognition too has not eluded Mr. Upender as he won three silver medals in Brazil International Stamps Show in 2021 and found a mention in Limca Book of Records 2019 for having a good quantity of philately material on Ramayana theme. He participated in Telangana and Karnataka Philately Exhibitions in 2018, Sydney Philatelic Exhibition 2019, Bali in Indonesia, India National Exhibitions 2019 and 2020.
Mr. Updener has won Gold medal in Chicago exhibition, Telangana exhibition and Vermeil medals in Karnataka. He also won silver medal in Sydney exhibition.
