HYDERABAD: A first-day cover released by Indian Posts & Telegraph (now India Post) on Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of first anniversary of Indian independence stands among rare collections of Hyderabad’s philatelist Vennam Upender.
Presently working as chief vigilance officer in Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Hyderabad, Upender has collected over 500 rare stamps and postal covers having Gandhi’s famous quotes.
Among the rare collections include Gandhi as a lawyer in Johannesburg, a 116-mile walk through Bengal to try to halt Hindu-Muslim strife, the last meeting between Gandhi, Nehru and Sardar Patel, spinning yarn, salt march, launching of civil disobedience to protest British rule in India, seven vows of Mahatma Gandhi, special cover on martyrs day with a photo of Gandhi and stamp booklets of Gandhi released by the postal department.
Rare stamps released by different countries are also in Upender’s’ collection. Upender was a director in the postal department.
Filananias-2021, Filatelia Ananias virtual exhibition, which was conducted in Brazil, honoured Upender with a silver medal on the theme of ‘Quotes of Mahatma Gandhi-A Philatelic Tribute.’ He took part in a virtual exhibition from India. “Perhaps, this exhibit is unique as I did not come across any such exhibit in the country,” Upender told TOI. He said over a decade, he has been collecting philatelic material, exclusively Gandhi stamps and postal covers, having his quotes. “It is a unique experiment to showcase Mahatma Gandhi through rare philatelic collections,” he explained. He admitted that collecting a variety of philatelic material on Mahatma Gandhi having quotes was a tough task, but he could succeed because of his passion in philately field.
On the occasion of Gandhi’s birth anniversary, Upender remembered Gandhi and said, “I am paying a philatelic tribute to Gandhiji through my rare collection.”
