``That's not the correct name, it should be called the Shindeshahi Pagdi,'' points out Singh, who's the Additional Chief Secretary, General Administration Department (GAD). He also happens to be a stamp collector, and not just any ordinary one at that. Singh's singular speciality is stamped all over his personal collection of litte quadrangular pieces of paper that feature headwear of all cultures. His collection, in which history's giants like Tansen, Tipu Sultan, Winston Churchill and M K Gandhi can be spied with their caps on, will be exhibited at the Coomaraswamy Hall, Prince of Wales Museum, from October 4 to 11.

Says Singh, the unusual theme ``attempts to portray a part of the heritage of India which is fast disappearing as traditions fall by the wayside and western modes of dressovertake us''. The collection of over 400 stamps features the headwear of kings, clergy, poets, political leaders, tribals, administrators and commoners. It also showcases the kind of headwear that was used during sporting events, by armies and in cultural events in about 30 to 40 countries. Besides Churchill, who can be spotted in a bowler hat as well as in naval headwear, Singh has even managed to lay his hands on headwear donned by the indigenous people of Kenya and Papua New Guinea, the Maharaja of Dungarpur and Hakim Abdul Qasim Firdousi, the Pakistani poet who penned the Shahnama over 1,000 years ago.

There are also special features on the so-called Gandhi topi, headwear of the armed forces and turbans. ``There are different kinds of Gandhi topis - Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru wears it trim and straight, Lal Bahadur Shastri wore it slightly higher and Charan Singh wore it kaise bhi. But I want to ask some Congressman how the Gandhi topi got its name, because Gandhi never wore it,'' he says. Instead,Gandhi has been captured in a cowboy hat and in a Gujarati turban.

``Stamp collection has always been a passion since childhood,'' Singh told Express Newsline. He has a Master's degree in the History of Art, which considerably fuelled his interest in philately. But he says he got serious about the collection only six to seven years ago. While Singh keeps a lookout for his kind of stamps on his travels through India and abroad, he is also considerably aided by his friends.

Singh says his attempt is to focus not just on the headwear but also the way it is worn, and the common thread that weaves through people of different cultures and countries. And why headwear alone? Says Singh, his own turban keeps his head safe and secure. Which is why he laments the death of India's headwear tradition. ``We are throwing our clothes away. We are exposing ourselves...'' he trails off.