Postman dressed as ‘Postal runner ’ to be star attraction at Stampex Pune 2009

Stampex Pune 2009 - a national stamps fair is back in the city - this time, promising three special attractions to visitors. The International Collectors' Society of Rare Items (ICSRI) that organises the event has arranged for a postman to enact the role of a ‘postal runner’ who used to run from village to village distributing letters in the olden days.

“We are releasing a special first-day cover and cancellation on Mahatma Gandhi as part of inauguration of the exhibition on Friday. The postal runner will take this cover and cancellation from Sonal hall, Kothrud, the venue of the exhibition to Deccan Gymkhana post office,” said SR Bhat, president of the Collectors'’Society. The runner will be a postman from Deccan post office dressed up as postal runner with a stick and lantern in hand, he said.

Bhat said the use of stamps is reducing, so are the collectors and philatelists. It is the need of the hour of boost the postal department. The postal runner will remind people about how the department evolved over decades. It will be and acknowledgement of the department's efforts and promotion of philately, he said.

In another attraction, a book detailing postal stationery of British India will be released on the occasion. "The book will primarily help collectors of British stationery in India and abroad. This is the only book published in last 20 years that gives details about almost every postal stationery used at that time. It can also be used as a ready reckoner by research students," said Pratisad Neurgaonkar, who has authored the book with assistance of four others.

... contd.