Philately is the hobby of collecting stamps as well as the study of postal history and other related items. It is a mode of commemorating, celebrating and promoting national heritage, culture, events and personalities. Postage Stamps are pictorial ambassadors. They are a statement of sovereignty of a nation.
After independence, the medium of postage stamps was initially used to highlight the country’s achievements in science and technology as well as its socio-economic development by depicting themes like Five Year Plans, steel plants, dams, etc. Subsequently, the country’s rich cultural and natural heritage came to be showcased and many beautiful stamps were issued in thematic sets on art, architecture, crafts maritime heritage, science, technology, defence, and cinema. Great leaders of national and international standing have also been honoured with commemorative stamps, the most important being Mahatma Gandhi. The Father of the Nation has been honoured with commemorative as well as definitive stamps. Personalities of repute in areas like painting, literature, science, music, social upliftment, etc., have also been portrayed on commemorative stamps.
In keeping with their dual character as a ‘Token of Postage’ and as ‘Cultural Ambassador’, there are two categories of stamps viz., definitive and commemorative postage stamps. The definitive postage stamps are meant for day-to-day use as a token of payment of postage on mail articles. These incorporate less complicated design inputs, entailing minimum expenditure in their manufacture, and are printed in large quantities, over longer periods. On the other hand, the commemorative postage stamps are designed and printed with greater aesthetic inputs. These are manufactured in limited quantities and generate great interest among philatelists and collectors.
The philatelic activities of the Department include designing, printing, distribution and sale of commemorative postage stamps through philatelic bureaux and counters, e-post office, etc., designing, printing and distribution of definitive postage stamps and items of postal stationery like envelopes, Inland lettercard, postcard, aerogramme, registered cover, etc., promotion of philately and conduct and monitoring of Philatelic exhibitions; maintenance of the National Philatelic Museum, Dak Bhawan, New Delhi.
A Philatelic Advisory Committee (PAC) advises the Government of India on the annual programme for the issue of commemorative stamps. It is an important forum for the citizen-government interface where persons who have achieved eminence in various fields can contribute to the process of identifying and highlighting issues or events, institutions, personalities and themes whose commemoration through postage stamps would help elevate the image of India in the global arena.
