Philately and My Fascination for It by Lester Caevan Lobo Back
Philately and My Fascination for It
by
Lester Caevan Lobo
Every child at some point in time develops a hobby that keeps him/her engaged and entertained. From playing different games to art, craft and gardening, hobbies of children are nurtured by parents just to help the child use its time fruitfully. Some children begin to collect things like music CDs, video games, shells etc. I too at a young age started collecting bank notes and coins. But gradually I developed an interest in collecting stamps. My aunt had given me some stamps and from then on i.e. when I was in the 6th standard, I began collecting stamps. But then I hadn’t heard the word “PHILATELY” let alone knowing the meaning of it.
It was when I stepped into 8th standard at St Aloysius High School that I heard this beautiful word “PHILATELY”. I did not know what it meant. I asked someone and I got to know that philately is nothing but a ‘collection and study of postage stamps’. I joined the ‘NEHRU’ PHILATELIC CLUB at school and began to learn a lot about Philately. What began as a small hobby in class 6 was beginning to take shape as an art and science in my life. My parents gave me all the encouragement that I needed to get going. They were happy that I was learning something new.
In the same year, i.e. when I was in 8th standard we had a Philately and Numismatics Competition and I decided to compete in the same. I approached my teacher with the stamps that I had collected, and asked her to let me participate in the competition. She agreed to it. But my collection was limited when compared to those that had participated in it. As I entered the competition venue and saw the beautiful exhibits by other participants, I was both thrilled and shocked. I was just looking at their exhibits over and over again and that is when I promised myself to win the same competition the following year.
After that I saw so many dealers, selling Philately material. This is when I decided to channelize my collection of stamps into one theme “LOCOMOTIVE STAMPS”. From then on, I began collecting stamps of all kinds but more of Locomotive themed Stamps. I have received a lot of help in collecting stamps of trains (Locomotive). I have an Instagram handle (Lobo_swaps) where I exchange stamps with philatelists from all over. I look for more of Locomotive stamps. I have made a lot of friends on Instagram who share the same taste as me in Philately.
Philately doesn’t just stop at collecting stamps and its display. In order to preserve stamps, one has to cover the stamps with plastic. Also, collecting stamps and not knowing anything about it, is like having a half-baked bread, it cannot be relished. One must do a lot of research and know all about the stamps that he owns. When at a competition, the jury may ask questions relating to your collection of stamps and you are expected to be well-informed about your collection. Thus, philately is known as THE KING OF HOBBIES.
In October 2019, when I was in First PU, there was a State Level Competition in which my friends and I participated. The more Philately materials you have the more points you get. I won a bronze in U-17 category in Karnapex in the sub-junior category.
Over the years I have become an active POSTCROSSER too. Now you must be wondering what is Postcrossing. It is a process where you become a member of a website and post and receive postcards from all over the world. However, “crossing” and “exchange” of post cards function differently. A member of the website sends a postcard to another postcrosser and receives a postcard from another unknown postcrosser. That’s what makes Postcrossing special.
Along with my parents’ support, I would like to acknowledge the role that my lecturer Mrs. Sheryl R. Prabhu and her husband Mr. Joseph have played in helping me enter the portals of Philately and learn about it. Although I have been into Philately for more than 5 years now, I feel there’s no end to this learning. Each day there is something new to be learnt and I enjoy this thoroughly. I devote my free time to gaining mastery over this hobby of mine.I collect stamps of all kinds, shapes, sizes and topics. But favourite themes currently include stamps on Covid, sports, flora and fauna.
At present I am working on a project that comprises of both collecting postmarks and studying them. There are 45+ permanent pictorial cancellation (postmark) in Karnataka and I have collected 18 as of now and I would like to collect all within 2022.
At present I have more than 1580 stamps, 192 train stamps, stamps from 64 countries including islands and 322 stamps in 2 albums. I am still looking for stamps to add to my collection. A few people have seen my interest in Philately and have given me stamps for my collection. I am looking forward to meet more people who can help add to my collection not just of stamps and postcards but also to the knowledge that I possess. I consider this just as a beginning to my pursuit of being an accomplished Philatelist.
Instagram Handle: Lobo_swaps
Lester Caevan Lobo | Kapikad Ward
