Stamped for posterity

FROM WHERE IT ALL BEGAN A view of the Mumbai GPO

Did you know that the first country to carry mail by air officially was India and that too in 1911? Or that Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore wrote nearly 7,000 letters all of which were sent by post and so fascinated was he with post office that he wrote to Lady Ranu Mukherjee sharing his desire of becoming a village post master? So enamoured he was that he wrote a play called “Dakghar” in 1912. Likewise many may not be aware that the first stamp in post-Independent India was released on August 15, 1947. It depicted the National Flag, Ashoka emblem and air services.

Information nuggets such as these along with several interesting stories about stamps, post offices and philately are what emerge from Anirban Dutta’s 30-minute documentary The Tale Of Stamps. Recently screened at the Public Service Broadcasting Trust’s Open Frame 2016 festival, the film, according to Dutta, is not an attempt to walk down the memory lane. “I am not trying to invoke nostalgia about the good old times gone by. Aware that technological advancement will inevitably phase out exchange of letters and usage of stamps, I was keen to document my research in the film to make people aware about the history of stamps and postal system. More so since these have not been archived and more than 80 per cent of the material is with private collectors.”

The film celebrates the rich and fascinating history of India’s postal system through philately and brings together postal historians, well known philatelists, offices and stamps designers while seamlessly weaving fascinating anecdotes around stamps. Each person contributes delightful slices of history about stamps and post office. Kavery Banerjee, the Secretary Department of Posts, shares details of how the courier system operated in the past when rulers used messengers by foot and horses to deliver important communiqué. She also goes on to explain how the East India Company set up the first postal system in the country for its officials initially, which was later opened for public. Similarly, Vispi Dastur, a philatelist, tells us about the world’s first postage stamp, Penny Black and the aristocracy of Indian philately, the Sindh Dawk, the country’s first adhesive stamps issued in 1852.

Though fact-driven, Dutta does well not to make the proceedings boring by including plenty of tales around stamps and postal network. “By bringing in these stories I wanted to emphasise how the two are an integral part of our history. After all how long can viewers’ interest be sustained by showing stamps?” quips Dutta. Citing examples from the film, he says, “It is fascinating to know that Lord William Bentinck, the Governor-General of India, scrapped the unpaid letter system wherein the receiver had to pay for the postage since people invariably would peep at the contents and return the letter.” Likewise, one is amazed to know the superior skills and enterprise of Indian postal officials since they were sent to other parts of the British Empire to establish post offices where Indian stamps were used. So we get to postcards and letters from faraway places like Baghdad, Zanzibar, Aden, Burma and Nepal with Indian stamps on them.

Sharing details on how he was drawn to the subject of the film, Dutta says stamps were an important part of his growing up years. “Spending childhood in faraway places, letters were the only means of keeping in touch and through them I became fascinated with stamps. They became a window to the world and knowledge like intrigued by Polaska and CCCP on stamps I came to know about Poland and USSR while alpaca on Peruvian stamp provoked me to know about the animal and the country. Stamps became the trigger in my life to know about places, persons and history.”

Dutta feels that collection and study of stamps among children and youngsters should be inculcated at the school and encouraged by parents. Emphasising the need to make stamps an integral part of teaching, he argues that as a visual tool it will make learning more fun while triggering eagerness to know more. “The Indian stamps on national leaders, statesmen, cinema, sports and performing art personalities will certainly kindle an urge to learn and acquire knowledge.” In fact, he feels in today’s hectic life, stamps can initiate some quality time conversations between parents and kids. “On seeing stamps on IPTA, Mohenjo Daro, Ashoka emblem, Bhimsen Joshi, C.K. Nayudu, my son and daughter became inquisitive and started asking questions. We have had many delightful interactions thanks to stamps.”

Having collected a lot of material, Dutta hopes to make a longer film on the topic.

“I have many more stories to share with audience like the one on the issue of stamp by India which coincided with the liberation of Bangladesh.” Having whetted the audience appetite they are sure to wait for more.