Odisha Philatelists Bag Maximum Medals In National Stamp Exhibition

Bhubaneswar: The philatelists from Odisha won several awards at national philatelic exhibition, ‘Amritpex 2023’, held in New Delhi.

The five-day philatelic exhibition, held at the Pragati Maidan in New Delhi from February 13 to 16, showcased 20,000 exhibits of the participants from across the country in 13 categories and featured workshops, panel discussions, and cultural programs.

The exhibition was spread over a floor area of 1,00,000 square feet and had 1,400 frames which had over one lakh stamps collected by 300 participants. The exhibits displayed 5000 years of India’s history, culture, art, and heritage through stamps and pictorial collections.

The Amritpex 2023 included themes such as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and New India, Nari Shakti, Yuva Shakti, Nature and Wildlife, and India’s Culture and History.

More than 40 philatelists from Odisha participated in the national exhibition and bagged the largest haul of medals among all states. The Odisha participants won 4 Vermeil and one Special Prize, 9 Large Silver, 10 Silver and one Special Prize, 5 Silver Bronze, 6 Bronze, one Certificate of Participation, 4 in One Frame Exhibit and 5 in AKAM Class.

A book on the “Special Covers Of Odisha”, written by Dr Bhibhudata Mishra and published by the Eastern India Philatelic Association was released on the occasion.

According to Anil Dhir, who is a Fellow of the Philatelic Congress of India and has written several books on philately, Odisha is now the Philatelic Capital of the nation. There are eight philatelic clubs with around 300 members in the state.

“Philatelists from Odisha have been making their name by getting awards in both national and international exhibitions. This year, the Philatelic Congress Of India has awarded Fellowship to BK Sinha and a Certificate of Appreciation to Anup Kumar Raut,” he said.