SILCHAR, Sept 19 - A two-day district-level philately exhibition titled Silpex, which was organised by the Cachar Division of the Department of Posts, concluded at the Banga Bhawan here on Saturday and witnessed the release of two special covers by the department.
One cover was on Banga Bhawan and the other on Barak Blood Bank. They were formally released by Professor Dilip Chandra Nath, Vice Chancellor of Assam University Silchar.
Terming this as a memorable ocassion in the history of Barak Valley, Professor Nath said that philately is one of the most preferred hobbies around the world and has a rich legacy of its own.
�Use of internet and mobile services might cast an impact on the use of letters. But for a country which has the largest number of postal networks, philately, which reflects the cultural aspects of various regions of the country and also of the world, can never lose its charm,� he maintained. On the occasion, the Vice Chancellor also recollected his hobby of collecting stamps during his student days.
Riju Ganguly, Director of Postal Services, Assam Circle said that they are happy to organise a philately exhibition at Silchar. In his words, �Philately is not just a hobby of colleting colourful stamps; it is a window to know about the world. It is not only a piece of paper which helps letters to reach across regions, it is but a passion,� Ganguly said.
He added to say that people of Barak Valley deserve special appreciation for putting forth the need to undertake this initiative which is targeted to boost the art of philately among the youngsters of the region.
Taimur Raja Choudhury, district president of Barak Banga urged the department officials to come up with a commemorative stamp in memory Kamala Bhattacharjee, the lady language martyr of Barak Valley. He also urged the department to instal portrait images of Dinabandhu Mitra and Ram Kumar Nandi Mazumder, two former employees of the department at the Silchar Head Post Office.
Pradip Kumar Banik, in-charge of Barak Blood Bank and Research Centre also spoke a few words. Besides a workshop and exhibition, there were art competitions for schoolchildren in two groups, together with quiz competitions as well.
Suman Deb won the philately contest followed by Debopam Biswas and Debtanu Biswas winning second prize and Dr Apratim Nag, Rony Ghosh and Sumanta Kumar Das were the third prize winners respectively.
Unaisha Baksh won the art competition in the junior category and Arnold Dey clinched 1st position in the senior category. The duo of Devnil Nath and Abhishek Dutta of Holy Cross School of Silchar won the quiz competition.
