A flower stamp on my mind

Something of that intrepid kid has stayed on in him. He giggles with abandon as he talks about his passion. The table in front of him is a veritable geographic co-ordinate of the world. Stamps,all with the pretty countenance of different species of roses on them,lie proudly in carefully laminated covers. There are numerous paper tributes to Princess Diana,but most prop up the traditional rose genus found in a country. “There is a history behind every stamp. I have studied philately,all its nuances,to understand the mystique better. I have built thematic collections,but roses caught my fancy a decade back.” Pune beckoned when he won the top prize at an exhibition held by The All India Rose Convention held at Amravati recently. He has brought in over 700 stamps sourced from about 70 countries to the Buds N’ Blooms 2011 expo. Special cancellation,maxim cards,inaugural issues,commemorative,gold-plated,first day covers are some glossary terms one will need to brush up on while perusing these exhibits.

“Sometimes while printing,the colour of some stamps goes light or doesn’t stick out well. This is called an ‘error’ and every philatelist craves to claim ownership of one such classic,” Patwardhan explains. Another mission that he is now heartily pursuing is a collection of autographs. “It started when I showed singer Lata Mangeshkar a few of my music stamps. She agreed to give me an autograph without as much as a shrug. Since 2002,I have met personalities I have admired and personally sought to get their signatures. I have amassed 1000 already,” he chuckles.