Philately is the collection & study of postage stamps that has many enthusiasts the world over. It is also very popular in India with a number of philately groups active in various regions of India. The National Philatelic Museum in Delhi is a unique initiative by the Indian Government Postal Service to showcase the rich postal heritage of the country & promote this interesting hobby among kids & adults alike.
The National Philatelic Museum was inaugurated in 2011 to promote interest in philately & also provide a common platform for philately enthusiasts from India to interact with each other. The Museum is located near Connaught Place (CP) on Sansad Marg & is easily accessible by public transport. The museum is part of the Dak Bhavan building and is housed in the basement of the building.
The museum showcases an extensive collection of stamps, tracing back from the first stamp issued in India which is one of the rarest stamps (issued by the Sindh Dak in 1854) and has been showcased at the museum as well as some other very rare stamps issued before Independence of India by the Princely States of India. The museum has on display various thematic stamps, such as on wildlife, flora, important public figures, science & technology, transportation & armed forces etc.
In addition to showcasing stamps from India, the museum also displays stamps from the world over. One of the special stamps on display is from the Army Postal Service & India Security Press, Nashik. It is an enjoyable experience for the philatelists to view such rare & priceless postage stamps on display.
The museum is equipped with an amphitheatre for organizing events for encouraging philately. There is also a reference library which has a lot of books, journals & related literature on philately; it is provided in exchange of a minimal cost and one has to register for membership.
The postage department has set up an artist’s corner which displays the process & know-how of designing stamps; this corner has plans in the near future to invite artists from various parts of the world for live demonstrations of designing postage stamps. The museum also has an outlet for philatelists interested in purchasing special edition Indian stamps.
The museum is open for the public from Monday to Friday and the entry is free as of now. It also permits school groups on request on Saturdays. The timings of the National Philatelic Museum are 10 AM-5 PM – a must visit.
