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Part 56, Issue # 115 - May 8, 2003
President Philatelic
Congress of India Sahdev Sahoo has been gainfully associated with philately for
many years. He was the President while his wife Sumitra Sahoo was the Secretary
as well as the Treasurer of the Rourkela Philatelic Club. When the Club
published the first issue of its quarterly magazine 'Stamps & Stamps' in 1981
Sahoo was its editor.
Sahoo, a government servant, was posted out of Rourkela to Sambalpur. We glean
from the pages of 'Stamps & Stamps' that Sahoo's wife was elevated to the post
of the Associated Editor while retaining the post of Treasurer and the Rourkela
Philatelic Club continued as publisher up to 1985.
In 1986 the ownership of the 'Stamps & Stamps' was misappropriated by the Sahoos.
The first statutory 'annual statement of ownership and other particulars' we
have found is in the issue for the 1st quarter of 1988. It lists Sahoo's wife as
publisher, printer, and sole owner of the publication.
Mrs. Sahoo died on May 15, 1999 and her name started appearing in each issue
since than as the Founder Publisher of this publication. Radharani Sahoo, the
daughter-in-law of the Sahoos was appointed the new publisher.
Reportedly a private trust grandiosely titled as 'Orissa Philately & Education
Trust' was set up before senior Mrs. Sahoo's death. However the name of the
Trust as the publisher started appearing only in 2001.
In 1999 Sahoo also setup a printing press 'Stamps & Stamps Press' apparently
from the funds collected for a national 'MILLEPEX 2000'. The accounts for this
exhibition are not yet audited.
In 1997 Sahoo had volunteered to edit, print and mail the 'Signet' published
quarterly by PCI at his costs while PCI could retain all advertisement revenue.
Sahoo's offer was accepted by the PCI governing council.
The 'annual statement of ownership and other particulars' of the Signet for the
year 1998 lists Sahoo as publisher and printer and the PCI as the sole owner,
however no address for PCI was given. The statement for 1999 lists Sahoo as
publisher and printer and also as an owner besides PCI and once again no address
for PCI was given. In 2000 the statement lists Radharani Sahoo as printer, Sahoo
as publisher and PCI as owner with the address of B Mehta in Delhi as the
address for PCI. The statement for 2001 lists Radharani Sahoo as printer, Sahoo
as publisher and PCI as owner with a fake address - Next to the National
Philatelic Museum, Dak Bhawan, New Delhi. The statement for 2002 lists Radharani
Sahoo as printer, Sahoo as publisher and PCI as owner with another address - Dak
Bhawan (annexe), New Delhi. This accommodation was allotted by India Post at
their HQ and was inaugurated in November 2001, however the allotment was
cancelled vide their letter dated August 13, 2002. In the statement for 2003
Radharani Sahoo is listed as the printer, Sahoo as publisher and PCI as owner,
with address of PCI as 'care of publisher'.
In middle of 2001 the name of the 'Orissa Philately & Education Trust' started
appearing as publisher on behalf of PCI that is not reflected in the statutory
statements for 2002 and 2003. This Trust assumed publishing of Signet without
any reference to PCI governing council.
The above just reflects the arbitrary way in which some persons run the
associations in India be it at the local, state or national level. It is so
because these handful of persons take it as their proprietary concern without
keeping in mind the interests of the collective members.
As Sahoo is fond of saying - It happens only in India!
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