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Part 47, Issue # 106 -
March 6, 2003
The so-called INPEX
2002 that falsely claimed to be the 10th national philatelic exhibition of India
is finally over.
The way it was organized one gets the feeling that the organizers could have
gone ahead in December 2002 as per their original plan and done with it instead
of rescheduling it. A national was held in January 2000 in Bhubaneswar and
everyone was told not to criticize it for its failures due to super cyclone in
end 1999. The same set of organizers thus emboldened and in league with
minuscule group of persons that attempt to exercise total control on philately
in India along with usual set of sycophants stand exposed to what their agenda
is - self promotion.
That this exhibition was jinxed from the very beginning goes without saying. On
the day of inauguration there was a general strike in whole of Orissa against
the police arresting a 12 year old girl for killing two other little girls.
Believe it or not this so-called national of a country of over a billion people
had an attendance of less then 100 including organizers, jurors, exhibitors, and
volunteers!!!
Most of the awards were on expected lines rewarding persons for their sycophant
quotient and to wean away from opposition. If an exhibitor raises his voice s/he
will be rewarded for the fear of losing her/him to the opposition.
B K Sinha, the chief perpetrator, was awarded gold medal for his UPU exhibit.
This very exhibit was a no-show in PHILAKOREA 2002. It contains antiquities and
we had informed Sinha and his mentor and PCI president, S Sahoo, that he must
obtain the mandatory Temporary Export Permit from the Archaeological Survey of
India (ASI) through the national commissioner, G Madan Mohan Das. This he at
first refused to do but later Sahoo and Das tried for the same, without success.
If this exhibit was taken to Korea it would have met the same fate as all other
exhibits to Korea without permit have met - confiscation.
Ajay K Mittal was rewarded with a gold medal for his readymade exhibit on
Kishengarh Fiscals primarily for his nuisance value. This exhibit like his
earlier exhibits of Indore postage and fiscals was also bought readymade. The
Indore fiscal exhibit is still lying with customs since its return from Korea.
The final gold medal went to B K Nagpal, a blind supporter of M G Pittie and A R
Singhee, all natives of Hyderabad, for his exhibit of Hyderabad. We are
ascertaining the source of material in this exhibit.
The Championship Award also went to a Hyderabad resident, Valmik Desai for his
exhibit that was no-show in HAFNIA 2001. This also contains antiquities and was
not included in the application for permit from ASI by national commissioner
Dhananjay Desai, though eventually none of the exhibits went to HAFNIA 2001.
Om Praksh Jagti, posing as a person domiciled in Orissa won the best exhibit
award of ORPEX 2002 - official Orissa state level philatelic exhibition. In 2001
national at Nashik and now the so called national at Bhubaneshwar Jagati has
filed his application from Bangalore. However his exhibit did not fare so well
in this show as another exhibitor, Jeevan Jyoti's exhibit won a better prize
this time than it received at ORPEX. All this is clear evidence, if any was ever
needed, that Shakil Ahmed was completely right in questioning the judging at
ORPEX where action is still pending from India Post - the organizers of ORPEX.
One of the three Large Vermeil medals was awarded to 'GPA NEWS' a monthly
bulletin of Gujarat Philatelist's Association, whose president Ashok Bayanwala,
was also a member of the jury, seemed to have rewarded his own work.
We, ever the optimists, look at positive side of tidings. Most of the Indian
jurors on international jury list were not officially involved with the jury
work for this so-called national for the first time. However, ever the
exception, Pittie along with his elder sister-in-law was very much a part and
parcel of the jury. And Pittie's comrade in arms from Hyderabad, Singhee was
busy doing his favorite job - remote controlling. Dilip Shah made a brief but
brave appearance for the first two days of the show.
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