PHILATELY IN TRANSITION IN INDIA


From the issues of Stamps of India Collectors Companion


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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