|
Part 53, Issue # 112 -
April 17, 2003
The directory of
philatelists has been a useful tool for putting philatelists in touch with each
other since the early days of the hobby the world over.
The best philatelic directories in India have always been published by
individuals rather than any organization for some strange reason. In recent
times the directories by A H G Sarma, Dipok Dey, and Suraj Jaitly deserve
special mention.
L N Krishnan, the then Secretary of the Philatelic Congress of India (PCI),
compiled the first Directory of Members that also listed individual members of
the societies that were institutional members of PCI as well as much more useful
information. It was published in 1982 and was much appreciated. However poor
marketing ensured that it remained in stocks for ever.
Dilip Shah in 1997 brought out a List of PCI members without listing the
individual members of the member societies.
In the end 2000 Shah once again published the directory of members. As a
foretaste for the things to come, the covers were printed in black and it is
popularly, some say appropriately, known as The Black List.
It was also a publication that money could not buy; as it was for the first time
'not-for-sale'. This was not the case with earlier publications. Needless to say
this break from the norm was also, as is usual with other much more important
decisions, never discussed in the Governing Council of PCI.
|