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Man of a different stamp!
Philatelist Vijay Kumar Lembhe
To many, collecting stamps may be a hobby, but for
Mr. Vijay Kumar Lembhe, it is a passion!  A
resident of Dahanukar Colony in Kothrud, Mr. Lembhe
has been collecting stamps since the age of six.
His collection of over 80,000 stamps ranges from
stamps of one anna (when the decimal coinage
system was yet to come) to the 50-rupee denomination.
On asked about how he got hooked, Mr Lembhe says,
"I was very attracted to the stamps of George
V and George VI when I was six. My father was a
schoolmaster and in those days the schoolmasters
had to manage the postal affairs also. Over the
years, this attraction grew into a hobby and now
it's a passion. "Philately is one of the
nicest ways to quench my insatiable thirst for acquiring
knowledge about the whole world. I believe
it gives a person an insight to the cultures of
various countries and their lifestyles."
A graduate from J.J. School of Arts, Mr.
Lembhe has drawn replicas of most of his stamps
in his stamp-book along with the collages. A life
member of the Philately Society of India and the
South-Indian Philatelist Association in Chennai,
he has a detailed knowledge about his subject.
"The stamps are classified into two broad
categories - commemorative and definitive. The
commemorative ones are those printed only once and
available till stocks last. Definitive ones are
the commercial ones that get printed as and when
required. A philatelist's collection looks incomplete
without the first-day covers, which have se-tenants
of stamps on them. Se-tenants are those stamps that
are joined side by side as when printed. A
first-day cover is valid only if it is authenticated
with the seal of special cancellation."
He further explains, "The inscriptions
on the stamps are based on various themes. They
could be based on events, culture-depictions or
other subjects. In philatelic parlance, the se-tenants
must have the entire collection of stamps pertaining
to the theme."
On first day cover collections, he says,
"In our country, there are around 18 philatelic
bureaus located in the respective GPOs of the 18
cities. They have a separate counter for issuing
fresh  or
mint stamps. We get them at the Shivajinagar post-office
and also at the Deccan Gymkhanas besides the General
Post Office."
At sixty, a very enthusiastic person, Mr.
Lembhe organizes philatelic exhibitions in schools
to impart knowledge to schoolchildren at his own
expense. "The interest has to be inculcated
in children while they are young and open to new
ideas. Later, the same strategies might not be that
effectual. And to make it more enticing, I have
foreign stamps, based on various themes, both mint
as well as used for exchange"
In this world of Internet and emails, postmen will
perhaps soon exist only in storybooks. Maybe stamps
will be found only with philatelists and the likes.
So for all those enthusiasts, a visit to Mr Lembhe
will help!
Address: Vijaykumar Lembhe, 11 Sadashanti
Society, 92 Dahanukar Colony, Lane No 3, Kothrud,
Pune 411 029, Phone: 546 2528
-Vaishali Deshpande
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