Goa: Philately exhibition set for digital display

PANAJI: Lockdown restrictions and social distancing norms may have placed curbs on large gatherings, but philatelists and numismatics have figured a way around it.
The Goa Philatelic and Numismatic Society (GPNS) will utilise social media to digitally showcase a virtual exhibition of personal collections of stamps, coins, banknotes and other interesting items on May 18.

“Several participants, including children and adults alike, turn out with their exhibits at Goa Science Centre at Miramar, Panaji to showcase their hobbies and interests on this day every year. This year, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the world observing lockdown and social distancing, we resolved to take the exhibition on Facebook,” Dr M R Ramesh Kumar, president, GPNS, said.
Titled ‘My Room, My Museum’, the digital exhibits are divided into three categories – philately comprising stamps and , numismatic comprising coins and banknotes, and other categories.
Taking the exhibition online will give it all the necessary boost by bringing not just Goa’s amateur philatelists and numismatics, but also enthusiasts from around the globe. Stamp lovers will therefore get an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the country’s rich history and Goa’s link with its colonial past at the click of a button.
“The digital platform will help us reach a wider audience, not only in Goa but all across the world,” Kumar said.
Since, inception, GPNS has organised many exhibitions like the GOAPEX-77 (15-17 May, 1977), GOAPEX 81 (18-20 December, 1981), GOAPEX 1983 (25-27 November, 1983), GOAPEX-1995, GOAPEX, 2014 and GOAPEX 2019.
Another GPNS event was held in October last year along with the department of posts, Panaji, and had paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary by displaying 65 frames on Gandhi.