Home » Community & Culture » Karnataka Postal Circle Reboots Annual Philatelic Exhibition After Four Year Break

Karnataka Postal Circle reboots annual philatelic exhibition after four-year break

The exhibition, scheduled for 5-8 January in Bengaluru, aims to reconnect people with the joy of sending letters and postcards.

ByPTI

Published Jan 04, 2024 | 4:16 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 04, 2024 | 4:16 PM

The event aims to piece together Karnataka's socio-cultural history. (Instagram - Karnatak postal circle)

The event aims to piece together Karnataka's socio-cultural history. (Instagram - Karnataka postal circle)

The Karnataka Postal Circle is set to revive its annual philatelic exhibition, Karnapex 2024, after a four-year hiatus. The event, last held in 2019 in Mangaluru, is part of the Karnataka Postal Circle’s ongoing effort to redefine ‘connecting people’ in the online era.

“Ultimately, we want people to rediscover the joy of sending letters and postcards. We believe that this can be achieved by giving them a glimpse of the rich postal heritage of India,” said Director of Postal Services (HQ) Kaiya Arora.

Also Watch: India’s first 3D-printed post office building inaugurated

Piecing history

Bengaluru will host the 13th edition of Karnapex 2024 from 5 January to 8 January. The event aims to piece together Karnataka’s socio-cultural history through stamps, special covers, special cancellations, and pictorial collections.

🎉 Exciting News! 📬 Join us at Karnapex 2024, not just a Philately exhibition, but a celebration of stamps! 💌 Ms. Kaiya Arora, Director Postal Services (HQ), invites you to explore the world of stamps and embark on a journey of knowledge and joy. pic.twitter.com/81d8wBzmHu

— Karnataka Postal Circle (@CPMGKARNATAKA) January 3, 2024

A cancellation is a postal marking affixed on stamps or envelopes of India Post to deface the stamp and prevent its re-use. Cancellations come in a variety of designs, shapes, sizes and colours.

“Stamps that are issued to mark historical milestones are nuggets of information and are perfect learning tools,” Arora pointed out.

Also Read: What’s the secret behind Mysore Sandal Soap’s historic sales in November 2023?

Special cover releases

To commemorate Karnapex 2024, organisers will release special covers featuring things and events unique to Karnataka, such as ali guli manne and kambala.

The philatelic exhibition plans to showcase a total of 690 rare stamp collections.

Each day of the exhibition will explore different themes, starting with the history and culture of Karnataka on 5 January. On 6 January, science, technology, and the environment will follow. On 7 January, there will be a display of themes on mental health and sports. The final day will focus on women empowerment.

Going beyond stamps

Karnapex 2024 extends beyond stamps. “We are going all out to draw people out of their homes. So, we have workshops on origami making, letter writing and drawing cartoons. We have a drawing and painting competition as well as a stamp designing competition. We have many interactive events planned too ranging from something traditional like a treasure hunt to innovative ones like digital charkha,” said Arora.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Karnataka Postal Circle (@karnatakapostalcircle)

Arora explained that the decision to enhance outreach was influenced by the Unboxing Bengaluru event held in December 2023. The event shed light on the quaint postal history of the city.

“Many, for instance, discovered the oldest functional post box in the city, one of the 100 post boxes that Britain shipped to India to establish the postal service in India. This is at Taj West End. And this created a lot of buzz for us, thanks to social media influencers,” said Arora.

The exhibition venue will include stalls for the sale of stamps, special covers, coins, and other philately-related items.