Philatelist MR Ramesh Kumar speaks of his collection of Ramayana-themed stamps with much excitement. “India has not brought out too many stamps based on the Ramayana. There are probably 10-12 stamps, but countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Nepal have brought out several. We have some with the images of Valmiki, Thulasidas and Ramcharitmanas,” says Ramesh Kumar over the phone from Goa where he is based.
The Irinjalakuda-native who retired as a chief scientist at the CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, got hooked on philately as a child, “My father, MV Ranganatha Pai, was my first guru and the person who got me interested in collecting stamps. He also collected stamps,” the 64-year-old says. He has been collecting stamps for the past 50-odd years. As he grew up his interest in stamps also grew. He calls the hobby a great stressbuster adding that he has always made the time for it despite his work commitments.
