Stamp collector gets first stamp of 'pride of India' series

Amritsar, Aug 31(ANI): A stamp collector from Punjab's Amritsar district, Neeraj Jain has received the first stamp of the 'Pride of India' series, which was introduced by the Government on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of First War of Independence.

Jain had started collecting stamps from a very early age of thirteen and has continued with his passion since then. He has so far collected 1,50,000 million Indian stamps, which include the 2100 stamps issued after independence.

"As a child I was fascinated by the stamps on the envelopes and the people who collected them. Small children always have a habit of collecting things; I gradually developed the habit of collecting stamps and my interest in them grew with time. Also, I got helpful people to guide me in this regard," said Neeraj Jain.

The 'Pride of India' stamp collection showcases the unique culture and chronicles the great historical events of the country and contains twenty-five stamp replicas made of pure silver and encrusted with twenty-four carat gold.

"Once I went to the post office and overheard someone talking about a gold series of stamps. The idea struck my mind and I collected all the necessary information from the Internet and the post office. I came to know that there twenty-five stamps and one stamp would be issued every month. The cost of one stamp is Rs 6,000 and the whole collection costs up to Rs 1,50,000," said Neeraj Jain.

He further informed that he has received first two stamps from the collection, first being of "Krishnagarh' and second of 'Mahatma Gandhi'.

Among the great collection that Neeraj possesses is the stamp of 'Radha Krishna' painting, which dates back to May 5th, 1973, and gold and silver coins launched at the silver and golden jubilee of the Independent India. By Ravinder Singh Robin (ANI)