International Congress for Science
Courtesy – Jose Antonio Pires Fuzari, Sao Paulo- Brazil
Hi ! In today’s post a nice cover and a post card with 7.8.9 cancellation and a special postmark sent by Mr Jose Antonio from Brazil and Mr R.Kasinath from Thanjaur. Thanks to both of you for these nice items. In Club News a special news about our member Mr Praful Thakkar of Ahmedabad whose name has entered Limca Book of Records 2009 for having the largest number of metallic canteen tokens and autographs... Heartiest Congratulations to Mr Thakkar !! Its a great pleasure to share this news with all the readers….This is all for Today…..Till Next Post…..Have a Great Time !…..
7.8.9 cancellation with special postmark of Thanjavor temple
Courtesy – R.Kasinath
Club News
Our member enters Limca Book of Records….
Praful Thakkar
TOKEN OF LOVE
Praful Thakkar enters Limca Book Of Records 2009 for having the largest number of metallic canteen tokens and autographs. Shraddha Singh reports How many of us have given the canteen token a second glance Well, here is someone who has liked them so much that they have accompanied him all the way to the 20th edition of the Limca Book of Records 2009. Praful Thakkar, a 70-year-old retired IAS officer, has travelled to far-flung areas of India to collect more than 600 metallic canteen tokens , used at various government and private set-ups since 1939.
He also has another interesting collection of over 5,500 autographs spanning over 50 years. This collection has grown during his 31-year-long stint with the Government of Gujarat, which took him to many interesting places, till he retired as Secretary to the Government of Gujarat. Praful Thakkar, who started collecting autographs since the age of 12, says, This hobby enriches my health and happiness. Whenever I get an autograph, I am thrilled by the thought that the person thought of me while giving the autograph, even if it was for just a second. This excitement has kept me going for the last 50 years. To widen the reach of this collection, Thakkar launched a unique website, www.indianautographs .com in 2004. On an average, this website has more than 3.5 lakh hits per month from 53 countries.
For Thakkar, every autograph has a story to go with it. His latest acquisition is the autography by Rita Faria, the first Miss Universe of India, who is now settled in Ireland. I received her autograph by post in April 2009, he says. He adds, I wanted Rita's autograph to add value to my collection. So, my daughter, who lives in the US, got her autograph along with a message on world peace. The moment I received her autograph, I was ecstatic.
Thakkar has explored every possible medium to get these autographs, be it in person, by mail, or exchanging them with other collectors, he has done it all to get rare autographs like those of Mahatma Gandhi and Annie Besant. That’s why I feel that I am destined to obtain rare autographs . People I have never met before have gifted me their autograph collection. An online reader gave me autographs of former US president George Bush, then Senator and now US President Obama and Hillary Clinton. Similarly, someone else gifted me Bhagat Singhs mothers autograph. Each one is special to me, says Thakkar, who is also the Life Member of the Autograph Collectors Club of India, Kolkata. Of the 62 categories of autographs, Thakkars favorite is the freedom fighters and Nobel laureates category . I would love to learn graphology to analyze these autographs. I love the way the musicians and painters give their autographs. While some have a musical instrument others sketch a small painting. For example, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia draws a flute in his sign. Its fascinating to observe these autographs.
For his passionate collection , he has been given the Lifetime Achievement Award by Gujarat Coin Society, Ahmedabad, this June. To share his knowledge and experience , he has penned six books related to Indian culture and four books on numismatics . In 2004, he published a catalogue of his collection titled Collectors Guide to Indian Canteen Tokens. He launched his numismatic website www.indiannumismatics .com in 2005 featuring his collection of rare coins, medals, monograms, belt buckles and standard weights of India.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THAKKAR’S COLLECTION
Wherever possible, he has affixed the postal stamp (if issued) of the celebrity with the autograph. He has messages on world peace from people who make a difference . He says that by posting them on the website he strives to do his bit for world peace. Another interesting feature is how autographs of Indian princely rulers have been presented with their royal coat-of-arms . He also has an interesting collection of commemorative coins, first-day postal covers, book covers, CD covers, greeting cards and photographs. His collection includes autographs of celebrity families like the Bachchans, Gandhis, Kapoors and Mangeshkars.
Published in Times of India 23 August 2009
Please Click following links to view Mr Praful Thakkar’s websites…..
http://www.indianautographs.com/
Mr Praful Thakkar may be contacted at pkthakkar@yahoo.com
Passion for special dates…..
Mr Jigar Desai of Mumbai has a passion for special dates and try to prepare covers for special date..Here is a recent one for Rajiv Gandhi’s Birth Anniversary.
Cover by Jigar Desai used on 20.08.09 on Rajiv Gandhi’s Birthday !
