2019-08-16 Fri

On Independence Day, a special museum highlighting the journey of communication was inaugurated at the old Postal Divisional Office building on Museum Road in Bengaluru. The museum comprises of six rooms. A room called ‘Sandesh’ displays postage stamps based on three themes: Birth of the nation, Indian culture and Mysore Anche. It also showcases a wide range of artifacts ranging from the oldest phone models to the latest postal covers and stamps.

The second room named ‘Samparka’ exhibits vintage modes of communication like Morse Code, Petromax light, mail bomb detector, stamps and seals with army postal uniforms. Old order books, bags and sorting cases are showcased in the third room called ‘Samputa’, while the VSAT apparatus is displayed in a room named ‘Samvahana’. Brass weighs and raincoats are exhibited in a room named ‘Sanghathi’ while the last room called ‘Sangraha’, displays philately frames and is also an activity room. Special covers, stamps, letterboxes and a stamp cancellation machine are also exhibited. The Chief Postmaster General of Karnataka Circle mentioned that Karnataka’s postal history is unique. Regions like Vijayapura (present-day Bijapur), Belagavi (present-day Belgaum), Dharwad and Karwar belonged to the Bombay Presidency; Bidar and Raichur were a part of Hyderabad Nizam Presidency; Bellary (Ballari) was under Madras Presidency and Chitradurga etc. were a part of Mysore Presidency. Historical items pertaining to all four postal services have been displayed in the museum.

Before the first postal stamp was released in 1854, postage was paid in cash. The old Postal Divisional Office building was built in 1804. It’s made of Madras terrace, Mangalore tile roofing and Dravidian style architecture. The Government Museum was located in this building. A special cover featuring a cartoon of the Museum Road Post Office by the famous artist Paul Fernandes was also released.

Image Courtesy: India Post