From the 12th to the 18th February the World Stamp Expo 2011 will be held in Delhi, India.

INDIPEX 2011, the World Philatelic Exhibition aims to bring the international philatelic community together to celebrate philately, and will provide a unique platform for interaction between all the philatelic stake-holders, viz. the collectors, the dealers, the philatelic journalists and publishers, the designers and security printers, and the postal administrations who issue stamps and stationery.

The exhibition will be largely competitive and showcase some of the finest and rarest stamp collections from around the world. Stamps reflect the history, culture, ethos and concerns of nations and people, which makes stamp collection as a hobby interesting and educative.By showcasing the best philatelic collections, INDIPEX 2011 looks to attract many newcomers to explore the fascinating world of philately.

There is considerable excitement about the exhibition all around the world as it will be one of the biggest events in India after the Commonwealth Games.

It is being organized by India Post, Government of India, in association with the Philatelic Congress of India. The Federation International Philatelic (FIP) is extending its patronage, and the Federation of Inter-Asian Philately (FIAP) its auspices, for conduct of the Exhibition.

EXHIBTION DETAILS

INDIPEX 2011 will have each day earmarked for celebrating themes such as science and technology, culture and heritage, youth and sports, environment and women’s issues. The exhibition itself will be spread over an area of over 29700 square feet, with booths and stalls for philatelic dealers, government ministries and under takings and corporate entities. With participation from over 70 countries, 500 foreign delegates and about 5000 school children, stamp enthusiasts and other visitors are expected to visit daily.

PREVIOUS EXHIBTIONS IN INDIA

The first of such international philatelic exhibitions In India was organized in a small way in 1954 as part of the centenary celebrations of the Indian postages stamp. This was followed by INDIPEX-73 International Philatelic Exhibition held in New Delhi from 14 to 23 November 1973. The first Asian International Philatelic Exhibition was held at Bangalore in 1977. In 1980 the Department of Posts and the Philatelic Congress of India jointly hosted INDIA-80 International Stamp Exhibition at New Delhi from 25 January to 3 February.

This was followed by INDIA-89 World Philatelic Exhibition held at Pragati Maidan Complex at New Delhi from 20 to 29 January, 1989. INDEPEX-97 was also organized at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, and was significant in that it commemorated fifty years of the country’s independence. This was followed by INDEPEX ASIANA-2000, the second Asian International Philatelic Exhibition hosted by India, which was held at Calcutta (now Kolkata) and celebrated 50 years of the Republic of India, and the New Millennium.

SOURCE: www.indipex2011.com

published January 6th, 2011