Stamps from the past

Trace the history of Germany through a unique stamp exhibition put together by students of St Xavier's College

Hoshang Master instructs the students

Watching his father pursue stamp collection as a hobby, Hoshang Master's philatelic journey began when he was 10. A former chemistry professor at St Xavier's College, who retired in 2007, Master has collected one lakh stamps in 60 years. These are from Mozambique's colonial rule, France, England, USA, Iran, Kuwait, Uganda, Tanganyika, pre- and post-Independent India, and Germany.

This weekend, Germany's stamps from his collection will be part of the exhibition, Deutsche Dak, curated by third-year students of the history department. "Despite a vast array at our disposal, we picked the German stamps because they correspond to the first-year and third-year's history syllabus," says professor Kaizeen Jehangir of The Department of History at St Xavier's College, who recently heard about Master's collection. Keen to offer a practical experience of a museum studies course to the students, she roped in Alisha Sadikot of The Inheritage Project to share her expertise on organising exhibitions.

After rigorous research, a team of 35 students chose 300 stamps, which chronicle Germany's history from the 1900s (pre-World War I) to the 1990s (re-unification of Germany). They've also curated an audio-visual show on the Berlin Wall. In collaboration with the XRCVC (Xavier's Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged) department, the exhibits will be accessible to visually challenged persons. The team will also conduct guided tours in English, Hindi and Marathi.

On: September 8 and 9, 9 am to 6 pm
At: XIMR GCR, St Xavier's College, Mahapalika Marg, Fort.

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