Bhubaneswar, July 11: The pandemic-induced restrictions have forced the people to spend more time inside their houses. A few of them have turned this extraordinary situation into an opportunity to do creative as well as unique things.
Samaranjan Mohanty, a 41-year-old man from VSS Nagar in Bhubaneswar, has collected hundreds of stamps, coins, notes, plastic cards, tickets, matchboxes amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mohanty had started collecting stamps, notes and other things in 2010. But, the pandemic-induced lockdowns and shutdowns have enabled him to spare more time to his hobby of collecting rare things. Mohanty claimed that he has so far collected coins, notes and stamps from around 200 countries for his personal museum.
“I have a hobby of collecting rare things since my childhood. My passion for collecting coins, stamps, tickets from different spots tournaments and other things got an impetus in 2010. However, the pandemic-induced lockdown enabled me to spare more time to collect things,” said Mohanty, a marketing coordinator in a private entertainment company.
Mohanty’s collection includes British-era coins and notes and stamps on eminent personalities like Biju Patnaik, Madhusudhan Das, Gopabandhu Das, Fakir Mohan Senapati, Veer Surendra Sai and others. He has also collected stamps on Puri Rath Yatra and the Olympic games.
Mohanty’s family members, including his parents, wife and son, assist him in collecting things. “I have collected things from various places and people. Many of my friends and relatives have helped me a lot in this regard. Some of my relatives are abroad and they extend their full support to me,” Mohanty said.
The 41-year-old claimed that his personal museum has helped his son and other kids in the locality to know about the outer world during the pandemic. “Collection of coins, notes, stamps and other things help us in enriching our knowledge. This is more important for kids who are now facing difficulties to attend schools due to the pandemic,” Mohanty said.
Arindam Ganguly, OP
