Pune Photographer Sandeep Boyat Armed Forces Stamps Collection

Written by Kalyani Lad Nestled between camera lenses and exhibition prints in Sandeep Boyat’s studio sits a unique archive of Indian history. A photographer by profession, Boyat has spent the last 15 years building one of the nation's most meticulous private collections of stamps and philatelic materials dedicated to the Indian armed forces. For Boyat, the passion is deeply personal. "My grandfather was a freedom fighter who served in the Azad Hind Fauj, and my father served in the Indian Army," Boyat said. "While my family expected me to follow them into uniform, I believed service could take a different form." During the 1980s and 1990s, India Post regularly issued commemorative stamps honouring the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Starting his pursuit in 2011, Boyat travelled to philatelic exhibitions across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bengaluru, and Delhi to track down these historical artefacts. Today, his collection spans the earliest stamps issued for the three military branches, along with rare First Day Covers and vintage postcards once used by the military to communicate and mark major operational milestones. "With rapid digitisation, the use of stamps and postcards has dropped sharply as people shift to digital apps," Boyat noted. "That makes preserving these physical records even more critical." National recognition Boyat’s dedication has earned him spots in both the India Book of Records and the Limca Book of Records. His passion for stamps also bridges the past with the present through India Post’s personalised stamp scheme ('My Stamp'), which allows citizens to feature their own photographs on valid postal stamps, a modern echo of the tradition he works to preserve. "This is my way of serving the nation and expressing patriotism through my hobby," Boyat said. "In an era dominated by digital noise, these tiny prints once brought the story of our armed forces into everyday homes and schools." Kalyani Lad is an intern with The Indian Express.