Shera stamps sell like hot cakes in CWG Village

Unlike other post offices in the city, the one at the Commonwealth Games Village is doing brisk business. At the centre of attraction for foreign athletes is the set of Shera postage stamps, selling like hot cakes. The postal department opened a post office in the International Zone of the GamesVillage Sep 16 to provide a vend for speed post, registered post, ordinary mail and other services. It also houses a philately section where people can buy stamps.

India Post released four stamps - Shera, Queen's Baton, Talkatora Stadium and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium - commemorating the Games. Another stamp will be released Oct 3 on the opening ceremony of the 19th Games.

According to the postal officials, the stamps related to the Games are attracting large number of people.

"We have got an amazing response from athletes and delegates in the Games Village. We have sold stamps worth over Rs.14,000 in last one week. Majority of people are buying the Shera stamp having images of the Games mascot," Veerpal Singh, of India Post, said.    

Singh also said they are very happy with the overwhelming response from the players.

"India will be hosting World Philately Exhibition February and this is a sort of curtain raiser for us. We hope to do more business in the coming days," said Vipin Kumar, another staffer at  the Village post ofice.   

Brittany Teev, a tennis player from Cook Islands -- a net of 15 islands in the heart of South Pacific with a population of a mere 13,200 --  said: "I bought 10 Shera stamps as souvenirs for my friends back home. I have also bought lots of postcards having shera stamps to send message back home as it is the cheapest means of communication. The facilities here are brilliant."

Calling it one of the best stores in the Village, Alan Ritche from Scotland said: "It is awesome. The people in the store are so friendly that it is an experience of a lifetime."    

Some 7,000 participants and officials from 71 countries and territories are expected to attend the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games, India's biggest sporting event after the 1982 Asian Games.