CELEBS PREFER AUTOGRAPHS TO SELFIES AND PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THAT

Hemant Bhalwala

Coins, stamps, autographs, you name it, he has it, right from his childhood, and that’s not all; he ensures that everything he collects has a uniqueness to it!

Meet Mr Hemant Bhalwala from Kolkata. He has a business of printing and publishing and also is a graphic designer.

 

Q- Hemant ji, how did you get into philography?

A- I have been collecting stamps, coins and old currency notes right from my childhood. I also collected autographs occasionally but when my dear friend Santosh Lahoti (who is an avid autograph collector) asked me to pursue philography as a serious hobby about 12 years back, I agreed.

 

Q –Tell me about your autograph collection.

A- I have about 3000 autographs out of which 2000 are contemporary celebrities, 1000 are old and historical autographs and letters. I like to collect rare ones like that of Napoleon the Great. To find genuine autographs of this kind, one has to find a proper route. 

I enjoy collecting autographs but I am not an aggressive or a methodical collector.  In fact, I go with the flow when it comes to pursuing any of my hobbies. But yes, if I want something, I do whatever it takes to procure it.

 

Q –You pursue so many hobbies. Do you find it difficult to balance them?

A –I have a smart way of doing this. I look for those unusual collections that have stamps and autographs both included. Let me give you the example of the living legend, Sachin Tendulkar. First day covers and stamps have been issued on him. Now if one can manage to get his autograph on these first day covers, then it serves the purpose of philately and philography both.

If I talk about my unusual collections, it includes the stamps issued in the names of the 1^st 2 Presidents of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad and Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. Both these stamps have their respective signatures.

 

Q- People these days prefer selfies to autographs. What do you prefer?

A- Autographs anytime. You know, once I was at the Delhi Airport about to board a flight. I saw the WWE wrestler Khali in the waiting lounge.  People obviously noticed him and many approached him to click selfies. After obliging his fans a few times, he refused to click anymore selfies. I was watching this from a distance. After sometime when I saw Khali eased out, I went to him, passed a paper and pen and asked for his autograph.

Khali was pleasantly surprised. He smiled and gave his autograph.

People these days do not realize that when you ask for a selfi, you are invading the privacy of a person. Also, an autograph is a humble way of telling a celebrity how much you admire him.

 

Q – Name a few celebrities whose autographs you would like to collect.

A- The list is actually endless, but on top of the list would be Adolf Hitler, William Shakespeare, Napoleon and Tulsidas ji.

 

Q- Do you have a special book or pen for collecting autographs?

A- No, although I have designed special autograph books for many. I try to make my autographs special. I collect them on books dedicated to those celebrities, first day covers introduced in their honor, or anything unusual.

 

Q- What is your message to the aspiring autograph collectors?

A-I want to tell everyone that this is a great hobby, do pursue it, but when you collect autographs in person, please be polite. If you don’t get the autograph for the first time, try again after a few months. Never resort to any unruly behavior to collect the autograph. If the celebrity faces any inconvenience because of an autograph collector, he may stop giving autographs altogether. Be patient! You can also try to procure autographs through the mail.

Mr Hemant Bhalwala is a printer, publisher and graphic designer from Kolkata. He has been collecting coins, stamps and autographs from the past 40 years. Along with numerous coins and stamps, he has about 3000 autographs (1000 old and historical autographs and letters, 2000 contemporary celebrities)

 

This article has been written by Pooja Gupta.

She is a freelance writer, anchor, a youtuber and a former RJ. She writes everything from ads, promos, articles, dialogues, short films, screenplays, feature films and web series. She travels across India to host shows and makes relatable videos on her youtube channel. For work, she can be contacted on pooja.gupta2178@yahoo.com.