West Bengal Revives State Philately Showcase: Bongopex 2025 Begins After Six-Year Happy

By A Staff Reporter

After a six-year hiatus, the West Bengal Circle of the Department of Posts has revived its State Level Philately Exhibition with the launch of Bongopex 2025, scheduled from 14 to 17 November at the Science City Convention Centre in Kolkata. The last state exhibition, Ekla Cholo Re, was held in 2019, making this year’s return a significant moment for philatelists and young enthusiasts across the state.

The exhibition was ceremoniously inaugurated on Thursday by the Hon’ble Governor of West Bengal, Dr. C. V. Ananda Bose, who attended as the chief guest. The event also saw the presence of distinguished guests, including renowned actress and Padma Shri awardee Mamata Shankar, Dr. Sumantro Bose of the Netaji Research Bureau, Shri Rajesh Bagri, Secretary General of the Philatelic Congress of India (PCI), and Shri Madhukar Deogaonkar, Acting President of PCI, among others.

Held at the Science City Auditorium from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, the inauguration featured a series of philatelic and cultural events. Highlights included the release of two special covers—one on Netaji’s Durga Puja and another celebrating legendary Bengali film directors Debaki Kumar Basu, Mrinal Sen, Basu Chatterjee, Tarun Majumder and Buddhadeb Dasgupta. A set of eight picture postcards based on Sukumar Ray’s iconic Abol Tabol was also unveiled.