Flight of fancy

If anyone doubts India’s glorious aero history, this aerophilatelist’s unique collectibles of Indian airmails and Air India memorabilia, can prove otherwise. The rare treasures are now available online for everyone to see

Long before technology revolutionised and allowed for instant communication, postal service was king. “It functioned like a fine-tuned machine. In fact, at the turn of the last century, there were at least 14 postal deliveries taking place every day in the city of Bombay. [This means that] the postman would knock on your door 14 times daily. All these deliveries were timed with the arrival of trains. With the General Post Office (GPO) right behind Victoria Terminus [now, CSMT], the postman would be out on his route within 40 minutes [of a train reaching the platform],” says Piyush Khaitan, a Bengaluru-based aerophilatelist and entrepreneur. This well-oiled system came into its own with air travel.

Front cover of a mail carried on the first Tata Sons flight from Karachi to Bombay on October 14, 1932. The flight was piloted by JRD Tata, and the cover too, was signed by him

Not known to many, the first time a letter was carried by air anywhere in the world, was in India. On February 18, 1911, a seven-mile flight from Allahabad to Naini, across the River Yamuna, saw around 6,500 postal articles being delivered. “Six months later, a similar airmail flight was recreated in England by Walter Windham, who incidentally was also the force behind the first airmail service in Allahabad. So, India has a very close link with the history of airmail,” he adds. 
Khaitan calls himself an “amateur hobbyist,” but the ease with which he rattles off airmail trivia is fascinating. A seasoned collector, he started engaging in aerophilately 12 years ago. “At the time, some senior philatelists gave me very wise advice. They said, ‘First read the book, then buy the cover.’ And so, I spent the early part of my journey, just reading about the subject, before collecting.”

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A cover carried on the world’s first airmail service between Allahabad and Naini on February 18, 1911

A couple of years ago, Khaitan, along with the help of researcher Dharmdev Maurya, launched the web page, www.indianairmails.com, which is a treasure-trove of aerophilatelic literature and documentation. Updated monthly, the web page currently comprises only a fraction of his vast collection and research, which he has segregated into five categories: Pre-1953 Airlines, Tata Airlines, Air India, Indian Airlines and Others. It offers a compelling portrait of how letters travelled by air, the different routes they took, and postal stamps that were used. For a collector, the insights run deep. “First of course, you get a lot of cultural insights—the way people corresponded, or how they addressed the letters. But, it also offers an understanding of the development of airmails and communication,” says Khaitan. Here, he cites how the first international airmail service from India to England in 1929, took eight days to reach. Nearly a decade later, by 1939, they were able to shrink that journey to two-and-a-half days, with the development of more modern aircraft.

Front of a post card that was carried on the flight, showing the plane and pilot. It was signed by pilot (Henri Pequet) and organiser (Walter Windham)

The complex geo-politics and economic agendas that came into play also influenced the way journeys were undertaken. “There was a time when Persia [present day Iran] was under very strong German influence. They opposed the British Imperial Airways flying through their country, and hence, a longer route had to be taken via the Gulf,” says Khaitan. Similarly, Italy, which was bang in the middle of India and England, objected to any mail flying over their country, so the mail had to be taken by rail to Italy, before it was taken onward to England.

A cover dated January 24, 1966, recovered from the wreckage of the Air India Boeing 707, which crashed into Mont Blanc while descending to land in Geneva. There were no survivors on board. Dr Homi Bhabha was on this flight

When it came to matters of aviation, India, though then a part of the British Empire, was fairly independent and forthright, says Khaitan. The Government of India very early on legislated that any foreign airline, including Imperial Airways, would have to deliver all mail at the first point of arrival in India. This would then be delivered by a local airline to the rest of the country. “This was a big catalyst to develop civil aviation in India.”

The postage stamp issued to commemorate the Air India International flight Bombay-London, June 8, 1948

One of Khaitan’s most prized collectible is a letter, which flew on the first Air India international flight from Bombay to London on June 8, 1948. “At the time, the newly-formed Government of India released a special postage stamp of 12 annas to commemorate this flight. This stamp was valid only for one day, and only on mail carried on that flight. Now, that was a unique event in world philately. Something like that had never happened before,” says Khaitan, who has more than 250 covers, which were flown on that flight.  

Khaitan with Vivek Matthai during an exhibition of his Air India collection at the Taj Lands End, Mumbai, in December 2016

In the last 12 years, he has built a huge network to keep his passion going, which includes trading with other collectors worldwide, dealing with auction houses, including Sotheby’s, and attending stamp fairs. “One needs to keep a track of everything that is happening.” He admits that because it’s such an exciting field a collector might be tempted to lay hands on anything and everything they find. “Before you realise, you’d have spent a lot of money on it. Some of these items are fairly expensive, and so, I always suggest that people [who are interested in aerophilately] continue reading and researching,” says Khaitan, who runs a Mumbai-based financial services company.

Khaitan is also the proud owner of the largest collections of Air India memorabilia, comprising over 6,000 AI artefacts. His online repository boasts of everything from airplane photographs, calendars, diaries, tickets, coasters, first flight covers, menu cards, posters, and time tables. Among these, is the 1974 National Award-winning film made by Air India titled, To Serve Is To Love, which he says, is perhaps the only surviving print of the film. The 16-minute short encapsulates the journey of four flight attendants on AI’s first Jumbo Jet. “I tracked the film to the US, and immediately managed to get it digitised at a lab in Chicago,” 
says Khaitan. He received help from  Vivek Matthai to build his collection.

Once the lockdown lifts, he is hoping to apply to the Guinness World Records. “All through the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, Air India was the finest airline in the world. Its level of service, efficiency, crew, and modern aircrafts were legendary. They occupied a space, which left every other airline behind.” 

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