introducing daniel monthero

philatelist, ornithologist, environmentalist

When Daniel was 15 years old, he and his class were told by their teacher at the Government School, Mandya, Karnataka to have a hobby if they wanted to succeed in life. The teacher taught them the importance of hobby in a man's life. We do not know how many others took their teacher's advice seriously, but for Daniel this message stirred up in him an interest in stamps. Little did he then realize that this hobby would transport him to strange new heights undreamed of by others who knew him.  

In 1978, he moved to his native village Kumbragodu, near Brahmavar, Dakshina Kannada. The fledging stamp collector was transformed into a philatelist after coming into contact with Shri Vittaldas Shanbaugh. The meeting made him aware of the scope and possibilities of this hobby. Daniel started collecting post-independence Indian stamps. Later he specialized in Birds on Stamps. To start with it was general birds and later it took him to the specialized field of water birds on stamps.   

His interest in Water Birds started with the hundreds of water birds  flocking the River Seetha near his village. He could be seen cycling to his favourite spot near the river with a pair of binoculars. Daniel has a collection of reference books on birds and knows so much of these birds, their classification, habitat etc. that he can sit with any ornithologist in the country. His collection of water birds, swans are arranged according to type of beaks, their feathers, flight movements etc.   

This hobby has won him various awards during the years. Starting with the state level awards in 1986 to the latest at WIPA 2000 in Vienna, Austria shown in the table below
  

  
 Daniel became an environmentalist when he realized that the water birds were dying being killed by Man and his Environment. He has arranged more than 80 workshops in schools and colleges to make people, especially children, aware of the fact that the water birds were slowly diminishing in number. His letterhead has a small and simple message reflecting his simplicity - "Save Water Birds"  

A full page article about him in a newspaper "Daniel Monthero - Man and his Passion" aptly ends with these words - " And so it would not be wrong to sum up that the man who won a Silver Medal in the world level philately exhibition is worth his weight not in silver but in Gold!  "

Dakshina Kannada Philatelic Association, Mangalore also echoes his words "Save Water Birds"