Everyone may have a 'leisurely pursuit' - something to occupy one's spare time and provide necessary relief in after the pressure of work and the daily routine. So the necessity of Hobbies and Leisurely Interests are generally recognised. The collecting field has become mopre organised. Every subject has its devotees. People, at same time or other have been attracted by the stamp for its colour and beauty or the variety of the subjects they represented, virtually everything has been dealt with such as landscapes, art, culture, heritage, flora, fauna, sciendce & technology, great men, institutions, occasions, sculpture, even snatches of music and prose. The list can be extended almost indefinitely. They form an effective communication medium and also act as a medium for visual education. Stamps are associated with every kind of adventure and excitement; they are the links of history, they give validity and reality to rare moments of historical and political drama in the life of one's own nation and of far-distance people. This is the "spirit" that informs and fosters the "Passion of philately". Soon after the issue of the Penny Black on 06/05/1840 in England these coloured bits of paper caught the imagination of collections and the new hobby of stamp collecting was born.
The hobby of collection and study of stamps are called "Philately". The term philately is of Greek origin. Mr. M. George Herpin, a french man coined the two words "Philos" and "Atelia" in November, 1864 and thus came the word PHILATELY. Philately, at present, means collection of stamps, its study and research, presentation and exhibition. The following definition on philately given by A.J.Sefi is noteworthy: "Modern Philately may be said to comprise the study of stamps from every possible angle of historical and philatelic interest. It includes enquiries in to the reasons and circumstances leading up to an issue and researches as to the essays and proof for stamps thereof; studies of all the diffirent process and methods of production used, and of any resultant varieties on the stamps themselves and finally enquiries into all uses or misuses to which the stamps, once issued, might be subject".
The term 'Stamp' did not always have the same connotation it has today/ The post marks of pre-stamp period, now called handstruck stamps, were also known as stamps. Other marks introduced to denote payment of postage also had the same name. According to Rowland Hill, the father of the postage stamp, "a stamp is a bit of paper just large enough to bear the stamp and covered at the back with a glutinous wash (adhesive stamp)". Three division can be made of stamps. Early paid or unpaid hand struck stamps, adhesive stamps and prepaid stamps i.e., Postal Stationary.