Philatelist Hemachandra Rao passes away

Called ‘Lighthouse Man’, he was an authority on Buckingham Canal and converted his house into a Maritime Heritage Museum

Lovingly called the “Lighthouse man”, an authority on Buckhingham Canal, the man who turned his house into Maritime Heritage Museum, and a philatelist, D. Hemachandra Rao, who wore many hats, died on Wednesday. He was 82. He suffered a heart attack last week and had been in the hospital for nearly a week.

As a child, his father gave him a stamp album that kindled his interest which later developed into a deep passion that he carried till the end.

“Devoted, punctual, passionate, disciplined and a patient listener” — this is how friends of Hemachandra Rao remember him.

Vincent D. Souza, a journalist and a friend of Rao, says he created several unique and beautiful special postal covers that only he could do. “He would go to any length to design the cover. For instance, if he visits a lighthouse, he would take a photo, get it signed by the postmaster and design it into a proper cover. In cases when he is not able to go, he would request someone to take a picture and send it to him; then, he would print it, send the cover to the nearest post office from the lighthouse and have it signed by the postmaster. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. But since he was deeply involved and loved what he was doing, he relentlessly carried on,” he says.

Sashi Nair, director of Press Institute of India, says since he maintained a great rapport with many, postmasters would willingly send the covers back soon. “He was interested not just in the maritime heritage and history of not just Chennai alone but of the country itself. He travelled to the nook and corner to several lighthouses and took enormous efforts for it. Even recently he wanted to visit Goa and visit the lighthouse and picture. But unfortunately that never happened,” he adds.

He was keen to be a part of Madras Day events and did some special covers for the day.

In an interview to The Hindu a few years ago, on being asked about his living room that he had converted into the museum, he said: “This is my whole world.”