The following interview was published in The Myawaddy Daily newspaper on 2014 Jan 14, page 20. I translated for the sake of sharing and education.
Interviewer - A Thu
Interviewee - U Sit Aung
“You can recall history of the
nations by browsing your stamp collection.”
Interviewing with U Sit Aung, the
stamp collector.
The moment of interviewing U Sit
Aung, the enthusiastic stamp collector, who collects not only stamps of Myanmar
which reflects her history, but international stamps….
Q: When did you start collecting
stamps?
A: My hobby of stamp collecting
started since 1970 when I joined “Burma Stamp Society”. I was still young then.
Q: How many exhibitions did you
organize as the society?
A: Three times. First ever
exhibition was at Kyaik Ka San. Second exhibition was held at Taw Win Hnin Si (Royal
Rose) Restaurant and at the YMBA hall this time round. Total members of society reached around 60. Most of the members are elders.
Q: What are the benefits you are
getting from your stamp collections?
A: Among the hobbies, mine is the
hobby of collecting stamps. The benefits
include recalling the history of the country by browsing your stamp
collection. You can remember the special
events of the country by just looking at stamps, whereas these events usually
are not in your mind. And you will have
the habit of keeping the things safely, nicely and neatly.
Q: How does the stamp collecting
make the country benefited?
A: Not only for the country, but
for the youth future, stamp collecting will be the history. On Januray 4, the independent day stamps are
usually issued. By collecting these
stamps, we can explain and educate the students why and when these stamps were issued, at the school exhibition and talk.
Q: Can you, as the stamp
collector, leave some message for the youths?
A: I want to say “Collecting is the
nice job”. Stamps or Coins, you may
collect whatever you want. But, there is
historical record on the collectables.
Please make the history by sharing your collection to the youths of next
generations.
