A Collaborative
Initiative
On 11th April, Planet Patna hosted a significant collaborative programme centred on the history of airmail in India and the institutional evolution of civil aviation, particularly the emergence of Air India. This initiative was organised in partnership with the Bihar Philatelic Society (BPS) and the Air Mail Society India Foundation (AMSI), bringing together expertise from the fields of history, philately, and aviation studies.
The Lecture by
Mr. Piyush Khaitan
The session was led by Mr. Piyush Khaitan, Chairman of the Air Mail Society India Foundation (AMSI), whose lecture provided a detailed exploration of early airmail experiments, the technological and logistical challenges of aerial communication, and the broader implications of these developments for colonial and postcolonial India.
The discussion situated India within the global history of aviation, emphasising its pioneering role in the world's first official airmail flight in 1911.
An Interdisciplinary
Engagement
The programme was designed as an interdisciplinary engagement, combining historical narrative with philatelic insight. It also included a screening of the 1974 film “To Serve is to Love,” which offered a cultural and institutional perspective on the development of Air India.
