Missing: Indian cricketers on matchbox labels

Can anyone out there solve the mystery of the missing cricketers on matchbox labels, asks Gulu Ezekiel.

Stamp collecting, or philately, has for long been the most popular hobby in the world. That may have changed with the widespread usage of electronic means of communication.

But phillumeny? It's collecting matchbox labels and is more widespread in India and the world than one would imagine.

The first matchboxes in India were manufactured in Calcutta in 1895 by Japanese traders. Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu -- famed for its fireworks -- is the largest manufacturer today.

Gautam Hemmady, a 61-year-old New Delhi architect, has been collecting matchbox labels since 2012 and has approximately 35,000 labels in his fascinating collection.

"I started collecting in January 2012. I have always wanted to collect matchbox labels," Hemmady says.

"I always found them fascinating and till 2012 I can't tell you how many times I have looked at a matchbox and said to myself that I have to start collecting them," he adds.

Hemmady, whose exhibition at the capital's iconic India International Centre last year attracted much curiosity, restricts his collection to Indian themes, in particular the following: Select old Indian factories; Indian merchants named on matchbox labels; advertising and other campaigns; religion, mythology, art and architecture; kings and courtesans; film and India's freedom struggle.

Hemmady is particularly interested in the Wimco (Western India Match Co) brand which was set up by Sweden in Ambarnath, near Bombay in 1923, and is now owned by ITC (who make the Homelites brand).

"I am trying to produce a catalogue of Wimco's brands and have plans to publish a few monographs of a specialised nature," he says.

"The archive is still a long way off though I do maintain several lists and databases and have begun systematically digitising my collection," he adds.

It was a series of cricket-themed matchboxes released by Wimco in the 1970s (see photos) and which I collected (and subsequently lost) that drew me to Hemmady's exhibition at the IIC, hoping to find them in his collection.

Though he was aware of their existence and had illustrations from books, he was not able to located the year they were released and how many there were in the series nor does he have them in his collection.

The ones pictured are of G R Viswanath, Sunil Gavaskar, Farrokh Engineer, Bishan Bedi, S Venkataraghavan and Eknath Solkar.

He does have labels of more contemporary cricketers -- Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Mahendra Singh Dhoni -- in his vast collection.

I have a vivid recollection from my schooldays of the Wimco set being released in late 1974 prior to the arrival of the West Indian touring side and also including Anshuman Gaekwad and Tiger Pataudi. I also recall labels featuring some of the visiting players including Clive Lloyd, Roy Fredericks, Viv Richards and Andy Roberts and perhaps others.

Here Gautam and I disagree.

He remembers having seen only these six images from over 20 collections and casts doubts on the year of their release.

As per Hemmady's research, this type of cardboard boxes were manufactured in India only from 1979 since they required specialised machinery.

"I have spoken to the Wimco technical head who was in charge at the time and he thinks it was 1978 at the Bareilly factory on an experimental basis and 1979 at the factory near Chennai for production that this machinery was installed," he says.

The price of 20 paise indicates a 1970s release.

They were perhaps made abroad and imported to India on an experimental basis, Gautam agrees.

Can anyone out there help solve this mystery?

When was this set released?

Were there any more, both of Indian and West Indian cricketers than just these six?

Hope some fellow phillumenists can help!

IMAGES: Matchbox labels with images of Indian cricketers, top, and Gautam Hemmady.