Col. Lakshman Giri Shenoi

Col. Lakshman Giri Shenoi (Born. August 11, 1915, – Died. June 19, 1997) was born the second son of Giri Shenoi and Saraswathi Bai. He passed B.A (English) from the Maharajah’s College, Ernakulam. His early career was as editor of English newspapers Hyderabad Herald’ and ‘Modern Times’. The powerful editorials that he wrote those days on the Freedom struggle and many other subjects prove his journalistic abilities. He opted for a position as a commissioned officer in the British Indian Army during the Second World War. He joined as a second lieutenant in 1943. Post-Independence he was commissioned as Captain in the Indian Army. He married Prabha, daughter of Govinda Pai, advocate, Ernakulam in 1958. The couple, however, had no children.

As a military officer, he travelled all over India. He served the army, which later became the Indian Army, for 24 years, retiring in 1968 as Colonel. He mostly worked for the Army Ordnance Corps. After retirement, he worked in Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., Bangalore in the higher management cadre. He selected Bangalore as his retirement abode in 1968 when he was about to retire and obtained a plot of land from the Defence Housing Society and constructed a house there in 1976. He settled there and spent his remaining life for the cause of philately.

Col. Shenoi was a founder member of the Karnataka Philatelic Society which was founded in 1975 and remained President of the society for four years. He was also a President of the Philatelic Congress of India during 1993-95 and a member of the jury at State, National and International Philatelic Exhibitions.

Col. L. G. Shenoi specialized in the history of Travancore, Cochin, Puddukottai and Mysore Princely States of India. His knowledge of District Dak, Travelling Post Offices, (TPO) of India, Early India Cancellations and Sea Post Offices were outstanding. He also collected stamps and postal stationery on the subject ‘Coconut Tree’. Being a Postal Historian, he maintained a superb library which housed Postal History of C.E.F., I.E.F., WWI, WWII, Censorship Postmarks etc.

Realising the need for an Indian Philatelic Magazine with an emphasis on Postal History, he embarked upon publishing ‘IND DAK’ on 1st January 1977. ‘IND DAK’ monthly was published without a break for 21 years till his death in June 1997. He promoted the youth philately movement in India and published ‘MAYUR’ once in three months. His scholarly articles on Postal History of India and the Promotion of Youth Philately are the testimony of his great stature in the world of Philately.

He was admitted to the Command Hospital for a brief illness and left us to his heavenly abode on 19th June 1997. He was cremated with full military honours by the Army. He was always a strength for Inddak and Inddak will his services in future.

Mrs Prabha Shenoy, wife of Late Col. Shenoi passed away on 5th November 2014 at the age of 91.