Praful K.
Thakkar, an Indian Administrative Service Officer, was with
the Government of Gujarat, India for more than 30 years. He
has worked in various capacities as Collector, Commissioner
and Secretary to the Government of Gujarat in various departments.
He has graduated with philosophy as his main subject and is
a lover of Indian Culture. He has written a few books in Gujarati
on various facets of Indian Culture.
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He has been an ardent collector of autographs
and numismatic and para-numismatic items for more than 40
years. He is a seasoned collector of Indian coins, medals,
tokens, badges, weights, passes etc. Recently his book 'Collector's
Guide to Indian Canteen Tokens' is published and has received
a very warm response from all over the world. The book's numbers
are used as reference numbers for auctions and any correspondence
pertaining to Canteen tokens. Another book ‘Collector’s
Guide to Membership Badges of Turf & Race Clubs of India’
is to be published in September.2006 In this book he has catalogued
about 260 membership badges with the colored photos.
To preserve classic heritage of Indian Culture
for the posterity, he has established the Thakkar Numismatic
and Art Foundation and has launched a remarkable website of
the Foundation as www.thakkarfoundation.org. The foundation
has the motto of 'Share the Knowledge-Spread the Knowledge.'
And in consonance with this motto and with
a view to give a proper thematic dimension to the hobby of
Autograph collection, this ‘Gallery of Indian Autographs'
is brought forward by him. He himself has a very good thematic
collection of autographs of Indian celebrities. For him this
hobby of thematic autograph collection is the hobby for health
and happiness. And therefore, the symbolic slogan for this
website is ‘Hobby is for Health & Hobby is for Happiness’.
He tries to share his knowledge, experience and happiness
with all the collectors by presenting this gallery.
He is the member of the Autograph Collectors
Club of India, Kolkata and Universal Autograph Collectors
Club, Washington USA.
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