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Monthly e-Stamp Bulletin edited and published by Jeevan Jyoti from Dehradun.

Monday, March 30, 2015

Rainbow April 2015

 

Happy Easter !!

 

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Polish Post issued special postal stationery and stamps for Easter.

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Date of Issue : 6 March 2015

Dehradun April 2015 Vol. VIII Issue # 88

Monthly e-Stamp Bulletin Edited by Jeevan Jyoti for free circulation among philatelists

Readers are requested to send reports of philatelic activities in their area for publication. Short write ups by the readers about their journals, societies, publications and philatelic requirements can be sent for inclusion in this bulletin to j.jyoti9@gmail.com and by post to –

Ms. Jeevan Jyoti, c / o Mr. Ajay Srivastav, Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun – 248002. India

Note- This bulletin is only for circulation among a limited group of philatelists without any commercial purpose. The bulletin will be sent to the readers only on request. Those who wish to receive it regularly please reply giving the name of your city / country with the subject SUBSCRIBE RAINBOW

Dear Reader,

I am pleased to release April 2015 Issue of Rainbow Stamp News. March was the month of exhibitions and special covers. Record number of special covers on various subjects were released at different district level and state level stamp exhibitions. Apart from postage stamps, these special covers have their own significance, commemorating a special moment, occasion, organization or personality. The cancellation on these covers feature different themes which are of special interest for the thematic collectors.  The most appropriate cover is the one that has cover design, stamp and cancellation featuring the same theme. But often we see some special covers which do not have stamps related with the theme of the cover. Such covers lack philatelic  value.  It is important for the concerned  postal authority to issue covers in limited number but with a congruency in all these three elements. It not only increases philatelic importance but also enhances the beauty of the cover.

This is all for this month. April is the month of Easter.

Happy Easter to all & Happy Collecting !!

                                                                                                                                                                                            -- Jeevan Jyoti

  Contents

· From the Desk of Naresh Agrawal

· Recent Indian Issues

· In The News

· Book Review

· Philatelic Travelogue

· Beginners’ Section

· Specialized Section

· Lighter Side

· New Issues from Other Countries

· Promotional Section

· Philatelic Clubs and Society

· Blogs & Websites on Philately

· Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletter

clip_image009From the Desk of Naresh Agrawal

 

INDIA POST SHOLUD PRODUCE INNOVATIVE AND CREATIVE STAMPS

Philately is traditionally known for its historical and research oriented elements keeping collectors busy and enjoy in collecting and searching old, rough and tough postal and philatelic material with shabby appearance. But now philately has changed its essence. It has now become an attractive field of colors, designs, exotic shapes and material and innovative elements. The past reflects philately as a field of mostly rectangular, one or two color stamps and covers of rough paper and cancellations of similar nature. But now philately lies in fresh, shiny, exotic, attractive, creative, innovative, fascinating, beautiful stamps and even postal and philatelic material of the same nature.

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The First 3-D stamps from Bhutan

We have seen world over; various innovations are being brought in to designing and production of stamps. This is done to attract more and more people of all ages towards this fascinating hobby. The stamps today reflect almost all aspects such as cultural, social, religious etc. of nation but also attract people world over by its creative production and designs. Today there is vast technological development in other fields of life which has diverted the interest of people in to other fields mainly the computer based games. So, the hobbies are changing. This is hard time for philately to keep its place cemented in the hearts of people, to survive long.

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The first "talking" stamp, tiny vinyl record that played Bhutan's national anthem and a brief history of the country when spun on a phonograph.

Hence, the need of changing the face and phase of philately. Various countries of the world recognized this long back and a little late but have come up with new innovative ideas of stamp designing and production, To name first Bhutan comes in to my mind for its Scented stamps, Steel stamps , Silver and Gold foil stamps, Embossed Plastic, 3-D stamps, Phonograph stamps, CD ROM stamp and doubled as actual stamps followed by various other attractive stamps issued by other nations such as :

1. Silver foil stamp by the government of Tonga

2. Stamps issued in Malaysia feature a variety of nocturnal animals and actually glow in the dark

3. Embroidery stamps of Switzerland produced in 2000 and of Australia

4. Austria Post world’s first stamp made of soccer ball material in 2008

5. Austria stamp of 2006 containing 0.03 grams of dust from a meteorite found in Morocco two years earlier, fixed to the stamp with a special adhesive

6. The cloth stamps from Grenada, the Gambia, Sierra Leone and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, honor the humble teddy bear

7. Gibraltar stamp having its top layer embellished with finely pulverized pieces of famous rock famous for its features

8. Portugal 2007 stamp printed on thinly sliced cork

9. Singapore souvenir set of $5 stamps from 2008 covered in beads on a sheet shaped like a handbag.

10. Scented stamps from various nations offering a variety of different aromas.

11. 2007, China stamp offering aroma of sweet and sour pork.

12. Brazil stamp is scented with the aroma of coffee.

13. Chocolate stamps from Switzerland.

14. 2001, United Kingdom stamp with the scent of eucalyptus.

15. Stamps with moving images.

Apart from these, there has been several other creative and innovative stamps issued world over. Further looking in to the shape and size, there has been wonderful creation in this field .Stamps in odd shapes are being issued to attract stamp lovers. No more rectangular, square or triangular but in any shape. These innovations have certainly attracted people and have tried to give stability to the philately which was somehow losing its colors.

Coming to the point, what India post is doing? Apart from a few scented stamps and Khadi Stamps, I don’t find any other innovative and creative stamp production by India post. I feel, it should also come up with such stamps. Producing odd shape stamps is not a hard job. A little waste of paper only but will create a field of stamp lovers. There are good number of creative stamp collectors, stamp designers in India who can suggest very innovative ideas to help India Post to not only produce those stamps but attract stamp lovers from all over the world. In other words, these innovations can also help India Post in generating good revenue through its world over sales.

Hence, I shall request and appeal to all philatelic societies to come forward and suggest India Post to come forward with their innovative and creative stamps to help us to help itself.

- Naresh Agrawal : email : nareshkumar1992@yahoo.co.in

 

Recent Indian Issues

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· 8 January 2015 – 100 years of Mahatma Gandhi’s Return – Rs 5 & Rs 25 stamps + 1 MS

· 22 January 2015 – Beti Bachao – Beti Padhao Abhiyan- Rs 5

· 30 January 2015 – Swach Bharat – MS + 3 Stamps of Rs 5 each

· 14 February 2015 – Project Rukmani – Rs 5

· 20 March 26, 2015 - Indian Ocean and Rajendra Chola I – Rs 5

· 27 March 2015 – Engineers India Limited – Rs 5

Recent Special Covers

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17 February 2015 - Platinum Jubilee of Catholic Diocese of Lucknow

19 February 2015 – Aero India 2015 – two special covers - Bangalore

24 January 2015 : Jain Temple, Kolkata

23-25 January 2015 – Mumbaipex 2015 – 2 special covers

24-27 January 2015 – RAJPEX 2015, Jaipur : 4 Special Covers

23 February 2015 - Installation Ceremony of Jain idols at Mithla Tirth , Sitamarhi (Bihar

28 February 2015 – Spring Festival -Shankhpushpi (Evolvulus alsinoides) 2015 Dehradun

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1 March 25, 2015 - Adarsh Vidyalaya, Mumbai

23 March 2015 : 10th Centenary of Shri Hemchandracharya Ji , Ahmadabad

24 March 2015 GUJPEX 2015 - ‘Sabarmati River Front’ , Ahmadabad

24 March 2015 SAPEX 2015: Wood Carving City, Saharanpur

25 March 2015 GUJPEX 2015 : Swami Chidananda Saraswati, Ahmadabad

26 March 2015 : Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church,Ranchi

26 March 2015 : GUJPEX 2015 Martyrs of Adas, Ahmedabad

26 march 2015 : Netarhat Vidyalaya - 60Years of excellence, Ranchi

27 March 2015 : Swachh Bharat- Bapu Ka Sapna  , Ranchi

View : Special Covers

In The News

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Lifetime Achievement Award to  Noted artist and  philatelist Shri Dipok Dey by Department of Posts

Renowned artist and philatelist  Shri Dipok Dey was honoured with ‘Life time achievement award’ by North Bengal Postal Circle of India Post for promoting philately in North Bengal. During ‘Depex-2014’ district level philatelic exhibition held at Darjeeling the Life Time Achievement Award’ was conferred to Shri Dipok Dey but he could not attend the function held on 30th November 2014 at Darjeeling as he was attending Assampex-2014, state level philatelic exhibition held at Guwahati as a member of Jury. On 28th February 2015, Shri Suvash Darnal, Superintendent of Post Offices, Darjeeling Division presented the award to Shri Dipok Dey at his residence in Kolkata.

We, the philatelists are proud of Shri  Dipok Dey and wish him a long life to continue his services to philately. Thanks to North Bengal Postal Circle of India Post for recognizing the philatelic services of Shri Dey and giving this honour to him. I am sure other Postal Circles of India Post will come forward and give recognition to the deserving persons, working for the promotion of philately. I am pleased to share here a Post on Shri Dipok Dey published  about 3 years back.

The Day of Dipok Dey

Special stamp on International Year of the Light

Here is a unique stamp with special effects released by Liechtenstein Post on the 2 March 2015 to celebrate the International Year of the Light.

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Sunlight is the foundation of life for humans, animals and plants. Light in general is also a key subject of science and culture. The United Nations proclaimed 2015 as the International Year of Light: 1000 years ago it was proven for the first time that light sources emit light rays, exactly 200 years ago the wave character of light was discovered and the quantum theory of light is 110 years old.

Experimenting with light arouses scientific curiosity. The special stamp “Play of Light” (value: CHF 1.90) permits the observer to conduct three experiments relating to the anniversaries mentioned. The background of the stamp glows in the dark owing to its fluorescent colour. It turns into a source of light if it was exposed to sunlight beforehand.

The wave theory can be observed if the stamp is held up to a source of light. The micro-perforations in the paper become easily visible as the light waves are diffracted through the small openings. For the experiment on quantum theory, the light pink colour behind the ball was printed with a special colour. When irradiated with UV light, the colour turns from pink to violet.

Bletchley Park Post Office to close

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Britain’s secret little post office is to close at the end of March. The undercover mailroom of the Enigma code breakers during the Second World War became a post office in 1947. Then Bletchley Park’s first gift shop when it opened to the public in 1994. In 2012 it was refurbished and officially opened by the keeper of the Royal Philatelic Collection. But new management at Bletchley Park have decided it is no longer “core to the code breaking story”. It is the last of the private collections to leave Bletchley Park.

The limited edition first day covers for new stamp issues it produced helped in keeping Bletchley Park open in those early days. Many have become worth several hundred pounds GBP and sought after by collectors around the world. They became known as “little pieces of art and history” due to the beautiful artwork that combined with new stamp issues to tell the story of Bletchley Park.

Now that no more issues will bear the “Bletchley Park Post Office” postmark those collections could increase significantly in value. The few remaining cover and stamp issues are already being snapped by collectors and visitors whilst still available. The entire collection can be viewed at the bletchleycovers.com website.

Postage stamp portraits – amazing works of art

By Ross Kay and David Dowsett David Bowie

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Barack Obama, Ghandi and Marge Simpson line the walls in the “Nothing New?” exhibition, and their eyes seem to follow you around the room. It is only when you get up close you can see the smaller details, stamped right across their faces.

unusual exhibition shows works of art made of tiny postage stamps. Bundaberg artist Marlies Oakley spent the last 18 months working on the 22-piece exhibition. In preparation for the latest exhibition at the Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery, artist Marlies Oakley has been working her way through thousands of postage stamps and hundreds of hours of television programs.

“It was very therapeutic. You just sit there, you’re listening to DVDs or music and you just go into your own world while you’re cutting up stamps,” she said. “Because I’m using old postage stamps, I cut them and glue them, so this is nothing new, because they have been used before. The images I’m using have been around for a while as well ‒ everybody knows them, so they’re not new”.

“But the way I’m putting the stamps together to create these portrait images, hopefully creates something new.” The portrait of Captain Cook is made up of images of Australian flags, the image of Queen Elisabeth II is formed by hundreds of horses, and Marge Simpson is constructed of yellow flowers.“I think it just became an obsession in the end, I just couldn’t stop,” Marlies said.

“Before I even start with the stamps I do a painting of the portrait I want to fill up with stamps. Then I go through my boxes, and boxes, and boxes of stamps and find images which suit the portrait.

In Ned Kelly I’ve got lots of sheep shearers, I’ve got lots of Australian animals all over it, and I’ve got bits of Sidney Nolan’s paintings in there ‒ something which relates to the portrait.

Then I sit there cutting and gluing them all together and in one of those images there are up to 4,000 stamps.” The exhibition runs at BRAG until May 3.

The winner of “Think Green” joint design competition was unveiled

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PostEurop announced Cyprus Post as the winner of the “Think Green” joint design competition. The design from Cyprus Post artist, Ms. Doxia Sergidou, was chosen amongst 24 outstanding entries. Posta Slovenije and Magyar Posta followed in second and third place respectively.

A total of 24 designs were submitted based on the chosen theme, to compete for the honour of having their image on the 2016 EUROPA stamps. Up to 216 confidential votes were received from 36 PostEurop members whose designs were anonymously published. Based on the number of votes received, the design from Cyprus Post emerged as the winner. The second place went to Posta Slovenije and in third place, Magyar Posta.

The stamp motif is the work of Ms. Doxia Sergidou. When asked about the concept of the design Ms. Sergidou explains that “the main purpose was to show that it is in our hand to create a greener planet. Thus, I have placed a hand on the top side of the stamp which basically represents anyone of us, actively replacing the grey colour (the environmental pollution) with the green colour which symbolizes environmental living and hope, and in turn inspire us for a better world”.

“The left side of the stamp represents the polluted side and is painted grey showing us the tremendous disaster caused by the industries, automotive vehicles, power generation and inefficient waste. It also shows how the human activities are negatively influencing the environment. In contrast on the right side of the stamp, is the green side which show us how using renewable energy resources, acting in a more environmental way and becoming more environmentally aware could positively affect the environment. This will not only have a positive effect in our generation, but it will also help the future ones to co-exist in harmony” adds Ms. Sergidou.

“The impact of our activities on the Environment is an area of high priority for European postal operators and the multitude of initiatives across Europe inspired the theme linked to Europe’s ecology – Think Green. Once again the designers pulled through taking on this challenging theme and produced some magnificent entries. A lot of thoughts have gone into the designs and we would like this special 60th issue of EUROPA stamp to help build a legacy for the future generations” exclaimed Anita Häggblom, Chair of the PostEurop Stamps and Philately working group from Ǻland Post.

“In the last 60 years, Europe has gone through a tremendous change but the initial concept still remains. We are happy with the outcome of this design competition and would like to thank all 24 entrants for taking the time to articulate in a special design what is quite complex in today’s world”, concludes Mr. Botond Szebeny, PostEurop Secretary General.

The award ceremony will be held at the upcoming PostEurop Plenary Assembly to be held on 14 October 2015 in Cyprus.

Stamp donation : to save a child’s life

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Here is interesting information concerning stamps and stamp collecting. Who could only imagine that a pile of stamps helped to support a child with a serious illness? Thousands of stamps have poured in after a couple put out an appeal to help collect as many as possible to raise money to find a cure for their daughter’s rare genetic disease.

Carly and Paul Hadman set up stamp collection boxes in banks and shops across the Fens as part of an appeal to raise awareness and funds to find a cure for Late Infantile Batten Disease which their daughter Effie was diagnosed with last year.

Her mum Carly, of Whittlesey, thanked everybody for the response which she said had been amazing.Effie was a bright, bubbly girl until for no apparent reason she suddenly forgot all of her numbers, colours and people’s names. She then started suffering seizures.

Mrs Hadman said: “We thought she had epilepsy but in January 2014, when Effie was three and a half, we received the devastating news that she has Late Infantile Batten Disease which has a life expectancy of five to 12 years old”.

Carly and her husband Paul are carriers for the rare disorder. The one ray of light is that their one year old son George does not have the disease ‒ he was six weeks old when they discovered Effie was terminally ill.

Batten disease is a fatal, inherited disorder of the nervous system, in which previously normal children develop vision problems or seizures. At the moment, there is no treatment and no cure for Batten disease.

125th anniversary of organized philately in Luxembourg

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Luxembourg Post has released a special stamp on occasion of the 125th anniversary of organized philately. The stamp was issued on the 3rd of March.

On Palm Sunday, 30 March 1890, five young collectors, Joseph Schock, J. Faber, Jean-Charles Kohn, Jean Hellinckx and Michel Goebel, met at the Kiffer Café in the train station district of Luxembourg-City to found a philately society, the “Union des Timbrophiles de Luxembourg”, the first philately society in Luxembourg.

In 1934, the “Union des Timbrophiles de Luxembourg” was one of the four founding societies of the “Fédération des Sociétés Philatéliques” of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (FSPL) which celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2014.

New Special Cancellation

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Two day philatelic exhibition NAINIPEX-2015 was held in the historical Shelley Hall of Nainital State Guest House from 20 to 21 March 2015. A special cancellation on "Naina Devi Temple" designed by Mr Rajesh Verma of Dehradun was released during the occasion. Naina Devi temple in Nainital is located on the northern shore of Naini lake. The presiding deity of the temple is Maa Naina Devi represented by two Netras or eyes. Nainital is  one of the 64 Shaktipeeths, where one of the body parts of Goddess Sati fell, when Lord Shiva carried her body. In Nainital, the (eyes)  naina of the Goddess are tacit to have fallen.

-Abhai Mishra

Recent Stamp Exhibitions

Hong Kong 2015

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clip_image030Mr Ajay Kumar Mittal has been appointed National Commissioner for HONG KONG-2015 31st Asian International Stamp Exhibition) going to be held from 20th November to 23rd November 2015.

Mobile : 9811032311, 9311332311
Email : ajaymittal1957@gmail.com

Taipei 2015 - 30th Asian International Stamp Exhibition

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clip_image033Mr Umesh Kakkeri has been appointed  Commissioner for India for Taipei 2015, to be held from 24th  to 28th April 2015. The Exhibition in Taipei  will be co-hosted by Chunghwa Post, the Chinese Taipei Philatelic Federation, and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council.

Mr Kakkeri, email : umesh_kakkeri@hotmail.com   Visit official website : Taipei 2015

clip_image034Mr. Rajesh Kumar Bagri will be (new) FIAP Juror from India in Taipei 2015.

SINGAPORE-2015

Commissioner for Singapore 2015

clip_image036The Philatelic Congress of India has appointed Mrs Damyanti Pittie as National Commissioner for Singapore 2015 a F.I.P. World Exhibition to be held from 14th 19th August, 2015.

Philatelists eligible and willing to participate may contact her by e.mail /or by post on following  e.mail and contact address.  The IREX and Forms can be down loaded from Singapore 2015 web site : http://www.singapore2015.com/the_show.php

Mrs. DAMAYANTI PITTIE, F.R.P.S.L.

NATIONAL COMMISSIONER : SINGAPORE 2015.

SUKET, 4th Floor, 29-B, Dongersi Cross Lane, Malabar Hill, Mumbai-400 006.

Tel.No.00 91 022 23644337. Fax No.00 91 022 23633696.

E-mail: dm_pittie@mtnl.net.in

purchasemumbai@harinagar.co.in

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GUJPEX 2015 13th Gujarat State Level Philatelic Exhibition – 24th – 27th March 2015

Gujpex-2015, 13th Gujarat State Level Philatelic Exhibition organized by Gujarat Postal Circle inaugurated by Hon. Governor of Gujarat Shri O.P. Kohli at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial, Ahmedabad. During the exhibition 3 special covers were released. Hon. Governor also released a book titled ‘Collector's Guide to British India Bazar Postcards' written by philatelist Shri Prafful Thakkar. 240 fully coloured pages presents present more than 1700 Bazar Postcards with value along with pictures in different varieties of British Royalty, Indian Princely State Rulers, Ravi Varma paintings-oleographs and Other Themes with further classification of color, creativity, calligraphy and design.

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248 exhibits in competitive class and others in invitee class were showcased at the exhibition.

For the first time in India philatelic exhibits displayed at Gujpex-2015, philatelic exhibition could also be be viewed online.

Collector's Guide to British India Bazar Postcard – By Praful Thakkar

 

P. Thakkar

 

Bazar Postcards of British India is a fascinating section of Indian Postal stationery which has colors, creativity and charisma. They were created during British period by dealers who knew the pulse of the masses. They were artistically and exquisitely made to attract and appeal to public imagination to use them. They were mainly produced and used during the Edwardian period. Subsequently, they were in vogue for advertising purpose in Georgian periods too.

This subject has an attraction because these ornamental and artistic Bazar Postcards have got the touch of creative imagination of dealers of those days. The colorful creativity of Bazar Postcards can be seen on address side. Here attracting pictures, calligraphic & artistic writing of words “Post Card” and graphic designed box for affixing the stamp were shown by the manufacturers..

In this book of 240 fully colored pages, an effort is made to present more than 1700 Bazar Postcards with value along with pictures in different varieties of British Royalty, Indian Princely State Rulers, Ravi Varma paintings-oleographs and Other Themes with further classification of color, creativity, calligraphy and design. They certainly show that the touch of creative imagination of dealers of those days was able to create fascination and attraction in general public for these ornamental and artistic Bazar Postcards.

imagePraful K. Thakkar, a retired IAS officer is the collector of autographs, stamps, FDCs, coins, medals, tokens, badges , badge plates etc. since last more than 45 years. He got a legacy of art and numismatic understanding and insight from his father. He developed the hobby of collecting Art, Autographs and Numismatic objects in his own way. ‘Share the Knowledge & Spread the Knowledge’ is the motto of his life. And in true spirit of his life’s motto, besides authoring several learned publications on Indian culture in Gujarati, he has authored ‘Collector’s Guide to Indian Canteen Tokens’, ‘Collector’s Guide to Membership Badges of Turf & Race Clubs of India’, ‘Collector’s Guide to Chronologies of Sultans, Rulers & Colonial Heads of India’ and ‘Chapras : Collector’s Guide to Belt Buckles, Badges and Badge Plates of India’, ‘Collector’s Guide to First Day Covers & Folders of India 1947-1964 Official & Private’ and "Glimpses of Indian Autographs". His philately book has received awards in International Philatelic Exhibitions at Portugal, South Africa, Washington-USA , Chicago-USA, Tokyo-Japan and Jakarta-Indonesia.

His two websites www.indiannumismatics.com and www.indianautographs.com have made landmarks in their respective hobby-fields of Numismatics and Autograph collection.

In 2008, The Numismatic Society of India Varanasi, Indian Coin Society, Nagpur and Indian National Trust for Art Culture and Heritage, Gwalior have awarded him the ‘Life Time Achievement Award’ for his innumerable and invaluable contribution to Indian Numismatics and Para-numismatics in all its aspects.

In 2009, he has been considered as National record holder by Limca Book of Records and has been placed as record holder for his collections of Autographs and Indian Canteen Tokens.

In the same year 2009, Gujarat Coin Society took cognisance of his excellent works and achievements and has also given him ‘Life Time Achievement Award’ for his outstanding service to numismatic fraternity. He has rendered his services as Chairman in Coinex-2006 and Coinex-2010, which were National Level Numismatic Exhibitions organised by Gujarat Coin Society, Ahmedabad. And he has successfully accomplished his mission.

In 2011, Lohana Maha Parishad, Ahmedabad has awarded him an International level ‘Vishisht Raghuvanshi Pratibha Award’ recognising and appreciating his vivid activities and hobbies.

Through this book ‘Collector's Guide to British India Bazar Postcards’, he has made a painstaking and pioneering attempt to give a direction and dimension to this little explored and less known creative subject of Indian philately-Bazar Postcards.

 

Interview

clip_image037 I am pleased to publish here an interview with Mr Ghouse Ali Zameer who is a keen philatelist from Bangalore. He took up philately seriously after completing his college in 2004. What is remarkable about his philatelic journey that he started with traditional philately and developed the exhibit in few years with awards at National and International exhibitions . Recently he met me in Dehradun and I was quite impressed to know that he has special interest in stamps and postal stationery of Pre-Independence India – British India, French India, Portuguese India and Hyderabad State. These are the subjects which are not usually taken up by young philatelists today and they are not much familiar with this branch of philately.

But Mr Zameer developed his collection up to the level of International standard in a very short time with devotion and incredible interest in the hobby. He is a great inspiration for the upcoming philatelists. He is member of India Study Circle for Philately, Karnataka Philatelic Society, Bangalore, South India Philatelists’ Association, Chennai and Dakshina Kannada Philatelic and Numismatic Association, Mangalore. Mr Zameer answers here  to some  of our questions with opinion on several aspects of philately  and tells about  his successful philatelic journey .  We wish him all the best for future exhibitions.   - Editor

Achievements

Karphilex2006 – State level exhibition organised by Karnataka Philatelic Society at Bangalore. Exhibited Pre-independence India collection for the first time and won the first prize. This was his debut exhibition.

SIPA Gold – 2006 – National level Philatelic exhibition organised by South India Philatelists’ Association, Chennai.

Pre-independence India collection - Won Silver.

INPEX 2008 – National Philatelic Exhibition at Chennai.

Pre-independence India collection - Won a Large Silver

Karphilex2008

Pre-independence India collection - exhibited under non-competitive class.

INDIPEX2011 – World Philatelic Exhibition – New Delhi.

Pre-independence India collection - Won a Silver.

Karnapex2015 – State Philatelic Exhibition at Bangalore

Pre-independence India collection exhibited under ‘Invitee class’

French India and Portuguese India Stationery collection (exhibited for the first time) – won a Vermeil and also the Best Exhibit award.

Mr Zameer may be contacted at email : gzameer@yahoo.com   

 

Interview with Ghouse Ali Zameer

 

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Q1 With the so many new generational luring hobbies, why did you opt to adopt and pursue philately ?

I adopted and pursued it just for the sheer love and fascination for Stamps.

Philately has been here for many generations - from the time the stamp was born. And contrary to the popular belief I think is still active, alive and kicking.

The quote by President Roosevelt rightly summarizes the hobby. "Stamp Collecting dispels boredom, enlarges our vision, broadens our knowledge, makes us better citizens and in innumerable ways, enriches our lives"

Q2. You took up this hobby after you completed your college . Normally people start this hobby from the childhood. What inspired you to get in to this hobby.

I was attracted to Stamp collection, as what it was known to us in those times, during my 2nd grade in school and pursued it for a few years. But as studies took priority, the hobby faded into the background. But I still had the fascination for stamps which I would pick up from the postal letters whenever possible but never pursued it seriously as I had other hobbies such as reading, calligraphy and painting, but the love for stamps remained always strong.

Having said that, the factor which inspired me back to this hobby was the sheer fascination and joy upon seeing those stamps from my childhood days – those fascinating tiny bits of perforated paper, each with its own story to tell. The fascination was so strong that I decided to revive my stamp collecting after completing my Bachelors in Engineering. Till now I was just a Stamp collector.

I became a Philatelist in true sense in 2004, when I joined the ‘Karnataka Philatelic Society (KPS), Bangalore’ to whose members I am very grateful, for their encouragement and guidance without which I would not have been where I am today. Before joining KPS, I never knew that such strong stamp collecting communities existed all over the world and my fascination multiplied upon seeing Philatelists pursuing this hobby with such zeal and seriousness.

Now Philately is no more a hobby to me but has become a passion.

Q3 Usually if a young person starts this hobby today he or she takes up thematic first and concentrates on a particular theme. But you chose traditional collection instead of thematic collection. What joy do you find in traditionalist philately as compared to Thematic Philately?

I have always been a traditionalist, but that does not mean that I am against dynamism and change which will always be there as we move towards modernity, but modernity by negating the traditions is what I do not support. Modernity should be such that it complements the traditions.

Traditional philately at most times involves the study of the stamps and has the broadest scope allowing all aspects of Philately to be included such as Postal History and Postal Stationery, but the main focus remains the stamps. If we see from a different angle, traditional philately is also thematic. The theme of the traditional philately is the ‘STAMP’ - it tells the story of stamps.

Also, procuring material for traditional philately is challenging and not at all easy and I enjoy doing challenging things.

Modern thematic collections have a wide range of themes, but I have not had an opportunity to do Thematic Philately as I am more absorbed in Traditional Philately and hence would not be able to compare these two. To each his own – I think both traditional philately and thematic philately is equally joyous.

Q4. We understand you have a busy professional schedule. How do you manage to get time for not just stamp collecting but to get seriously involved in it.?

In today’s busy and materialistic world, nobody gets time for a hobby, but we have to squeeze in a slot for it, as goes the proverb ‘Where there is a will, there is a way’. As I mentioned earlier, the busy and materialistic approach of the modern times takes a toll on the health and well being of an individual. People flock to various methods of therapies to de-stress themselves, losing precious money in the process. For me, apart from being a passion, Philately is the biggest stress buster with no side effects at all J

Q5. Do you think stamp exhibitions have now become a center for philatelic business or in other words, the exhibitions are not serving the very purpose for which those are organized?

Yes, most of the stamp exhibitions are becoming a center for philatelic business with the dealers taking the center stage many a times. But we cannot completely do away with the philatelic business as philatelic dealers play an important role in the procurement of the items for the collectors. There should always be a healthy balance between them during the exhibitions and the exhibits should always be the center of focus and attention.

The main purpose of the exhibitions should be to attract new collectors and also to encourage the existing philatelists to improve their collections.

As has been my principle, I prepare my exhibits aimed at a layman although within the ambit of the philatelic exhibition rules. And I feel happy when a non-philatelist gets attracted to my exhibit and would be more happier if my exhibit become a means to someone getting into the fold of Philately.

Fortunately, we have seen a healthy trend in the recently held KARNAPEX2015, zonal philatelic exhibition at Bangalore, where it was observed that the public was more interested in the exhibits and we had people seriously observing and studying the exhibits.

Q6 For you stamp collecting is a hobby or investment? How do you go about procuring philatelic material?

For me stamp collecting is purely a hobby and a passion. I do not believe in collecting stamps as an investment. I agree that the philatelic material is always appreciating in monetary value, but when the element of investment and monetary gain creeps in, the sheer joy of philately is lost.

Since my subject is stamps and postal stationery of British India, French India, Portuguese India apart from Nepal and Indian states Hyderabad & Cochin, it has been a difficult task procuring philatelic material. Philatelic dealers and Auction houses have been my source for procuring philatelic materials. Many a times senior philatelists have helped me with their extra material at a very reasonable cost compared to the dealers.

Q7 You are a traditional collector...what is your opinion about Thematic collections. If you start a thematic collection in future what would be your theme and why? The other way round what exactly you feel about future of traditional philately?

As I said earlier, to each his own – I think both traditional philately and thematic philately is equally joyous. I have seen wonderful thematic collections which are equally on par with any great traditional collection.

If I were to start a thematic collection, It would be on ‘Domes and Minarets’ and again the reason is traditional over here. We find domes and minarets only in traditional architecture. To be more precise, I would really love to do a thematic exhibit on the ‘Taj Mahal’ – the pride of India and a classic example of the Domes and Minarets.

As I said earlier, procurement of material for traditional philately is becoming difficult with rising prices and the scarcity of material, but still the tribe of collectors willing to take this challenge is increasing. To cite an example, out of the five vermeil medals in the recently held KARNAPEX2015, four were won by the traditional exhibits while one medal went to thematic exhibit. Traditional philately was there and will always be.

Q8 You have a very attractive philatelic journey of about 11 years during which you participated in various different level exhibitions and won several awards too. How do you feel when you look back and where do you see yourself when you look ahead?

It is a very pleasant and an eventful philatelic journey for me till now and hope the same in future. I feel happy and thankful when I look back with a lot of gratitude to the philatelic fraternity. When I look ahead, I hope this pleasant journey continues and I will truly feel accomplished if I could be a source of encouragement to new collectors.

Q 9 Please share your memorable moments associated with philately.

I have got many pleasant memories related to Philately. To mention a few, it was a memorable moment for me when I acquired two copies 1854 Lithographs for the first time in 2005 in Chennai from a senior collector. That was the starting point of my Traditional collection and will always be memorable for me.

The most memorable moment is when I won the first prize for the very first time I exhibited my collection in 2006 at the society exhibition Karphilex2006 conducted by Karnataka Philatelic Society. This acted as a catalyst and accelerated my interest which ultimately took me to an International Silver.

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The other memorable moment is during recent KARNAPEX2015, when I was presented with a special felicitation by the CPMG, Karnataka Postal circle for my earlier achievements in philately.

Also, the winning of a ‘VERMEIL” and ‘BEST EXHIBIT’ award for my exhibit on ‘POSTAL STATIONERY of French India and Portuguese India’ as I had again exhibited this collection for the first time in KARNAPEX2015. The joy moreover is because, postal stationery, I feel is considered a dry subject and is neglected.

Q10  New generation communication means are fast in use. What is the future of philately as in today’s life  people have stopped sending letters to their friends and relatives? 

In a lighter vein, since I am a traditional philatelist, the future is always bright and I need not worry about people sending letters. The stamps of my subject are from the era which had letters as the primary means of communication.

On a serious note, the decline in letter writing is of real concern. Whatever means of modern communication and however fast they may be, but the joy of writing a letter on a piece of paper has its own charm. And it is also upto us philatelists to encourage letter writing.

Interview : Naresh Agrawal & Jeevan Jyoti

Book Review

 

Monograph – The Post Office Mauritius Stamps by Col Jayanta Dutta and Dr Anjali Dutta

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Monograph – The Post Office Mauritius Stamps by Col Jayanta Dutta and Dr Anjali Dutta , Published by The Army Philatelic Society L-335, Tarapore Towers, New Link Road Oshiwara, Andheri ( West), Mumbai 400053. Price Rs 35O - Contact email : doctorjayanta2009@gmail.com

clip_image042 The recent Monograph by Col Jayanta Dutta and Dr Anjali Dutta is a comprehensive work on world famous rarest stamps of the world  “ The Post Office Mauritius stamps “. Every stamp collector must have heard about these famous stamps but might not know the whole story behind these stamps. Col J. Dutta and Dr Anjali Dutta have researched on the topic and wrote a wonderful Monograph on these stamps which all stamp lovers would like very much.

The first two postage stamps of Mauritius  issued in 1847, the so-called "Post Office" stamps, are of legendary rarity and value. They were the first stamps issued in any part of the British Empire outside of Great Britain. The unique cover bearing both “Post Office” stamps has been called "la pièce de résistance de toute la philatélie" or "the greatest item in all philately". On September 21, 1847, Mauritius issued two stamps, an orange-red one penny (1d) and a deep blue two pence (2d).The words "Post Office" appear in the left panel, but were changed to "Post Paid" in the following issue, and are the source of the stamps' common name. The "Post Office" stamps are among the rarest stamps in the world, and are of legendary status in the world of philately.

The monograph has color pictures of stamps and its rarest covers. The layout, design and printing of the book is excellent. The Monograph gives list of all the stamps and covers of the series with complete details. The historical story of these stamps  described in this  Monograph would be liked by all stamp lovers and it would be an asset in their collection. This interesting book is recommended to all stamp collectors as well as to  the libraries of  educational institutions. - Editor

Beginners’ Section

Stamps with most words on stamp –In Guinness Book of World Records

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Belgium’s International Women’s Day stamp issued on March 8, 2014 achieved a Guinness world record for the most words on a stamp.The stamp depicts the face of a young lady and a background—formed out of 606 complete words.

The Guinness World Records entry (click HERE) says: “The most words on a postage stamp is 606 words in four languages taken from the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).”

NEW PHILATELIC WORLD RECORD

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The £2 stamp has set a record for ‘Most words on a postage stamp’ with a total of 2,183 legible words!

Evacuation 75th Anniversary

For over 300 years Gibraltar has been a British overseas territory of military importance. During the Second World War there was a fear that if Nazi Germany and its allies took Gibraltar and the strait, there would have been catastrophic consequences.

Churchill himself described ‘Operation Torch’, the attack on French North Africa, as the ‘Hinge of Fate’. And to accommodate the influx of military personnel required to reinforce the Rock, it was decided that 16,000 civilians who were not deemed essential to its defence, should be evacuated.

May 2014 marks the beginning of the 75th anniversary of this mass-migration. Within a matter of weeks over 70% of the total population of Gibraltar was evacuated to French Morocco. Gibraltar’s women, children, elderly and infirm, were torn apart from husbands, fathers, and sons in a time of intense danger. They accepted that hardship with immense courage and as an act of duty and loyalty to Britain.  

The story of Gibraltar’s evacuation is one of the few untold stories of the Second World War. This commemorative stamp issue serves to remember the hardships endured by so many Gibraltarians in this time of conflict .

Stamps on Women issued by India Post

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Stamps commemorating the journey of Indian women

Specialized Section

Some Remarkable Cancellations and Postmarks – 25/6

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The All India Series of 1873-84 Cancellations (Renouf Type 18)

Renouf Type 18 is a rectangle of eight parallel horizontal bars framing a Circle Letter. It is either in a singular or a duplex form.

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1878 Registered cover from Rankipore to Amritsur, showing scare type 18 cancellation with Circle Letter “D”, where “D” stands for DINAPORE , Head Quarters of Bihar Circle (1877-1878).

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18XX Miniature Cover from Indore to Aguar  with  with scare  Type 18 Cancellation           Type 18 Cancellation, with “C” for Calcutta

                                                                                                                                                              

      with circle Letter “I” for Indore, Head Quarters of Central   India (1879-1880)                              in 8 Bars (for Bengal Circle)

 

TYPE 18 VARIETY ROLLER OBLITERATOR

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1884 Registered Cover from Calcutta to Rome (Italy) with rare Roller “C” (in 6 Bars instead of 8) obliterator. This roller Cancellation was applied to registered covers posted at G.P.O. Calcutta, destined for overseas and within India.

: Dr Avinash B. Jagtap email : abjagtap@hotmail.com

 

 

A delicious Postcard: Write-Read-Eat

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© Dr.Satyendra Kumar Agrawal

World’s oldest Postcard is believed to be of 1771, now in possession of Philip Milton of Great Britain. The handwritten card was discovered in a scrapbook by a London stamp collector and offered for sale on e-bay.

It has no postal markings but is thought to have been hand delivered to an address in Landkey in 1771.

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World’s oldest Postcard delivered by hand, GB 1771 (Front and Back)

But the World’s First Postal card,’Correspondz Karte’ was issued by the Austrian Postal Administration on October 1st, 1869.

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World’s First Postal card,Austria 1869

This Triumph of democracy was popular enough to generate three million sales in three months’ time. Correspondence cards had been a suggestion of Dr. Emanuel Hermann who on January 26, 1869described a cheap way for soldiers to write home.

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Dr. Emanuel Hermann

On 26th May 1870, the British Postmaster-General recommended the production of "Correspondence Cards" and on 1st October 1870, the first official postcards in Britain were issued by the Post Office. These early postcards were printed by the famous firm of De La Rue and incorporated a printed, stamp.At half the standard postal rate, the Post Card was immediately popular, and 675,000 were sold on the first day of issue.

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First Postal Card of GB issued on 1st October 1870

Finland, Switzerland and Württemberg alsocame out with their first Postal Card in 1870 and Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway& Canada in 1871.Russia, Chile, France, and Algeria joined this club in 1872 whereas France, Serbia, Romania, Spain, and Japan in 1873.

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First Postal Cards of Russia, 1872

Though Postmaster General John Creswell recommended the creation of the first postal cardsin the USA in 1870 but they were printed and made commercially available, May 13, 1873, and featured the image of Liberty.

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First Postal Card of USA, 1873

Cards very quickly gained popularity: by the 1878 print them almost worldwide. Therefore, the Universal Postal Congress was adopted common format for all cards - 9 to 14 cm.

Many of these early cards included small images printed on the same side with the postage. The earliest of these cards were indented solely for domestic use"became very popular at the turn of the 20th Century, especially for sending short messages to friends and relatives.

Right from the beginning their collection also gets popular and became an international crazegiving rise to birth of more and more types of Postal cards and Postcards. Some of the forms taken by postal cards include the regular single card which may be commemorative or definitive, attached message-reply cards, airmail and official postal cards used for official government business with a "penalty for private use".

Vintage postcards also came in existence and Novelty postcards made of wood, aluminium, copper, and cork became popular collectibles.

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Cork Postal cards

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Copper Postcards

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Wooden Postcards

Leather postcards were also prepared in 1903. They were a novelty that appealed to tourists.

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Leather Postcards

Beginning in about 1904, leather postcards decorated using pyrography became a popular novelty in the United States but diminished soon and disappeared by 1915. The range of subject matter within the field of leather post cards is great.Categories that prove very popular among collectors include souvenir cards, vice or sin cards, puzzles, and cards that express affiliation with organizations and humour derived from period stereotypes.

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Leather Postcards decorated using pyrography

All above mentioned Postcards are good collectables and much sought by collectors even today. But the Postcard known as "Surumeru" from Japan is a ‘Write-Read then Eat ‘Postcard.

Residents of the coastal town of Susami in Wakayama, Japan prefecture love the sea and the post office so much that the town once installed a mailbox on the ocean floor for scuba divers.

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Japanese Underwater Mail Box

Now, further evidence of this powerful sea/mail love comes in the form of "Surumail" -- edible postcards made from dried cuttlefish Surume squids, a local seafood specialty. The squid jerky is flattened and vacuum-packed into the shape of a postcard, and an adhesive label is included for the postage, delivery address and a short message. To post this card 90 yen stamp is to be put on it.

Surumail postcards are produced by the Susami fishing cooperative. Itcost 320 yen each and is available at the Susami post office and JR Susami station, as well as through the Susami fishing cooperative.They went on sale in 2000 and receiving a sale of 4000 to 5000 postcards each year.

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Edible Postcard “Surumeru"

The popularity is getting up every year and now. In addition to normal version, Susami fishing cooperative also introduced two moregreeting versions for "New Year’s edition " and "summer greeting version".

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"Normal version", "New Year's edition" and "Summer Greeting version"

But for Postcards collectors to have one "Surumeru"- the Edible Postcard in their collection is only a dream. Such postcards are not available out of Japan and if you are visiting Japan and your friend mails one, you can only read the massage and then enjoy eating this as a delicious dish first rosting it lightly and then putting some soy sauce on it.

- Dr Satyendra Kumar Agrawal : email : rosephila@hotmail.com

Lighter Side

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Flower Show and Romance with Stamps

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The heading of this article may seem a bit peculiar. What flower show has to do with stamps? At least everyone will agree that both flowers and stamps are beautiful, one is God’s creativity while the other is Men’s. I still crisply remember the early spring of 2003. Sh. Sudarshan Agarwal took over as the Governor of Uttaranchal on 08-01-2003 and Mrs. Madhu Narayanan was the Chief Post Master General at that time. There was one thing which was common in both of them, their love for stamps. The idea of having a flower show (spring festival) was mooted in Jan 2003 and it was decided that the Raj Bhawan, Dehradun will host the first flower show from 15-16 March 2003. The Governor himself being a philatelist wished to have a special cover on the occasion. The first special cover on the flower show was issued on 15-Mar-2003 on the theme of Brahm Kamal (Saussurea obvallata). During the release it was discussed to have a stamp exhibition in coming future at Dehradun. Mrs. Narayanan sprang into action and the ball got rolling. Rajesh Varma and I were more than happy to be a part of the organizing committee. On 06-Apr-2003, a painting competition was organized at Raj Bhawan for children. Again a special cover was released and the stamp exhibition named “DOONTOPEX” was formally launched by the Governor to happen on 18-20 July 2003 at SJA, Dehradun. The name “DOONTOPEX” was re-used, as in 1978; a stamp exhibition was organized at Dehradun from 15-18 January 1978 with the same name.

As philatelist’s we were very happy to have a philatelist as Governor. In 2004, during the flower show, special cover on “Orchid” (Aerides odorantum) was released. During the release function the Governor expressed his wish to have a stamp exhibition at Nainital and generously offered the Raj Bhawan, Nainital as the venue. It was something unexpected, a stamp exhibition at Raj Bhawan !! The then CPMG Mrs. Suneeta Trivedi immediately dispatched myself and Rajesh to Nainital for the ground work. We carried scores of stamp workshops in different schools and motivated the children to prepare stamp exhibits. The exhibition was held from 18-20 June 2004 at Raj Bhawan with the Governor as host. There were more than 150 exhibits from the children of Nainital. Special covers on Naini Lake, Raj Bhawan and Aries observatory were released during the exhibition. The north end of the Naini lake is called Mallital, where Naina Devi temple is situated while the southern end is called Tallital which has a bridge having Gandhiji’s statue and Post office on its side. Very few know that it is the only post office of its kind in the world which is located on a lake bridge.

During the spring festival of 2006 and 2007 special covers were released on Bonsai and Cobra Lily. Uttarakhand has the rare distinction of having three honorable winners in the World Bonsai Contest – 2005 organized by “World Bonsai Friendship Federation” at Japan. The prize winning bonsai were depicted in the special cover of 2006. In October 2007 Sh. Sudarshan Agarwal handed over the charge of Governor to Sh. BL Joshi. But the tradition has been started and the legacy was firmly in place. The romance of flower show with stamps was in full bloom. On 08-Mar-2008 special cover on Valley of Flowers, featuring ‘Morina longifolia’ was released during the spring festival. In 2008, the then CPMG Sh. Vivek Kaul requested us to write a book on Uttarakhand stamps. The book titled “Uttarakhand-A Philatelic Journey” written by me and Rajesh Varma, published by the Department of Posts, was released by the Governor during the 2009 flower show. Continuously, since then special covers are being released featuring different flowers during the spring festival at Raj Bhawan.

Year 2015 was again special for the stamp lovers. Again an ardent philatelist, Dr. KK Paul took over as the Governor of Uttarakhand on 08-Jan-2015. The legacy was again re-lived. On 28 Feb 2015, during the flower show, a stamp exhibition was organized in the corridors of historical old circuit house. The present CPMG Sh. Uday Krishna, left no stone unturned to make it a grand success. The exhibition is unique in many senses. It displayed the stamp collection of Dr. KK Paul along with other prominent philatelist and children of Dehradun. It is for the first time that a stamp exhibition was organized at Raj Bhawan, Dehradun. The corridor of the old circuit house had been mute witness to the visit of many historical personalities. This time it has STAMPS as the visitor.

The stamp lovers of Dehradun will always cherish the philatelic association with Raj Bhawan. I personally hope, that the romance of stamps with flower show will bloom to a greater height in the years to come.

- Abhai Mishra : email : abhai_mishra@rediffmail.com

Published in Garhwal Post : 2 march 2015

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A woman who can’t imagine herself not collecting stamps

Here is a news about a woman who has collected the stamps the whole life. This hobby made the history of her life.

In 1933, Margaret (Cantleberry) Hines was 8 years old and living on her family’s farm near Lincoln. Times were hard. It was the Great Depression. Hines remembers, though, that her Aunt Stella gave her a book that year that changed her life forever.

It wasn’t a Bible. It wasn’t a school book. In fact, it wasn’t a book anyone had written.

It was a blank book for collecting stamps. When Hines got it, she started a hobby that has remained a special part of her life for the past 82 years.

“Collecting stamps became personal and special to me,” Hines said. “My siblings had their interests. This became mine — no one messed with it. I took the 1, 2, and 3-cent stamps off our family mail and glued them in that book. I’ve never stopped.”

Stamp collecting is a hobby with a rich history. The same year that she started collecting, the man in the White House — Franklin Roosevelt — was an avid stamp collector. On a quiet Sunday afternoon, Dec. 7, 1941, President Roosevelt sat at his White House desk, relaxing with his stamp collection, when he was interrupted with news about Pearl Harbor.

Hines is 89 now and lives near Motley with Detmer, her husband of 71 years. She’s still collecting and enjoying stamps for many reasons.

“There’s always something interesting to see and learn from stamps,” she said. “Many are beautiful to look at. Collecting stamps relaxes me. After a hard day of work, or in the early morning hours, I take them out, look at them, enjoy them, and organize them. I love it.”

Once that first stamp book (sadly, now lost) was complete, Margaret started another. Once filled, a new book begins. “As a girl I saw an ad in an Iowa farm magazine that showed how to exchange stamps with other people,” she said. “Then I got stamp books from the H.E. Harris stamp company in Boston. The books were expensive — everything cost too much back then — so I made my own. Some got so heavy I can’t even lift them anymore.”

Along the way, Hines got help with her collecting. Knowing her hobby, family and friends began sending her stamps they’d get in their mail.

“I like stamps that show U.S. history, the presidents, and flags,” she said of her favorite stamps. “I’ve even framed some.” The fun challenge, she said, is trying to find the three dozen or so new stamps that come out each year. “That’s still what I like to do,” she said.

How has stamp collecting changed over the years? “Not that much,” Hines said. “Except that somewhere along the way they changed the glue on the back of the stamps. It used to be easy to soak them off. No more. Now I have to cut them off.”

One stamp she didn’t cut off was on a letter she received from First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who answered a letter of condolence that Hines sent her in November, 1963, after the assassination of President John Kennedy.

The hobby Hines has loved for more than eight decades seems to be disappearing, though. “People aren’t writing many letters anymore,” she said, “so they aren’t using many stamps. Stamp collecting is going to go ka-flook, I’m afraid.” A simple hobby became the lifetime love of a little Minnesota farm girl long ago. She plans to keep at it for as long as she can.

“I can’t imagine not collecting stamps,” Hines said with a smile. “It’s been a part of my life for so long.”

Editor’s Mail Box


Surendra Kotadia – Mumbai

I am regular reader of E-Magazine I found good information about the Philately with good articles from the senior philatelist which really increases and enhances the knowledge of the collector not from India but around the world over to update their collection such as Traditional Thematic Postal History and general knowledge about the philately. Also help collector to know the incoming event such as Exhibitions stamp show stamp bazar etc I specially thank the senior philatelists, Dr.Satyendra Agrawal, Mr Naresg Agrawal
,Dr. Avinash B.Jagtap and many others for their valuable contribution. My sincere thanks to them.

Corinne J Pegler – New Zealand

I was just now reading the March issue.  I saw the cricket stamps that India is issuing, purchased from  NZ.  Did you know that the logo on the NZ ones is different to the one on the India stamps? A copy of NZ post mini sheet can be seen on NZ post stamps website. Thank you always for Rainbow Stamp News.

31-03-2015 17.54.26screenshot. NZ1


 

  New issues from other Countries

 

Poland

20 March 2015 : Organ transplantation

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31 March 2015 IDA

 

31-03-2015 11.00.57screenshot 31-03-2015 11.01.44screenshot.

Ida is a 2013 Polish drama film directed by Paweł Pawlikowski and written by Pawlikowski and Rebecca Lenkiewicz. Set in Poland in 1962, it is about a young woman on the verge of taking vows as a Catholic nun.

Ida won the 2015 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, becoming the first Polish film to do so.It had earlier been selected as Best Film of 2014 by the European Film Academy and as Best Film Not in the English Language of 2014 by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).

San Marino

10 March 2015 : International Day of Happiness

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The International Day of Happiness, established by the United Nations General Assembly on the 12th of July 2012, is celebrated on the 20th of March. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated that the world needs a new economic paradigm that recognizes the parity between the three pillars of sustainable development: social, economic and environmental well-being are indivisible, together they define gross global happiness

Republic of San Marino celebrates the International Day of Happiness with a philatelic set designed by Mirella Musri, an illustrator, an artist and a teacher from Argentina. The issue has been already designed and is to be put into circulation on the 10th of March.

The two stamps show four children from different ethnic groups playing together: they run on the earth (€ 0.95 value) and they ride a stylized swallow with Mount Titano in the background (€ 2.30 value).

10 March 2015 : Europa 2015

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PostEurop, organization who meets every two years to decide the themes of the philatelic issues of its member States dedicated to Europa, chose “old toys” for the year 2015. The 0.80€ value depicts a rocking horse, a toy that ties the present of the children with the past of the adults. The first rocking horse dates back to 1610 and it is kept by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

The 0.95€ value shows a toy car, a typical game that connects present and past generations. The designer Gabriella Giandelli is also a comic-strip artist, a scriptwriter, a director and a children’s book illustrator. She created the character “little rabbit Milo” for the Mondadori’s children collections which also became a cartoon for the Rai network.

Promotional Section

Recent books issued by Karnataka Postal Circle

1. Collectors Guide to Special Covers of Karnataka (1960-2014) – Rs

2. Mysore Anche (History of Mysore Postal Department)

3. Stamps on Karnataka

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Price list of Books and other items released by Karnataka Postal Circle

PICTURE POST CARD PACK

‘‘ BANGALORE HERITAGE” SMALL/OLD

35.00

PICTURE POST CARD PACK

‘‘CINEMA POST CARD”

30.00

PICTURE POST CARD PACK

‘‘ BANGALORE HERITAGE” BIG/ NEW

50.00

PICTURE POST CARD PACK

‘‘ MYSORE HERITAGE”

40.00

PICTURE POST CARD PACK

‘‘BRITISH INDIA ”

100.00

PICTURE POST CARD PACK

‘‘POST INDIA POST CARD”

80.00

PICTURE POST CARD

‘‘ST MARY IS LAND POST CARD”

5.00

PICTURE POST CARD

‘‘KATHALE BASADI IS LAND POST CARD”

5.00

SPECIAL COVER POUCH

10 LEAVES

50.00

SPECIAL COVER POUCH

8 LEAVES

55.00

VARIETIES NOTE PAD

12 VARIETIES EACH 25/-

300.00

BOOK MARKS

6 DESIGNS EACH 3 /-

18.00

SPECIAL COVERS BOOK

“REFERENCE BOOK”

360.00

MYSORE ANCHE BOOK

“REFERENCE BOOK”

75.00

KARNATAKA STAMPS BOOK

“REFERENCE BOOK”

80.00

These books are available at GPO Bangalore Please contact:

Manger,  Post Shopee, Bangalore GPO, Bangalore 560001

Phone : Mrs Sushama 080 – 22850042 & 080 - 22850029

Philatelic Gems of the Maharajas Maharanis

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I am currently working on producing a limited edition 500+ page coffee-table book that will feature what one considers the gems of Indian States Philately (both Convention & Feudatory). Items in the form of stamps, covers and postal stationery (excluding fiscals & revenues) will be represented from each State.

I am reaching out to all the members of our Society to request scans of items you feel should be pictured in the book. Provenance will be duly acknowledged unless one prefers to remain anonymous. We have several ISC members who are collaborating on this project.

Please send scans of items you feel should be considered for the book along with a brief write-up (if you have one) describing the item. All submissions must be received by no later than October 31st,  2015.

Please send scans by email or mail them on a CD to my address below.

The target launch date for this book is the 'World Stamp Show-NY 2016" on May 28' 2016.

- Sandeep Jaiswal sc APS UPSS GCS= PO Box 8689 Cranston, RI 02920 USA Phone: +1 401 888 9473 From UK: 020 3002 3626 email : sj722@aol.com

Blogs & Websites

1. Forces in Philately - http://gunsinstamps.blogspot.in/ - .A new blog has been created by Commodore Vijay Kapre of New Delhi, featuring philatelic items related with our Armed Forces.

2. Praful Thakkar’s Exotic gallery of Indian Philately - http://www.indianphilatelics.com/ : It is a complete website on Indian Philately created by noted philatelist Mr Praful Thaakkar

3. Welcome to the World of Indian Philately - http://www.indianphilately.net/

An exclusive website created by Mr Prashant Pandya dedicated to Indian Philately .The philatelists can register for “ Online Philatelists’ Directory ” on this website.

4.Virtual Stamp Club http://www.virtualstampclub.com/index.html It is website for On Line collectors. Membership is free. Many collectors around the world are its members.clip_image109 .

5.Indian Thematics - http://www.indianthematics.blogspot.in/ - A new blog created by noted Thematic Philatelist Mr Dinesh Chandra Sharma. This blog is all about Thematic Philately.

6. Indian Philatelists’ Forum - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/indianphilatelists/

This is an electronic discussion forum dedicated exclusively to Indian Philately that allows members to engage into meaningful discussions on all aspects of Indian Philately. Membership to the forum is open to all philatelists who have interest in Indian Philately. Members can share and discuss their ideas, knowledge, research, collections, events, exhibitions, auctions, publications exclusively related to Indian Philately.

7. The best stamps - http://thebeststamps.blogspot.co.uk/ It’s a beautiful blog created by Julian Fernandes of Pune ( Now living in UK) featuring lovely stamps of birds with the photos of the same birds giving a wonderful look !!

8. Numismatic & Philatelic Association - http://numismaticphilavellore.site40.net/index.htm -  This Numismatic & Philatelic Association is a nonprofit and non-trade motive association that aims to promote the hobbies – Philately (Stamp Collection) and Numismatics (Coin Collection) among children, students, interested individuals among the general public and especially for the budding philatelists and numismatists.

9. How to Collect Stamps - http://www.howtocollectstamps.com/ : The Complete Guide To Stamp Collecting

10.GANDHI Stamps & Philately Study Circle : http://gandhistampsclub.blogspot.in/ - A new Blog by Ketan Patel .…. Saving Gandhi Philately by trying to bring awareness and exposing illegal activities in Gandhi Stamps and Philately.

11. Europa Stamps : http://europa-stamps.blogspot.in/ : A blog on Europa, cept, norden & sepac stamps

12. Phila Mirror : http://philamirror.info/ : The Indian Philately Journal

13. Se- tenant Stamps of India - http://setenantsofindia.blogspot.com/ It is a specialized Blog on se-tenant stamps.

14. Flags & Stamps - http://flagstamps.blogspot.com/ - It is a specialized blog on Flag Theme .

15. Glimpses of Modern Indian Philately : http://modernindianphilately.blogspot.com/ - It is a specialized blog on Modern Philately, created by Mr Prashant Pandya .

16. Question & Answers on Philately : http://en.allexperts.com/q/Stamps-Philately- 1610/indexExp_69442.htm - It is a site based on Question & Answers on Philately. Mr Prashant Pandya replies to queries.

17. Philatelic Journalists Forum - http://philatelicjournalistsforum.blogspot.in/ “The Philatelic Journalists” is an initiative by a few enthusiast philatelists, who love the hobby to the deepest.

18. The Philatelist - http://o-filatelista.blogspot.in/ - A blog with lot of info about stamps and philatelic activities around the world.

19. Phila India - http://philaindia.info/index.html - Website created by Mahesh Reddiar with lot of info and articles on philately .

20. Princess Diana – Queen of Hearts - http://princessdiana-queenofhearts.blogspot.in/ - New Blog by noted philatelist of Orissa Mr Santanu Panigrahi.

21. Stamp Magazine - http://blog.stampmagazine.co.uk/ This blog is updated by Adrian Keppel every Friday with new Articles on a variety of subjects

Philatelic Clubs & Societies

Baroda Philatelic Society - http://www.vadophil.org/

Deccan Philatelic Society – Pune, Maharashtra

Eastern India Philatelists’ Association - http://www.filacapsule.blogspot.com/

India Study Circle - http://www.indiastudycircle.org/

Indian Stamp Ghar - http://www.indianstampghar.com/

Indian Thematic Society, Ludhiana - http://indianthematicstamps.webs.com/

Ludhiana Philatelic Club

Mobile Philately - http://www.mobilephilately.webs.com/

Numismatic & Philatelic Association of Vellore Fort http://numismaticphilavellore.site40.net/index.htm

Philatelic Society of Rajasthan, Jaipur

Rainbow Stamp Club - http://rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com/

Rajkot Philatelic Society – Rajkot, Gujarat

Gujarat Philatelic Association - Ahmedabad

South India Philatelists Association - http://www.sipa.org.in/

Stamps of India - http://www.stampsofindia.com/

The Army Philatelic Society, Pune

Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletters

Stamp of India Collectors’ Companion - India’s first weekly e-newsletter edited by Madhukar and Savita Jhingan from Stamps of India, New Delhi. E-mail: mjhingan@yahoo.com Website: www.stampsofindia.com

India Post – Quarterly Journal of the India Study Circle publishes original articles submitted by members of ISC.

ITS Stamp News - Quarterly - Editor: Suraj Jaitly Publisher: Indian Thematic Society website - http://itsstampnews.blogspot.com/

VADOPHIL, Editor - Prashant Pandya and published by Baroda Philatelic Society, Vadodara. Website -http://www.vadophil.org/

Journal of the Army Philatelic Society : Editor – Col Jayanta Dutta

SIPA Bulletin http://www.sipa.org.in/

GPA News – Published by Gujarat Philatelists’ Association, Ahemadabad.

Stamps Today Stamp & Coin Magazine edited by Vijay Seth

RAINBOW STAMP CLUB

This is a blog of e-stamp Club www.rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com . The idea of this blog is to extend philatelic fraternity in all corners of the world. Readers may write about themselves with their collecting interests and share new ideas with other philatelists. New Post on recent issues, news on stamp activities and Contribution by members are published every day on this blog.Readers may also express their views on any philatelic matter which will be published under Club News at Rainbow Stamp Cub Blog. Philatelic Clubs and Societies may also send brief write ups. News about new issues of India and abroad and other information related with Philately are regularly posted on this blog. Readers may send reports on new issues, special covers, cancellations & philatelic activities of their area for inclusion in this Blog. - Editor

Courtesy - News and Image Resource to this issue : International Stamp News; Indian Philately Digest ; Prashant Pandya – Vadodara; Sreejesh Krishnan – Trivandrum Sudhir Jain – Satna (MP);   Abhai Mishra - Dehradun, Anil K Saxena, Gaya; Terry Mitchell , UK ; Jagannath Mani- Bangalore

To view online version of this magazine Please Visit : http://rainbowstampnews.blogspot.in/

Address for communication:

Jeevan Jyoti, c / o Mr. Ajay Srivastav Wildlife Institute of India, Post Box No. 18, Chandrabani, Dehradun – 248001. India

E-mail – j.jyoti9@gmail.com

clip_image001 Last date for receiving write ups – 25th of every month. Kindly send images in jpg compressed format & text in MS Word only.

clip_image001[1] If you liked this issue please forward it to your friends and help in promoting philately.

A Request to Readers & Contributors -

clip_image002 Please do not send the text in scan form or PDF. Send your write ups in MS Word only.

Kindly specify your contribution such as article/News/ Reader’s Right / Beginners’ Section/ Lighter Side etc.

clip_image002[1] Please do not send forwarded messages for promotional section if you want to give any information for promotion please write personally with brief write up. As this newsletter is not used for any commercial purpose in any manner.

Attention -
Please send limited number of images in compressed jpg format only with your article. Please send text and images separately. Please do not send text or image for publication in PDF.

Any material from this newsletter may be reproduced only with the written permission from the editor.

…..Happy Collecting…………………………………………………………………

Rainbow Stamp News is edited and published monthly by Jeevan Jyoti, from Dehradun ( Uttarakhand) India.

 
 

Recent Awards

AMRITPEX 2023 - Silver

CAPE TOWN 2022 - Silver

LONDON 2022 - Silver


INPEX 2019, Mumbai - Silver

CHINA-2019, World Stamp Exhibition, Wuhan - Bronze

INPEX 2017, Mumbai - Large Silver

CHINA 2016 - Bronze

TAIPEI 2015 - Bronze

CG International Philatelic Promotion Award 2014, Germany - ( 4th Position)

INPEX 2013, Mumbai - Vermeil

SHARJAH 2012, Sharjah ( UAE ) - Silver Bronze

IPHLA 2012, Mainz - Germany : Bronze

I
NDIPEX 2011 - World Stamp Exhibition, New Delhi - Bronze

JOBURG 2010 - 26th Asian International Stamp Exhibition, Johannesburg - Silver Bronze

PORTUGAL 2010 - World Stamp Exhibition, Lisbon - Bronze

Hong Kong 2009 -23rd Asian International Stamp Exhibition, Hong Kong - Silver Bronze

About Me

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Participated in different philatelic exhibitions Wrote for philately column in The Pioneer and worked as sub-editor for U-Phil Times published from United Philatelists, Kanpur.Did Schooling from Kanpur Vidya Mandir and Post Graduation in Botany from A.N.D. College Kanpur.

Disclaimer

The views expressed in the articles published on Rainbow Stamp News Blog are solely those of the authors and contributors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Blog Owner. The Readers are requested to contact author or the contributor of the particular article if they have any objection or do not agree with the views expressed in the article . Please do not ask the Blog Owner to delete or change any Post published on this blog.The Post will be removed only after strong recommendation of the original author / contributor after proper verification .

All contents provided on this blog is for information only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this blog or found by following any link on this blog. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.

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