From the world of art and culture

Ukranian Costumes

Hi ! I have selected two recent issues on art by great artists of Norway Kjell Nupen and Irma Salo Jæger. The stamps depict the paintings by these renowned artists . There is a beautiful landscape on one stamp and an exquisite abstract painting on the other stamp. In the second part I have stamps and Miniature sheets from Ukraine which depict traditional folk costumes. The stamps are very beautiful and attractive with bright colours.Today's colorful post is dedicated to art and culture of the world. In the last part our regular series of Worldwide stamps on Braille Inscriptions prepared by our distinguished member Mr. Abhai Mishra from Dehradun. This is all for today ! .....Till Next Post....Have a Nice time !

Kjell Nupen born in 1955, made up his mind to become a painter when he was only 14 years old. He studied at Statens Kunstakademi in Oslo and at Staatliche Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf. He was still a young man when he had his breakthrough as a painter and graphic designer and has been a prominent name in Norwegian contemporary art for many years. From the 1970’s onwards Nupen’s art was motivated by criticism of the established order, directed at the Vietnam War, nuclear armament and USA-inspired capitalism. The political and aggressive content was later toned down in favour of landscapes, often coastal landscapes inspired by his ties to home in the south of Norway. The predominant colour in these paintings is blue. This colour is built up of several layers of translucent blue, often referred to as ‘Nupen Blue’. Kjell Nupen has also worked with most printmaking techniques, including woodcut, lithography and etching.

Irma Salo Jæger was born in 1928 in Finland and has been a major figure in Norwegian art since the 1960s. She studied art in Munich, Oslo and Florence after taking a degree in art history in Helsinki. She is regarded as one of the greatest exponents of abstract painting in Norway, and her debut coincided with the breakthrough of this form of expression around 1960. Her paintings are characterised by clearly demarcated areas of intense, bright colour, often blues, reds and oranges. Irma Salo Jæger held a professorship at Statens Kunstakademi in Oslo from 1986 until 1992. Her work is presented in a book by art historian Erik Dæhlin, which was published in 2002.

Courtesy - Norway Post

Ukrainian Folk Costumes - Date of Issue 25 December 2008

The Crimea. Holiday of the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ

The Crimea. Christening

Worldwide stamps issued with Braille Inscriptions

Compiled by Abhai Mishra

2001 Israel. To commemorate the Institute for the Blind, Jerusalem, 1902-2002

1990 1st November Japan. To mark the centennial of Japanese Braille

2002 Costa Rica. Children education with Braille

2003 Tristan da Cunha. The history of writing with braille on minisheet

2003 Spain. European years of disabled persons with braille

Homage to Martyrs

My Life is my messaage - Mahatma Gandhi

Martyr's day - special cover released during MILLEPEX 2000, Bhuabaneshwar

Homage to martyrs

Shaeed Bhagat Singh

Shaheed Laxman Nayak

Chandtashekhar Azad

Khudiram Bose

This post is dedicated to all heroes of the nation who sacrificed their life for the motherland and many unsung heroes whose names are forgotten or never came in limelight.

Martyrs' Day

Salute to Martyrs & Freedom Fighters

3O January is the Death Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. On 30th January1948 Mahatma Gandhi was assasinated .His Death Anniversary is observed as Martyrs’ Day in India. On January 30, sirens at every government establishment wail at 11 am. Even commoners are expected to cease their normal activities and observe silence for two minutes, remembering the souls of those martyred. The nation remembers Mahatma Gandhi and pays tributes to father of the nation. This day is a special day to pay tributes to the martyrs who dedicated their lives, their homes, their near and dear ones, their last drop of blood for their motherland.

Today's Special events

Exhibition in Chandigarh

12 club members including President P C Awasthy, Colonel Suresh Bagga, Mohinder Sing, Abnash Singh Luthra, Mehar Singh, Rakesh Khurana and Rakesh Walia, are displaying stamps on martyrs and freedom fighters in a philatelic exhibition organized by Chandigarh Philatelic Club at G P O, SECTOR 17, Chandigarh From 10am To 5pm on Jan 30 & Jan 31 2009.

A SPECIAL COVER ON GANDHIJI WILL BE RELEASED BY C.PMG, PUNJAB CIRCLE

Festival of Stamps begins at Ahmedabad

One of the biggest Festival of Stamps organized by Gujarat Philatlic Association starts at Ahmedabad today.

Venue: Srimati Sushilaben Ratilal Hall, opposite Choice Restaurant, C G Road, near Swastik Crossroads, Ahmedabad 380009

Nature and Wildlife

Centenary of Pro Natura

To be issued in March 2009 by Switzerland

Hi ! In today's Post I have some beautiful stamps depicting wildlife . Here is the first stamp to be issued by Switzerland in March 2009 marking the centenary of the Pro Natura, conservation organization. The other set shown below is from Norway issued on wildlife.These stamps picture deer, reindeer and a beautiful grouse.One more magnificeent Miniature sheet issued by Ukraine on Crimean Nature Reserve. The animals always attract children and the children love to visit zoo. Here are some beautiful innocent creatures of Nature on these stamps. These stamps will be very much liked by the lovers of Nature and wildlife stamp collectors ! In the second part a Se-tenant FDC from the collection of our distinguished member Mr. Shrikant Parikh of Ahmedabad. This is all for today !....Till Next Post......Have a nice Time !...

Ukraine - Crimean Nature Reserve
Date of Issue 18 June 2008

Wildlife of Norway
Date of Issue - 2 January 2009

Roe deer are the smallest of Norway’s deer. They can be found in any county south of Troms. In the 19th century roe deer were still rare in Scandinavia. However, their survival was ensured by a far-sighted protection agreement between some Swedish estate owners in Skåne. The deer reproduced well and grew in number. They came to Norway around 1900, spreading quickly here as they had in Sweden. They were protected by law until 1927. Only part of the ex- pansion was due to the roe deer’s own ability to spread. In many cases, they were introduced into the area. A rough estimate puts the wintering population at between 30,000 and 100,000 deer and the autumn stock at as many as 150,000. Roe deer normally live to an age of 12-14.

In Norway wild reindeer are often seen as the very symbol of the mountains. In the summer they live an enviable life in freedom, but have a tough time surviving the rigours of the winter. By wild reindeer, we generally mean mountain reindeer. Norway also has, for example, woodland reindeer and Svalbard reindeer. Wild reindeer occur in the south of Norway, on the east and west sides of the mountain ranges, and on Svalbard. Reindeer have adapted to the hard conditions of this northern climate. They have large hooves, which act like snow shoes and also enable them to dig through the snow to find food. Their thick coats provide them with sufficient insulation to withstand temperatures down to 40ºC below freezing, without having to raise their metabolism. Reindeer have also developed a gut flora that helps them to digest and derive nutrition from lichens, which are the easiest food for them to find. The reindeer population on the mainland of Norway numbers about 30,000 and on Svalbard about 10,000. Reindeer have a lifespan of up to 18 years.

Grouse are found in mountain areas all over Norway and at all times of the year. The grouse on the stamp is a willow grouse. The cock of the species changes its plumage with the season. Its mating plumage in the spring is the most magni-ficent. The snowy white feathers on its head and neck have then been replaced by new dark feathers. At the end of April, it is still white, but its head and neck are a glossy chestnut brown and brownish black. During the early summer the white feathers on its back molt to reveal mottled brown feathers. Around the beginning of August a darker plumage with elements of reddish brown appears on the cock’s neck and breast. In September the first winter feathers return and by the end of October, it is back to its winter-white plumage. The hen follows much the same pattern, but has no special spring plumage. The grouse’s change of plumage is regulated by the number of daylight hours. If the snow is late, the grouse faces the risk of being exposed rather than camouflaged by its winter plumage.
Courtesy - Norway Post

A Journey to Indian Stamps - FDCs of Se-tenant stamps

From collection of Shrikant Parikh

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy - 27 November 2008

Festival of Stamps in Ahmedabad

The Economic Times - 23 January 2009

Stamps honour Great Poets

Edgar Allan Poe

Hi ! Today's post is related with literary personalities. Here are the recent issues by Royal Mail and US Postal Service which portray the renowned poets of all time Edgar Allan Poe and Robert Burns. These beautiful stamps will certainly enrich the collection of those, collecting on famous personalities. In second part of the Post, stamps on Braille Inscriptions compiled by our distinguished member Mr. Abhai Mishra of Dehradun. Some recent news about forthcoming exhibition and stamp festival . This is all for the day !......Till Next Post .....Have a Great Time !.....

Stamp honors Edgar Allan Poe
Poet and master of terror Edgar Allen Poe is being honored on a new commemorative postage stamp by US Postal Service. It's ironic that Poe was loved by so many so long after his death when he faced loneliness, poverty and despair throughout much of his life.

Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American poet, short-story writer, editor and literary critic, and is considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction.He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.

He was born as Edgar Poe in Boston, Massachusetts; his parents died when he was young. Poe was taken in by John and Frances Allan, of Richmond, Virginia, but they never formally adopted him. After spending a short period at the University of Virginia and briefly attempting a military career, Poe parted ways with the Allans. Poe's publishing career began humbly, with an anonymous collection of poems, Tamerlane and Other Poems(1827), credited only to "a Bostonian".

Poe switched his focus to prose and spent the next several years working for literary journals and periodicals, becoming known for his own style of literary criticism. His work forced him to move between several cities, including Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City. In Baltimore in 1835, he married Virginia Clemm, his 13-year-old cousin. In January 1845, Poe published his poem "The Raven" to instant success. He began planning to produce his own journal, The Penn (later renamed The Stylus, though he died before it could be produced. On October 7, 1849, at age 40, Poe died in Baltimore; the cause of his death is unknown.

Poe and his works influenced literature in the United States and around the world, as well as in specialized fields, such as cosmology and cryptography. Poe and his work appear throughout popular culture in literature, music, films, and television. A number of his homes are dedicated museums today.

First Day Cover

Robert Burns
Robert Burns, one of the world's greatest poets, and Scotland's national bard, was born 250 years ago into a farming family at Alloway in Ayrshire in 1759Despite his early death aged 37,

Burns had already secured a place in history and to celebrate the 250th anniversary of his birth, Royal Mail has issued two new Special Stamps on 22 January 2009 in a Miniature Sheet to coincide with the annual Burn's Night celebrations that mark his genius, held not just in Scotland, but globally from South Africa to Canada.

Worldwide Stamps issued with Braille Inscriptions

compiled by Abhai Mishra, Dehradun

1992 Finland. Red Cross stamps with braille: Finnish Vocational Training Centre for the Blind

1993 Great Britain. Definitive 10 Pound-note, with the denomination "10" printed in Braille

1996 Taiwan. Braille typing on computer

1998 South Korea

Club News

30 January is being observed as ‘Martyr’s Day’.

Chandigarh Philatelic Club is organising an Exhibition of Stamps and Philatelic items on this theme, to pay homage to Martyrs.

Venue: Philatelic Bureau, GPO (2nd Floor) Sector 17, Chandigarh.
Dates: 30 and 31 January 2009.
Time: 10.00 AM to 5.00 PM On both days.

Our member Col Suresh Bagga will be displaying his collection ‘BRAVE-HEARTS’ – Indian Armed Forces in the exhibition.

Happy Republic Day !

This is of our 60th Republic Day!

Freedom is not only a Right but a Feeling!

Let's be proud to feel the Freedom!

Let's say loud we are INDIANS!!!

Let all of us get to-gether & Celebrate Our Republic Day!

Philatelic Salute to the Heroes of the Nation !

Republic Day of India

26 January 2009

Greetings on Republic Day

26th January 1950 is one of the most important days in Indian history as it was on this day the constitution of India came into force and India became a truly sovereign state. In this day India became a totally republican unit. The country finally realized the dream of Mahatma Gandhi and the numerous freedom fighters who, fought for and sacrificed their lives for the Independence of their country. So, the 26th of January was decreed a national holiday and has been recognized and celebrated as the Republic Day of India, ever since.

Today, the Republic Day is celebrated with much enthusiasm all over the country and especially in the capital, New Delhi where the celebrations start with the Presidential to the nation. The beginning of the occasion is always a solemn reminder of the sacrifice of the martyrs who died for the country in the freedom movement and the succeeding wars for the defense of sovereignty of their country. Then, the President comes forward to award the medals of bravery to the people from the armed forces for their exceptional courage in the field and also the civilians, who have distinguished themselves by their different acts of valour in different situations.

To mark the importance of this occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, from the Rajghat, along the Vijaypath. The different regiments of the army, the Navy and the Air force march past in all their finery and official decorations even the horses of the cavalry are attractively caparisoned to suit the occasion. The crème of N.C.C cadets, selected from all over the country consider it an honour to participate in this event, as do the school children from various schools in the capital. They spend many days preparing for the event and no expense is spared to see that every detail is taken care of, from their practice for the drills, the essential props and their uniforms.

The parade is followed by a pageant of spectacular displays from the different states of the country. These moving exhibits depict scenes of activities of people in those states and the music and songs of that particular state accompany each display. Each display brings out the diversity and richness of the culture of India and the whole show lends a festive air to the occasion. The parade and the ensuing pageantry is telecast by the National Television and is watched by millions of viewers in every corner of the country.

The patriotic fervor of the people on this day brings the whole country together even in her essential diversity. Every part of the country is represented in occasion, which makes the Republic Day the most popular of all the national holidays of India.