Stamps on Charles Darwin.....

India - 18 May 1983

Hi ! This year, the 200th Birth Anniversary of greatest naturalist of all time, Charles Darwin is being celebrated. The new postage stamps have been brought out by various postal administrations to celebrate his Bicentenary. I have written about them in my previous posts. Here are stamps which were issued in past to commemorate Charles Darwin. The first stamp shown above was issued by India to commemorate his Death Centenary and the other one shown below issued by Great Britain on Darwin's Theory depicting fossil related with his theory. I have come across one more issue by Cayman Island on Biodiversity which is not on Charles darwin but its name 'Darwin's Initiative" is associated with Darwin. Well, I am pleased to collect information on stamps issued on with Charles Darwin or the stamps, somehow associated with the name of Charles Darwin. The name Charles Darwin is very familiar to those who have studied biology or are associated with Science. As I get information I would share with you. This is all for this Morning ....Till Next Post....Have a Nice Time !

GB - Darwin's Theory

Biodiversity issue associated with Darwin's name

The Cayman Islands Postal Service issued a set of stamps featuring the Cayman Islands’ biodiversity. Titled, ‘Darwin Initiative’on 9 July, 2008.This issue is a collaboration between the Postal Service and the Department of Environment and it introduces some of Cayman’s indigenous creatures. The Darwin Initiative is funded and administered by the United Kingdom Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It provides small financial grants to promote the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of resources around the world.A distinguishing feature of this stamp issue is the inclusion of habitats. While they are not on the stamps themselves, they comprise an important part of the issue since habitats are essential for the species to survive.

Stampmania - 2009, Vadodara ....

Stampmania 2009 - First National One Frame Philatelic Exhibition

The First National One Frame Philatelic Exhibition "Stampmania2009" is going to be organized by Baroda Philatelic Society from 18th to 20th December 2009 at Vadodara. The venue of the exhibition has been selected. It will be held at Shree Saurashtra Leuva Patel Seva Samaj, Alembic Road, Vadodara. Approximately 400 frames (200 x 2 ) will be dispalyed in the exhibition. The official website of the exhibition www.stampmania2009.com has already been launched. Collectors can get detailed information at the website or may write to Mr. Prashant Pandya or Mr. Timir R. Shah on following E-Mail id.

New URL of Baroda Philatelic Society's website is www.vadophil.org

New email id of Baroda Philatelic Society are as follows:

Prashant Pandya: info@vadophil.org

Timir R. Shah: admin@vadophil.org

National Science Day...

Dr. C.V. Raman

Date of Issue -12 November 1971

28 February is celebrated in India as Natioanl Science Day. Scores of research institutions in the country celebrate ‘Science Day’ on February 28 to commemorate the Nobel Prize won by eminent scientist Dr C V Raman . This day is celebrated to raise a toast to the cutting-edge work done in the field of science, it is also meant to create curiosity in young minds. Besides being a day when young minds get to see novel scientific achievements, the Science Day has become synonymous with showcasing the country’s prowess in the field. It is a special day in Schools, Colleges and Scientific Institutions of the country to pay tributes to great scientist of India Dr.C.V. Raman. This Post is dedicated to all the persons associated with the field of science and a Philatelic tribute to Great Physicist of India - Dr. C. V. Raman.

National Science day is celebrated every year on 28th Feb. - the day when Raman’s effect was invented by Prof C.V.Raman at Indian Institute of Science (IISC), Banglore.

DR. C.V. Raman
Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman,(7 November 1888 – 21 November 1970) was an Indian physicist and Nobel laureate in physics recognised for his work on the molecular scattering of light and for the discovery of the Raman effect, which is named after him.

Chandrashekhara Venkata Raman was born to a Hindu Brahmin family in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu. . His father was a lecturer in mathematics and physics, so he grew up in an academic atmosphere. His nephew Subramanyan Chandrasekhar also won the Nobel Prize in Physics, in 1983. Raman entered Presidency College, Madras, in 1902, and in 1904 gained his B.Sc., winning the first place and the gold medal in physics. In 1907 he gained his M.Sc., obtaining the highest distinctions. He joined the Indian Finance Department as an Assistant Accountant General in Calcutta. In 1917 Raman resigned from his government service and took up the newly created Palit Professorship in Physics at the University of Calcutta.

On February 28, 1928, through his experiments on the scattering of light, he discovered the Raman effect. It was instantly clear that this discovery was an important one. He won the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his work on the scattering of light and for the discovery of the effect named after him". He was the first Asian and first non-White to get any Nobel Prize in Science. Before him Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore had received the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Raman also worked on the acousticsof musical instruments. He worked out the theory of transverse vibration of bowed strings, on the basis of superposition velocities. He was also the first to investigate the harmonic nature of the sound of the Indian drums such as the tabla and the mridangam.

In 1934 Raman became the director of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, where two years later he continued as a professor of physics. Raman retired from the Indian Institute of Science in 1948 and a year later he established the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore Karnataka, serving as its director and remained active there until his death in 1970, in Bangalore, at the age of 82.

Honours and awards

Raman was honoured with a large number of honorary doctorates and memberships of scientific societies. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society early in his career (1924) and knighted in 1929. In 1930 he won the Nobel Prize in Physics. In 1954 he was awarded the Bharat Ratna. He was also awarded the Lenin Peace Prize in 1957.

Note - There is controversy where Raman's Effect was invented, in Calcutta or Bangalore ?? Please go through following links...

http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_ARTICLEMAIN&node_id=924&content_id=WPCP_007605&use_sec=true&sec_url_var=region1

http://preview.interlockingmedia.com/acslandmarks/landmarks/raman/desig.html

http://www.dailynews365.com/national-news/today-is-the-national-science-day/

Saint Patrick's Day .....

Hi ! Here is a nice stamp issued by An Post (Ireland) on 19 Februray to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day. St. Patrick Day is celebrated as a National Holiday in Ireland . St. Patrick is the Patron saint of Ireland. People send greetings to their friends and relatives on this special day.The 82 c stamp is based on a painting entitled St. Patrick Climbs Croagh Patrick by Margaret Clarke . This is a nice stamp related with the tradition and life style of Ireland.This is all for this Morning ! .....Till next Post....Have a Nice Time !

Date of Issue - 19 February 2009

The FDC shows Pilgrims Way, Croagh Patrick. Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, remains something of an enigma. Records suggest that Irish raiders kidnapped the youthful Saint Patrick from somewhere in western England, around AD 400. Forced to herd sheep for his captors, he turned to God for solace during the worst of his hardships. Eventually he managed to escape and returned to England.He later returned to Ireland determined to spread the Christian gospel to his former captors. Legend has it that he used a three-leaved plant - the shamrock, to explain the Holy Trinity. The shamrock is now the national symbol of Ireland.

Pioneer of Civil Rights - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King - Human Rights Icon

India - Date of issue - 25 January 1969

Hi ! In the morning Post I wrote about new stamps of US, commemorating 'Pioneers of Civil Rights'. When talking about Civil Rights the name of Martin Luther King is referenced as 'Human Rights Icon'. I am giving here some stamps issued on Martin Luther King, one of the greatest men of all time who did pioneering work for civil rights. India also issued a commemorative stamp on 25 January 1969 to honour this world personality. Today's Post is dedicated to all those men and women who fought for Civil Rights and brought a change in the society. This is all for this evening !.....Till Next Post...Have a Great Time !

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement. His main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States and he is frequently referenced as a human rights icon today.

Martin Luther King, Jr., was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the son of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King . King's father was born "Michael King", and Martin Luther King, Jr., was originally named "Michael King, Jr.", until the family traveled to Europe in 1934 and visited Germany. His father soon changed both of their names to Martin in honor of the German Protestant leader Martin Luther.Martin Luther attended segregated public schools in Georgia, graduating from high school at the age of fifteen; he received the B. A. degree in 1948 from Morehouse College, a distinguished Negro institution of Atlanta . After three years of theological study at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania where he was elected president of a predominantly white senior class, he was awarded the B.D. in 1951. With a fellowship won at Crozer, he enrolled in graduate studies at Boston University, completing his residence for the doctorate in 1953 and receiving the degree in 1955.

A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president.

King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. There, he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history.

In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means.When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement. By the time of his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and opposing the Vietnam War, both from a religious perspective.He was awarded five honorary degrees; was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963; and became not only the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure.

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city, he was assassinated.. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. national holiday in 1986 .

Great Personalties - Civil Rights Pioneers

Hi ! In today's Post here are the recent stamps on great pesoalities of yesteryears. Recently US Postal Service issued 6 postage stamps & a Miiature sheet o 21 February 2009 commemorating 12 civil rights pioneers . The stamps honor the achievements of Ella Baker, Daisy Gatson Bates, J.R. Clifford, Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer, Charles Hamilton Houston, Ruby Hurley, Mary White Ovington, Joel Elias Spingarn, Mary Church Terrell, Oswald Garrison Villard and Walter White. These nice stamps depicting great persoalities are philatelic tributes to all the persoalities who did pioneering work for humaity. This is all for Today !......Till Next Post....Have a Nice Time !....

Mary Church Terrell (1863-1954)
Throughout her long life as a writer, activist, and lecturer, she was a powerful advocate for racial justice and women’s rights in America and abroad. The portrait of Mary Church Terrell, from the collection of the Library of Congress, was made between 1880 and 1900.

Mary White Ovington (1865-1951)
This journalist and social worker believed passionately in racial equality and was a founder of the NAACP. The photograph of Mary White Ovington was taken between 1930 and 1940. It is part of the NAACP archival collection at the Library of Congress.

J.R. Clifford (1848-1933)

Clifford was the first black attorney licensed in West Virginia. In two landmark cases before his state’s Supreme Court, he attacked racial discrimination in education. The image of J.R. Clifford is a detail from an undated photograph from the University of Massachusetts Library Special Collections.

Joel Elias Spingarn (1875-1939)
Because coverage of blacks in the media tended to be negative, he endowed the prestigious Spingarn Medal, awarded annually since 1915, to highlight black achievement. The portrait of Joel Elias Spingarn is dated in the 1920s and comes from the records of NAACP at the Library of Congress.

Oswald Garrison Villard (1872-1949)
Villard was one of the founders of the NAACP and wrote “The Call” leading to its formation. His undated portrait comes from the records of the NAACP at the Library of Congress.

Daisy Gatson Bates (1914-1999)
Bates mentored nine black students who enrolled at all-white Central High School in Little Rock, AR, in 1957. The students used her home as an organizational hub. The 1957 photograph of Bates is from the New York World-Telegram & Sun Newspaper photographic collection at the Library of Congress.

Charles Hamilton Houston (1895-1950)

This lawyer and educator was a main architect of the civil rights movement. He believed in using laws to better the lives of underprivileged citizens. Houston’s portrait is a Nov. 22, 1939, photograph from the Washington Press obtained from the Library of Congress.

Walter White (1893-1955)
Blue eyes and a fair complexion enabled this leader of the NAACP to make daring undercover investigations. The portrait of Walter White, dated around 1950, is from the records of the NAACP at the Library of Congress.

Medgar Evers (1925-1963)
Evers served with distinction as an official of the NAACP in Mississippi until his assassination in 1963. The photograph of Evers is from the Library of Congress.

Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977)
Hamer was a Mississippi sharecropper who fought for black voting rights and spoke for many when she said, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Her portrait is dated Aug. 24, 1964.

Ella Baker (1903-1986)
Baker’s lifetime of activism made her a skillful organizer. She encouraged women and young people to assume positions of leadership in the civil rights movement. The portrait of Ella Baker is dated between 1943 and 1946 and is from NAACP records at the Library of Congress.

Ruby Hurley (1909-1980)
As a courageous and capable official with the NAACP, she did difficult, dangerous work in the South. Hurley’s image is from a 1963 newspaper photo.

Courtesy - US Postal Service

New Stamps from Canada ..

First Flight in Canada
Recently Canada issued a commemorative stamp featuring Silver Dart, the aircraft that made the first controlled powered flight in Canada and the British Empire on February 23, 1909 to celebrate its 100 years.

New Celebration Stamp
This festive new permanent stamp in the Celebration series features confetti, ribbon and fireworks exploding from an open envelope in a shower of colour. The stamp is a perfect complement to many of life's joyful celebrations, including weddings, anniversaries and graduations.

Club News

Stamp exhibition in Dehradun
A District level Philatelic exhibition will be held in Dehradun on 28 Feb and 01 Mar.2009.Two special covers on Litchi and Mahasu temple (Chakrata) will be released. On same dates , A state flower show will be organized and a special cover on Blue Poppy will be released. A book on "Uttarakhand - A Philatelic Journey" authored Mr. Abhai Mishra and Mr. Rajesh Verma and published by Uttarakhand Postal Circle is also proposed to be released on 28 February.

Famous Museums of the World .....

Central Navy Museum, Russia

Date of Issue : 22 January 2009

Hi ! In today's Post, here are famous museums of the world on stamps. The first one shown here on Russian stamp is The Central Naval Museum . It is one of the oldest museums of Russia and one of the largest naval museums of the world. The stamp was issued on 22 January 2009 to commemorate its 300th anniversary of foundation. The other set is from Demark shown below recently issued to mark the centenary of the old town in Aarhus which is known to have the largest museum collection in Denmark of costumes, household textiles and furniture, clocks and watches. Here are the nice stamps from Russia and Denmark. If you get a chance to visit these countries never miss these important places. So today's post is dedicated to famous tourist spots of the world ! This is all for this Morning ! ......Till Next Post .....Have a Nice Time !....

300th Anniversary of foundation of Central Navy Museum, Russia
The central naval museum is one of the oldest museums of Russia and one of the largest naval museums of the world. It is located in St.-Petersburg. The history of museum dates back to the year of 1709 when under authority of Peter I the Model-chamber, where were stored ship drawings and models, has been based. Originally museum was settled down in building of the Main Admiralty, and in 1939-1941 moved to former Stock exchange building. The central naval museum has four branches: museum on "Aurora" cruiser, museum Kronshtadskaya fortress, memorial complex “Submarine D-2 “Narodovolets”and museum Life Road .

Stamp represents: museum building of Vasilevskiy island spit (it was constructed in 1810-1816 and is an architecture monument); logo of the Central naval museum, Andreevsky flag.

Denmark marks the centenary of the Old Town
Post Danmark has issued four stamps to mark the centenary of the Old Town in Aarhus. Over the years, the Old Town has assembled an impressive collection of approximately one million items, including costumes, household textiles and furniture, and now boasts the largest museum collection in Denmark outside the capital.The museum is also home to the Danish Museum of Clocks and Watches.

New Euro Stamp from Portugal......

On 28 January 2009 Portugal issued stamps on 10th anniversary of the Euro. Recently Aland brought out beautiful binders for the euro collectors.

10th Anniversary of the Euro

Special Euro Binders from Aland

10 years of EURO Currency .

Hi ! Today's Post is on Euro Currency. Euro, the European unique currency, appeared on the world monetary market ten years ago. On the occasion of the celebration of one decade since the euro currency appearance on the international monetary market, Romania and Slovakia issued postage stamps and Miniature sheets on 1 January 2009 commemorating "10 years since the launching of the euro currency". These are very beautiful philatelic items, sure to be liked by philatelists as well as coin collectors. The FDC, Miniature sheet and the individual stamp, all are quite attractive. Here are the nice philatelic items by Slovakia and a round stamp figure from Romania shown below ! This is all for this Morning !.....Till Next Post .......Have a Nice Time !.....

Date of Issue : 1 January 2009

The European Monetary System was created in order to achieve an area of monetary stability inside the European Economic Community. The European Unique Document ascertains the freedoms of motion inside the Union (for persons, capital and also for services and goods) and the Maastricht Treaty represents the legal base of the unique currency.

The actual preparations for the European unique currency accomplishment started in 1994 by introducing ECU (European Currency Unit, the generic name initially used), which represented only one of the phases, the decisive one, that lead to the appearance of the European unique currency. In December 1995, during the European Council reunion in Madrid, the name of the future currency was decided: euro, name which quickly imposed on the market and was assimilated by the Europeans. One of the reasons for this choice was the fact that euro is easy to pronounce in all the languages of the Community, this name having obtained the best results in all the soundings.

Slovakia

Romania

The Euro Symbol (€) is inspired from the Greek letter "epsilon", having as bench-mark the cradle of the European civilization. On graphic level this symbol is close to E letter - the first letter of the key word, Europe - crossed in the middle by two parallel lines.

New Braille Stamps from Cyprus and other Countries...

Date of Issue : 12 March 2009

Here is the latest stamp to be issued by Cyprus on Bicentenary of the birth of Louis Braille. One of the most beautiful stamps on Louis Braille issued so far. The bright red coloured stamp with the picture of Louis Braille and 200 written in bold with Braille Inscriptions. FDC is equally beautiful.

200 YEARS SINCE THE BIRTH OF LOUIS BRAILE


Some more stamps on Louis Braille from other countries

Syria

Aruba

Maldova

Celebrating Wales & ...... also Philately !

Hi Readers ! For the last few days I have been writing regularly for Blog without fail. The reason is obvious, I am a bit unwell and due to small fracture in my foot, my movement is restricted for one month. So I have devoted my all time to philately and tried to write as much as I can. Hope you are enjoying different posts on a variety of subjects. I am always looking for new information that can be useful for every stamp collector. Many readers appreciated links on Braille Stamps and Climate Change Stamps Presentaion (Mentioned in two of my last Posts). While I am going through this period I feel that a hobby like stamp collecting is not just for self satisfaction and entertainment but it also shares some unpleasant moments of your life. I think it would have been so painful for me if I had to spend one month with a plastered foot on bed with a feeling of despair. I don't know how last 15 days had passed working on my laptop and searching new information on net. I have received mail from readers for exchange of philatelic items. I will soon sort out my collection as soon I recover. It's difficult for me to search items and take out scans right now. Coming back to this Post's contents, a new Mininature sheet will be issued by Royal Mail on 26 February depicting four main regions of the United Kingdom. In Club news some photos from 12th Annual "MAHAMRITUNJAY MAHOTSAWA" Varanasi in which the collection of our very distinguished member Dr. Satyendra Kumar Agarwal was also displayed. New Special cover on Scouting designed by our member Mr. Ajay Agarwal of Akola. This is all for Today... Till Next Post..... Have a Nice Time !.....

Celebrating Wales

The Royal Mail is going to celebrate Wales with a Miniature Sheet on 26th February 2009 the fourth in a series which depicts the four main regions of the United Kingdom. The Miniature Sheet comprises of two First Class and two 81p stamps in a border featuring photography of Harlech Castle. The First Class stamps feature the existing Welsh Dragon definitive and a new stamp featuring the welsh national flag, while the long format 81p stamps feature a drawing of St David and a photograph of the Cardiff waterfront featuring the National Assembly for Wales and the Wales Millennium Centre.


Club News

'Glory of Varanasi' on display
On 19 FEB 2009 the Exhibit "Glory of Varanasi" by Dr. Satyendra Kumar Agarwal was center of attraction when displayed in 12th Annual "MAHAMRITUNJAY MAHOTSAWA" (started by Padmvibhushan Kishan Mahraj ji 12 years ago) in "Varanasi Kala Dirgha" aimed to display the glory, art and culture of Varanasi through various forms of art. Three day function also included the Classical night of Shobha Mugdal also. Dr Agarwal was honoured for his collection with a Trophy awarded by Vice Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith University.

Stamp Mania 2009
A One Frame National Philatelic Exhibition is going to be organized in December 2009 at Vadodara by Baroda Philatelic Society. for details visit http://www.stampmania2009.com/ Contact Prashant H Pandya vadophil@indianphilately.net or Timir R. Shah trs_shah@rediffmail.com

Special covers on Scouting
Recently Mini National Bharat Scout & Guide Centenary Jamboree was held at Ahmedabad from 2-7 February 2009. A special cover designed by our distinguished member Mr. Ajay Agarwal of Akola and his wife Mrs Sudha Agarwal was released by Chief Justice of Gujarat, Hon. Shri Javeri to mark the event.Mr. Ajay Agarwal is a noted philatelist of Maharashtra with 16 National & International recognitions to his credit. His themes are “The Scout Movement”, ‘India’s Freedom Struggle’ on Indian Stamps, ‘Health & Medicine’ on Indian Stamps.He is also working on a book 'Scouting Philately in India'. For details about this cover, contact Mr. Ajay Agarwal E-Mail : maharashtramedicals@yahoo.com

Three Indians get this year's Oscar Awards !...

At the 81st Oscars Annual Academy Awards function in Los Angeles today Slumdog Millionaire won eight awards, including three by Indians - A R Rahman, Gulzar and Resul Pookutty. "Smile Pinki", the tale of a Uttar Pradesh (India) girl and her fight against the social stigma of a cleft-lip, won the Oscar award for Best Documentary (Short).Composer AR Rahman has created history by scooping two Oscar awards for Best Original score and Best Original song for Slumdog Millionaire. The award for Best Song 'Jai Ho' was shared by Rahman and renowned lyricist Gulzar.Ressul Pookutty walked away with the golden trophy for Best Sound Mixing. A.R. Rahman is one of the finest composers of India and has been able to carry India's name on the global map and earlier this prestigious award was conferred on noted film director Mr. Satyajit Ray for lifetime achievement and was won by renowned costume desiger Bhanu Athaiya for film Gandhi.The critically acclaimed film 'Slumdog Millionaire' picturised in India with Indian artistes has also won eight Oscars .

ONE - Slumdog Millionaire won the best Motion Picture of the Year.
TWO - Danny Boyle best Film Director.
THREE - A R Rahman and Gulzar for the best Original Song 'Jai Ho'.
FOUR - A R Rahman for the best Original Score.
FIVE - Resul Pookutty for the best Sound Mixing.
SIX - Anthony Dod Mantle for the best Cinematography.
SEVEN - Simon Beaufoy for the best Adapted Screenplay.
EIGHT - Chris Dickens best Film Editing.


"Smile Pinki", the tale of a Uttar Pradesh girl and her fight against the social stigma of a cleft-lip, won the Oscar award for Best Documentary (Short).

This year's award for the best performance by an actor in a leading role went to Sean Penn for the movie MILK. And the award for the best performance by an actress in a leading role was won by Kate Winslet for The Reader.

Here are some philatelic items from my collection issued on Satyajit Ray and Indian Cinema.

Heartiest Congratulations to A R Rehman, Gulzar,Ressul Pookutty and all the Team Members of Slumdog Millionaire !