New stamps from France…

 

 Date of Issue : 9 September 2011

The French Post has launched a stamp on 9 September, commemorating the foundation of the Council of Europe.The Council of Europe, created on May 5, 1949, is a political organization that seeks to promote democracy, human rights and the rule-of-law State. Its headquarters are in Strasbourg, and today the Council of Europe numbers 800 million citizens in 47 member states.

G20-G8

Date of Issue : 11 July 2011

On 11 July French Post issued a stamp   commemorating its Presidency in the G20 . The G20 represents 85% of the global economy and two thirds of the world population. It is composed of South Africa, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, South Korea, the United States, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Russia, Turkey and finally the European Union. Its principle is based on a system of annual rotating presidency, and France has the honor to assume this responsibility in 2011.

World Judo Championship

Date of Issue : 5 July 2011

The World Judo Championships was held from 24 to 28 August 2011 at Bercy, Paris. The French Post has joined this event by issuing a semi panoramic stamp illustrating three different takes of the discipline and the Japanese ideogram meaning "the gentle way".

Judo is, nowadays, one of the most popular sporting activities in France. Martial art and combat sport of Japanese origin consist mainly of projection techniques, self-control, throttling, dislocation and immobilization.

Indian theme on foreign stamps

- Kenneth Sequeira

Unique Honour for Dr.Prakash and Dr.Mandakini Amte – Postage Stamp by Kingdom of Monaco

Son of Baba Amte, Dr. Prakash Amte and his wife Dr. Mandakini run a school and a hospital at Hemalkasa village in the underprivileged district of Gadchiroli in Maharashtra where people belonging to the "Madia Gond" tribe live. After marrying Prakash, Mandakini left her governmental medical job and moved to Hemalkasa to eventually start a hospital, a school, and an orphanage for injured wild animals, including a lion and some leopards. Their two sons, Digant, a doctor, and Aniket, an engineer, have also dedicated their lives to the same causes as their parents. In 2008, Prakash and Mandakini were given the Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership.

Baba Amte's elder son Vikas and his wife Bharati run a hospital at Anandwan and coordinate operations between Anandwan and satellite projects.

In those days, leprosy was associated with social stigma and the society disowned people suffering from leprosy. There was also a widespread misbelief that leprosy was contagious. Amte strove to dispel the misbelief and once allowed bacilli from a leprosy patient to be injected into him while participating in an experimental test aimed at proving that leprosy was not contagious.

Today, Anandwan and Hemalkasa village have one hospital, each. Anandwan has a university, an orphanage, and schools for the blind and the deaf. Currently, the self-sufficient Anandwan ashram has over 5,000 residents. The community development project at Anandwan in Maharashtra is recognized around the world. Besides Anandwan, Amte later founded "Somnath" and "Ashokwan" ashrams for treating leprosy patients.

A French couple, Greet and Guy Barthelemy , who had worked with the Nobel Peace prize winner, Dr.Albert Schweitzer in the jungles of Africa, happened to visit Anandwan and Hemalkasa in 1993. They were so deeply impressed by the work of Dr.Prakash and Mandakini Amte, that they christened them as the Schweitzer couple of India.

After returning to France, they followed up the matter with the Kingdom of Monaco and persuaded them to bring out a stamp  in the honour of Dr.Prakash and Manda, just as it had brought out the stamp in 1955 to honour Dr.Albert Schweitzer. The Principality of Monaco, acceded to their request and did bring out a postage stamp in honour of the life and work of Dr.Prakash and Mandakini in 1995  - just as they had done for Dr.Albert Schweitzer in 1955. This was only the second time that the kingdom of Monaco brought out a stamp to honour a foreigner for its humanitarian work. 

- Kenneth Sequeira, Dubai - United Arab Emirates