Marco Simoncelli - Great Motorbike Racer

30th anniversary of the birth of Marco Simoncelli

Date of Issue : 7 March 2017

San Marino Post will issue a commemorative stamp featuring great motorbike racer Marco Simoncelli on 7th March 2017.He is a hero for all  bike lovers. Marco Simoncelli would have turned 30 on the 20th January 2017. Fate precluded him this milestone in his life on the 23rd October 2011 in Sepang, Malesia. After five years his memory lives on in the hearts and minds of many fans. San Marino, State near to his town Coriano and to the Romagna motorvalley, dedicated to Marco a philatelic set made up of a value of €2.00 with his nice portrait, while the strip on the left of the sheet shows the rider doing a wheelie on his motobike in Brno and his racing number “58”.

Marco Simoncelli was an Italian professional motorcycle racer. He competed in the MotoGP World Championship for 10 years from 2002 to 2011. He started in the 125cc class before moving up to the 250cc class in 2006. He won the 250cc World Championship with Gilera in 2008. After four years in the intermediate class, he stepped up to the MotoGP class with the Honda Gresini Team. Simoncelli died in an accident during the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang on 23 October 2011 after being run over following his own fall on track.

Huelva - Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2017

Date of Issue : 20 January 2017

Here is a beautiful stamp issued by Spanish Post featuring famous Spanish Cuisine. As in previous years, a province of Spain has been chosen as the Spanish Capital of Gastronomy during 2017. This year, Huelva has been selected.

For the first time a coastal province has been chosen. The jury has recognized the cuisine of the sea, all those products that every morning arrive in boats to the market where they are selected to become exquisite dishes.

It is worth to mention about white shrimp, coquinas and puntillitas, or cuttlefish, a select ingredient to prepare dishes such as meatballs.But Huelva is not only sea, also, its products of interior like the ham of Jabugo, the slaughterings of the Mountain range of Aracena; Also the famous strawberries known in the whole world.

The vegetable garden offers us typical dishes like chickpeas with spinach, beans "enzapatás" or the game dishes and mushrooms of the area as the gurumelos. But not everything is to eat, Huelva also has wines worthy of mention as the Orange Wine of the County of Huelva that owns the Denomination of Origin.

The pastries also give  irresistible recipes such as chestnut stew, "pulleys" or snowy eggs.

The stamp includes the image of the logo of Huelva Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2017, which forms a fan with some of the typical products of the place: choco, ham, strawberries, prawns and wine. On a white background, these products take all the protagonism on a trace of black ink, sepia, that always gives a touch of elegance to the dishes.

GOPEX - 2017 , Gorakhpur

Gopex-2017, a district level philatelic exhibition was  inaugurated on 25 February 2017  at Meghdoot Parisar, Head Post Office, Gorakhpur. PMG Sanjay Singh, Shri.Dinesh Sharma Member Jury, Sri.D.B.Tripathi, SSP,Gorakhpur and Dr. Rungata released a Special cover on Pt Ram Prasad Bismil.

-Sandeep Chaurasia
Gorakhpur

Ashwani Dubey exhibited his collection "World Scout Movement"   in Invitee section, receiving Momento .

  Shri OP Verma, Dinesh Sharma (Jury Members) and Ashwani Dubey

Mr Sandeep Chaurasia won  Gold Medal and Best Exhibit Award  for his exhibit Human,Health & Diseases. Sri.Sanjay Singh,PMG,Sri.B.D.Tripathi,SSP,Sri.Dinesh Sharma Member Jury,Sri.O.P.Verma Member Jury & Sri. Rameshchandra Prajapati Incharge, Philately Bureau ,Lucknow distributed the awards.

Arpit Chauraia won the best exhibit award in Junior category

New Stamps from India...Ladybird Beetle

Ladybird Beetle

Date of Issue : 23 February 2017

 Image source - Stamps of India



India Post released a set of four stamps and a Miniature sheet featuring Ladybird Beetles on 23 rd February 2017.

200th anniversary of the bicycle

Date of Issue : 23 February 2017

Here is a beautiful set of stamps and sheetlet issued by Swiss Post today commemorating  200 years of Bicycle. The sheetlet is quite unique in the shape of a bicycle.

Bicycles are very popular in Switzerland, a haven for cyclists. German inventor Karl Drais from Baden must have caused quite a sensation on 12 June 1817 as he rode through Mannheim on his self-constructed “running machine” at around three times the speed of walking.

Patented under the name “draisine”, this new means of transport was soon forgotten, but not the idea behind it: The invention of pedals in 1866 soon led to the development of the high wheel or penny-farthing, which proved quite dangerous and was immediately banned in many places. It wasn’t until the introduction of the rear wheel chain drive in the 1880s that the modern bicycle took off.

Today the bicycle is seen as an efficient and highly ecological means of transport that enhances the quality of life. It doesn’t create exhaust or noise emissions and only takes up a few square metres of parking space. Swiss Post is also very much pro bicycles on account of their good sustainability qualities. The company encourages its employees to cycle to work and provides e-bikes free of charge. Consciously printed in black-and-white, the two special stamps both show the draisine and a modern bicycle. One stamp has the former in the foreground, the other the latter.

My Recent Covers..

Greetings from Finland

Thanks Kristina for the lovely Greetings and this wonderful pre-stamped postcard. !! Wishing you all the best . Have a wonderful year ahead. I always wait for your email / postal address. So that I can personally thank you but you never mention your address on your letters, Please let me know your postal address.

Cover from Chauri Chaura, Uttar Pradesh

Thanks to Ashwani Dubey for this registered cover from Chauri Chaura.

Chinese Horoscope - The Year of the Rooster

Date of Issue : 27 January 2017

The Slovenia Post issued a commemorative stamp "Chinese Horoscope - The Year of the Rooster "  on 27 January 2017.

The character for the rooster is found even in the earliest forms of Chinese writing – in inscriptions on turtle shells dating from between the fourteenth and eleventh centuries BC. Because the rooster has been present in Chinese culture for millennia, numerous meanings are associated with it.

As the daily herald of the dawn, the rooster is associated with accuracy, reliability, conscientiousness, infallibility and perseverance. With the dawn the rooster brings light, driving away demons and evil spirits. From as early as the third century, roosters were depicted in the paintings that were hung on the doors of houses at New Year. The rooster is traditionally shown in an upright position with an insect in its beak.

The rooster has been associated with cockfighting since before the second century BC, as shown by ancient written sources and works of art. Members of the higher social classes were the most enthusiastic followers of cockfights. The practice later spread into army circles, in order to awaken the soldiers' combative instincts and increase their desire to fight.

The combative spirit of fighting cocks was celebrated by poets and painters. One very famous line tells how despite the dark wind and rain, the cock tirelessly crows – symbolising the upright posture of the noble spirit that continues to fight for ideals despite living through dark times. In 1937 the same line was used to symbolise the resistance to the Japanese occupying forces during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

The rooster has also found its place in the Chinese horoscope, where it represents the tenth of the twelfth animals of the zodiac. From the point of view of the Chinese horoscope, people born in the Year of the Rooster are said to be courageous, confident, active, persevering,open and honest.

Source : WOPA

100th Birth Anniversary of John F. Kennedy

Date of Issue : 21 February 2017

US Postal Service will issue a  new stamp marking the 100th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s birth on Feb. 21.

Kennedy remains a captivating and charismatic personality — one who appealed to America's higher ideals and inspired young Americans to engage in public service.

He was inaugurated in 1961 at age 43, the youngest person elected president and the first Catholic to serve in the role.

During his presidency, Kennedy launched the Peace Corps to aid developing nations and set the United States on the path toward its historic moon landing in 1969.

He also led the nation through the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, a conflict that could have escalated into a major war.

Kennedy’s other achievements include helping to lead the efforts to end racial segregation, including submitting a bill that eventually was passed as the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964.

PMG Megan J. Brennan will dedicate the new stamp Feb. 20 during a Presidents Day event at the Kennedy Library in Boston.

Source : USPS

The celebration of love.....

Date of Issue : 3 February 2017

Here is a beautiful stamp issued by Croatia Post for Valentine's Day depicting the real meaning of love.

The celebration of love, not just infatuation!!!

The famous Plato once wrote: 'At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.' Love is probably the topic on which verses and lofty words were written more than on any other topic. As an inexhaustible source of inspiration, love has moved the world from ancient times until today, so it is not surprising it is the only emotion which deserved to have - its own day!

At the present time, when Valentine's Day has become too commercialized and when the amount of gifts we send to one another is being measured, it is worth recalling the legend of how this holiday was actually created and what is its deep meaning.

There is a legend that says that in the 3rd century, in the era of the ancient Roman Empire, a wise and virtuous priest named Valentine lived in Rome. At the time Emperor Claudius forbade Roman soldiers to get married, believing that their family would be a distraction at the battlefield, but Valentine had disobeyed his command and secretly wedded many couples, risking his life. At the end, because of his protection of love (and lovers) he was caught and executed on the day of February 14th. Later on Valentine was canonized, and February 14th  was declared as the day of Saint Valentine, and the day of lovers. This version of the legend of Valentine is most widespread, but there is a legend that says that Valentine worked in his garden when he didn't serve Mass. One day a girl asked him to give her a rose for a sick friend. After a few days she had come back and told him that the boy was overjoyed with the given rose and asked him for another. Then Valentine decided to visit the poor, the sick and the lonely, and make them happy by giving them roses and other small things. It is believed that exactly because of his kindness to others he was later canonized.

Perhaps more than ever, in these days when most feelings, even love as the most sublime of all, are measured by material things, it is worth to think about the sacrifice of St. Valentine and ask what is a true love is and why we should celebrate it every day,  and not just one day a  year. Therefore, celebrating Valentine's Day we should really celebrate love – for the person we are in love with, but also for our parents, children, dear friends and everyone we carry deep in our heart !

New stamps from India

Headgears of India

Date of Issue : 10 February 2017

India Post issued a set of 16 special stamps in the denomination of Rs 10 each and a Miniature Sheet featuring the Headgears of India  on February 10, 2017

The Poona Horse

Date of Issue : 11 February 2017

India Post issued a stamp on  'Poona Horse Regiment of Indian Army' on 11 February 2017.

Ramjas College

Date of Issue : 13 February 2017

India Post issued a postage stamp to commemorate the centenary of Ramjas College, in the denomination of Rs 5, on February 13, 2017 .

Greetings on Valentine's Day

Love safely kept in a box.....

Date of Issue : 27 January 2017

14th February is celebrated as Valentine's Day all over the world. Slovenia Post issued a beautiful stamp to commemorate this very special day .

Over the centuries people in Slovenia have traditionally used at least three different types of chest. Large ones were used to store clothes and various valuable items. The most numerous kind were those used to store grain, and also dried fruit or beans. The third type consists of small chests, frequently also mere boxes or caskets, made of wood and other materials, that people used to store little items of value, gifts, letters and photographs.

These small chests are still widely used today. People use them to store special gifts that often represent the tangible manifestation of a romantic relationship, or even simply the memory of a love story. A first love letter, a chain, a ring, a pendant... All these items find a home in a vast variety of little boxes and caskets, where they represent, for their owners, the most intimate ties to specific individuals, memories of a special person, events, encounters, special days, personal celebrations or important milestones in their life. Such chests or boxes are often carefully stored and, together with the items they contain, afford us a genuine experience of memories of people, events and expressions of love.

Special Cover on Jainism theme

Anniversary of Jain religious institution Roop Rajat Vihar

Photo courtesy- KK Yadav

On the occasion of anniversary of Jain religious institution Roop Rajat Vihar, a special cover was released on 11th February 2017 at Marwar Junction (Rajasthan) in the holy presence of Pujya Roop Chand Ji Maharaj Sa. Shri Krishna Kumar Yadav Director Postal Services Jodhpur,  Srinivas Bidri, Income Tax Commissioner Surat, Shri Kesaram Chaudhary MLA were guests of the release function of special cover and special cancellation. Jainism Philately Group member Shri Mahaveer Kundur Hubli was instrumental in release of this special cover. 

- Sudhir Jain, Satna 

Permanent My Stamp counter inaugurated at Satna Head Post Office 

Mr. Sudhir Jain, Governing Council member Philatelic Congress of India inaugurated permanent My Stamp counter at Satna Head Post Office on 11th February 2017. Mr. A. K. Jain,  Superintendent Post Offices, Rewa Division presided the function. Large number of Philatelists and citizens attended the function.

New pictorial postmark on wildlife from Germany

New postmark, stationery(postcard),personalized stamp and four Special Cards on bird from Germany

On March 25th 2017  a pictorial postmark will be available  in 98617 NEUBRUNN.

In addition  one stationery(postcard),one personalized stamp and four Special covers will be available during a philatelic exhibition in Neubrunn on same day.

All philatelic items are featuring the Tawny Owl (Strix  aluco). It´s the bird of the year 2017 in Germany.

Neubrunn is located in the rural region  Rhön in Germany.

- Wolfgang Beyer,Vice Chairman of the German Philatelic Collector Group ArGe Zoologie &

Matthias Reichel, Chairman of the German Philatelic Collector Group Meiningen.

World Day of the Sick

Date of Issue : 11 February 2017

February 11 is World Day of the Sick, an observation started by Pope John Paul II as a way for believers to offer prayers for those suffering from illnesses. Polish Post  will issue a commemorative stamp on 11th February to mark this special day.

Pope John Paul II initiated the day in 1992 to encourage people to pray for those who suffer from illness and for their caregivers. The Pope himself had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s a year before, in 1991, and it is considered that his own illness was impetus for his designation of the day.

World Day of the Sick was first observed on February 11, 1993. February 11 is also the Catholic Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, which a name is given to the Virgin Mary in honor of the apparitions that were said to have been seen in and around Lourdes, France, by a young girl called Bernadette Soubirous. The Church canonized Bernadette as a saint several years later.

Autobiography of a Autograph Collector....

Tributes to Shri Vijay Deshpande

I am sorry to inform the Readers of Rainbow Stamp Club that Shri Vijay Deshpande, a renowned autograph collector from Mumbai passed away on 28th January 2017. He was a  regular contributor to Rainbow . He had contributed some wonderful posts related to stamps and autographs to the Rainbow Stamp Club. Our deepest condolences to all his family members.. May his soul rest in peace. Here is a glimpse of  his autograph collection. His big collection of  autographs could be in Autograph ebook by Vijay Deshpande which is available at following link :

 http://www.esahity.com/uploads/5/0/1/2/501218/swaksharankit_vijay_deshpande.pdf

Courtesy- Ulhas Chogle : email : ullhaschogle@rediffmail.com