New Special Cover on Mahatma Gandhi

Rail Carried Mail

Mail Carried by Tram from Byree to Cuttack

Mahatma Gandhi resumed the second phase of Harijan Padyatra from Byree Railway Station in Jajpur district, Odisha. India Post and Utkal Philatelists' & Numismatics, Association  released a special carried cover on 20th March 2019 to commemorate this historical journey. The cover has been designed by Mr. Ajit Kumar Raut. This special cover was carried by Bhadrak-Cuttack passenger train.

- Ajit Kumar Raut - Bhubaneshwar

New Europa 2019 stamps

National Birds

 Sweden

Date of Issue : 9 May 2019

Blackbird

Selected for the national bird of Sweden for the second time. The beautiful  blackbird breeds both in the city, in the countryside and in the woods, and is found throughout the country, with the exception of the mountain range.

Spain

Date of Issue : 23 April 2019

Spain issues a Premium Sheet with six stamps, which has as protagonist the lammergeier. The flight of the bearded vulture over the Pyrenees impresses everyone who has the opportunity to see it.

This bird is adapted to live in the harsh conditions of the high mountain. Its anatomy is unmistakable. It is a large bird that can reach more than 2.80 meters.

Normally it does not emit any sound being a quite silent bird, but during the time of estrus, it produces long and piercing whistles.

Its name is due to the way it has to feed itself. It is the last link in the use of the carrion because it is nourished by bones and tendons thrown from a certain height against the rocks to cut them. The area where this activity is carried out is called "breakwater".

Andorra  ( Spanish Post )

Pit-roig

Date of Issue : 26 April 2019

The European robin, known simply as the robin or robin redbreast in the British Isles, is a small insectivorous passerine bird, specifically a chat, that was formerly classified as a member of the thrush family but is now considered to be an Old World flycatcher.

Austria

Seeadller

Date of Issue : 9 May 2019

The white-tailed eagle is a very large eagle widely distributed across Eurasia. As are all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae which includes other diurnal raptors such as hawks, kites, and harriers.

New Special Covers

 Jain Saint Acharya Shantisagar Maharaj

On the occasion of inauguration of centenary year celebration of Muni Diksha of first Digsmber Jain Acharya of 20th century Prathamacharya Shantisagar Ji Maharaj, a special cover and special cancelation has been released at Humcha (Karnataka) on 20th March 2019. 

A function was organized in the holy presence of Pujya Acharya Vardhmansagar ji Maharaj in which Swasti Shree Devandrakeerthi Bhattarak Swamiji released the cover. Many other Jain Math Bhattarakji, Sri Ashok Patni, Sri Nirmal Kumar Shethi, and Karnataka Chapter Convenor of Jainism Philately Group Mr. Mahaveer Kundur etc. were guest of honor.

- Sudhir Jain, Satna (MP)

Special Cover on Ice Stupa

On March 18, 2019 India Post  released a ‘special stamp cover on Ice Stupa’. The stamp was released by Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Postmaster General during a function organised at the Ice Stupa site at Gangles Village in Leh.

A number of officers and dignitaries from Army and civil administration were present on the occasion.

Over 12 villages in Ladakh have built ice Stupas this year in various villages.

With the technical and material support by the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh ( HIAL) , village youths have enthusiastically participated in building the ice Stupas. 

To keep motivated, this year HIAL has organized a competition among the villages on ice Stupas .

Ramon Magsaysay and Rolex award winner Sonam Wangchuk said simple living in cities only would help and allow the ecology of mountains to just survive. 

Global warming, ecological imbalance have caused irreparable damage oñ Himalayas, thus this awareness through the stamp release has been taken up, he said.

Ice Stupas is not any celebration but survival technique we in SECMOL have developed over a period, Wangchuk said.

Saving Winter water, that flows waste, in a cone shaped stupa which is not melted easily is the main idea behind it , he explains.

This stupa melts slowly  and serves the purpose of drinking and irrigation, he said. 

In each ice Stupa atleast 30-50 lakh ltrs of water is saved. This is apart from the naturally saved water in the slopes of mountains, Sonam Wangchuk said.

Happy Holi !

Happy Holi !

Wishing you all a very Happy and colorful Holi !

2019 Bird of the Year in Belarus

2019 Bird of the year in Belarus 

 Greater spotted eagle

The 21st Congress of the public organization “Ahova ptushak Batskaushchyny” (Protection of Homeland Birds) declared the Greater spotted eagle the bird of the year 2019 in Belarus.

The Greater spotted eagle is one of the rarest birds of prey in Europe, and it is in danger of extinction.

In Belarus the Greater spotted eagle can be found mainly in the territory of the Pripyat Polesie. Outside of this region it is extremely rare. The largest population lives in the area of the Olmanskiye swamps.

The current number of the birds in Belarus is estimated at 150-200 pairs, which is about 15% of the European population of the species.

The Greater spotted eagle is listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus since 1981. 

The project was prepared with the assistance of the public organization “Ahova ptushak Batskaushchyny”.

The stamp contains the logos of the global partnership of conservation organizations "BirdLife International" and the Belarus public organization "Ahova ptushak Batskaushchyny" (APB).

Courtesy - Wolfgang Beyer, Germany; Bel Post

New Stamps on Easter

Easter Eggs from Poland

Date of Issue : 18 March 2019

Here is a beautiful set of stamps to be  issued by Polish Post on 18th March featuring decorative eggs. Eggs are integral part of Easter. Polish Post issues  special and very beautiful stamps on Easter ever year  !

Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs,are decorated eggs that are usually used as gifts on the occasion of Easter. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tradition is to use dyed and painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs wrapped in colored foil, hand-carved wooden eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as chocolate. However, real eggs continue to be used in Central and Eastern European tradition. Although eggs, in general, were a traditional symbol of fertility and rebirth in Christianity, for the celebration of Eastertide.

Easter eggs symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus, from which Jesus resurrected. In addition, one ancient tradition was the staining of Easter eggs with the colour red "in memory of the blood of Christ, shed as at that time of his crucifixion." This custom of the Easter egg can be traced to early Christians of Mesopotamia, and from there it spread into Russia and Siberia through the Orthodox Churches, and later into Europe through the Catholic and Protestant Churches. This Christian use of eggs may have been influenced by practices in "pre-dynastic period in Egypt, as well as amid the early cultures of Mesopotamia and Crete".

Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019

World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 

  March 8 to 22, 2019

Date of Issue : 7 March 2019

Abu Dhabi will host the World Games from March 8 to 22, 2019. The UAE’s capital will stage the most unified Special Olympics World Games in the history of the Special Olympics.Polish Post issued commemorative a stamp to commemorate this big Sport event.

Abu Dhabi aims to be the most Unified host for the most Unified games ever held with more than 170 participating countries in the World Games. Also, it will be unified in the way it is run and organized – people with intellectual disabilities will be involved in all facets of the Games, providing every spectator, guest and fan an inclusive and transformational experience with Special Olympics Athletes.

New Special Covers : Kumbh Mela

Kumbh Mela, Prayagraj 2019

Pontoon Bridge

Kumbh Mela, Prayagraj 2019

Floating Post Office

These are the last two covers issued on Kumbh Mela 2019 which concluded on Mahashivratri 4th March 2019. A big "Thank you " to Mr Rahul Ganguli and Prayag Philatelic Society for  sending me complete set of  Kumbh Mela 2019 Registered Special Covers.

Invention of Sugar Cube

Date of Issue : 6 March 2019

Here is a beautiful stamp for tea and coffee lovers featuring sugar cube which was  invented in Czech Republic. The stamp was recently issued on 6th March 2019. Here is the story of its invention !

After the end of the Napoleonic wars, attempts at extracting sugar from sugar beet were resumed in the Habsburg monarchy in the 1820s. The first modern type sugar manufacture in the western part of the Habsburg monarchy was founded in Kostelní Vydří nearby Dačice in the estate of Karel Maxmilián Dalberg in 1829. In 1833, František Grebner, with the financial support of Viennese banker J.B. Puthon, established a sugar refinery directly in Dačice. The Dačice refinery resumed the tradition of the sugar factory in Kostelní Vydří. Dačice sugar was supplied to Southwest Moravia, South and East Bohemia as well as to Austrian borderlands. Sugar was also sold from warehouses of the Dačice refinery established in Vienna, Pest, Lvov, and also in Brno. Jakub Kryštof Rad, the refinery director, established a manufacture of candied fruit, sweets, and chocolate in Dačice in 1841, in which he also involved his wife Juliana, in order to make better use of some of the sugar refinery products. 

The difficult-to-use shapes of sugar products, such as cones, hats, or loaves, made Jakub Kryštof Rad to come up with the idea of sugar cubes. Cone-shape sugar was impractical both for business and private use - cones were difficult to pack and easy to break. Also, attempts at cutting an exact amount of sugar were not always successful and a lot of sugar was wasted. The patent for the production of sugar cubes was soon acquired by Prussia, Saxony, Bavaria, Switzerland, and England. An improved form of Rad’s invention is still used by sugar refineries all around the world.

New Special Cover from Dehradun : Spring Festival

A special Cover was released on Spring Festival held at Raj Bhawan, Dehradun  from 9-10 March 2019. The Cover features Toothache Plant. During the festival a large number of Flowers of different varieties were displayed in the lawns of Governor's House.  A small philatelic Exhibition with "My Stamp" facility was also organized.

International Women’s Day stamps from Gibraltar Post

International Women’s Day 2019

Date of Issue : 8 March 2019

Here is a beautiful set of stamps dedicated to all women of the world issued by Gibraltar Post to commemorate International Women's Day ! The stamps focus on this year's theme “Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change.” 

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It is celebrated annually on March 8, yet the global campaign theme continues all year long to encourage action. The United Nations 2019 theme is “Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change.” The theme focuses on innovative ways in which we can advance gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Students from Gibraltar took part in a competition creating artworks with their own interpretation of the United Nations 2019 theme. The competition winners were selected by the Ministry of Equality. The winning artworks have been featured on the set of stamps:

1st Place: Eliana Medici - £2.80 stamp

2nd Place: Kiarah Gomez - 80p stamp

3rd Place: Sara Rumford - 64p stamp

The stamps were officially launched by the Honourable Samantha Sacramento MP, Minister for Equality on International Women’s Day, 8 March 2019.

Source : Gibraltar Post

My Recent Covers

Covers from Germany

Rainbow Fragment

 The most beautiful Registered covers from Germany with Rainbow stamps and Rainbow Cancellation I received from my friend Mr Wolfgang Beyer ! This is the best philatelic item on Rainbow I ever received..... 

A big "Thank You" to Mr Wolfgang Beyer for this wonderful item for my Rainbow collection!!