Book Review

Princely States of India -A Philatelic Review

By Rolands Nelson

Princely States of India - A Philatelic Overview by Rolands Nelson : Pages : 270 : Type : Hard bound Price : Rs 695/- : Published by Caroline Books, Chennai : Available with the Author : Roland Nelson Mob. 9940681750 e-mail: rolandsnelson8@gmail.com

The book Princely States of India – A philatelic Overview by Rolands Nelson is a very informative book for the collectors of Postal History and those collecting on Princely States of India. There were over 650 states. After the introduction of postage stamp in the world in 1840 and in India in 1854, some of the native states – to be 43, as known today- issued their own stamps and along with these 43, many more had their own postal services within their state. The book is about forty-three Indian Princely States which had their own Postal Services and issued Postage stamps and stationery and some had tie up with Imperial Postal Services to carry on its postal services.

The author has given details about the geography and history of each Princely State with the details of its postage stamps and postal stationery. The illustration of state flag, coat of Arms and location map of each state have also been given in the book. These Princely States are further subdivided and separately listed as Convention States and Feudatory States .The author has given a detailed account of the Convention and Feudatory States so that a reader could clearly understand the difference between the two. The details about the postal rates, stamps, postal stationery and cancellations about each state have been given. Philatelic details are quite informative regarding varieties of surcharges, overprint colours, printing methods, papers and colour of the  stationery and the name of the press where printed.

The book is very comprehensive with the finer philatelic details of the stamps and postal stationery used by the Indian Princely States. The collectors of Indian Princely States would find it very useful. All the illustrations are in colour. The printing and layout of the book are very good on fine glossy paper. The Foreword of the book has been written by Shri Charles Lobo a noted philatelist, Member (Operations) Retd., Postal Services Board.

Through this book a curious collector would find wide scope for study and research in the stamps and postal stationery used by different Princely States. The different dimensions of the surcharges, spelling errors, difference between the originals, reprints and overprints open a wide range for the exhibit/collection to be formed with these items.

In the Appendix, the details of stamps of Indian Princely States in Pakistan, Bahawalpur and Las Bela have also been given. Bahawalpur and Las Bela were Indian states before the partition.

The book is recommended for all philatelists, postal historians, Students and especially those collecting stamps and postal stationery of Indian Princely States. It is an excellent reference book for all stamp lovers and Postal historians. The book will be an asset for libraries of School, colleges and Philatelic Societies and Stamp Clubs.

 

 

 

About the author

Rolands Nelson is a noted philatelist from Chennai and is a life member of South India Philatelists’ Association. He is an IIT Post Graduate and retired as Chief Engineer from the Government of Tamilnadu.  He has been collecting stamps since childhood and participating regularly in several Philatelic exhibitions. He has a special interest in Postal history. He edited SIPA bulletin for more than 15 years. Now he is Vice President of SIPA, a Prestigious Philatelic Association of India.

-Jeevan Jyoti

Behavioural Diversity Among Birds

By Capt. Vijay Wadhwa

Behavioural Diversity Among Birds By Capt. Vijay Wadhwa: Pages: 344 : Type: e–book -  Kindle edition: Available on Amazon.com: For more details contact  Author: Capt. Vijay Wadhwa email: vicks552000@gmail.com WhatsApp No. 89511 66141

Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of eggs, a four-chambered heart, a strong yet lightweight skeleton, and keen vision, the major sense they rely on for information about the environment. Bird behaviour refers to the actions of a bird in response to environmental situations. Some bird behaviour is instinctive, whilst other behaviour is learned. Behaviour includes caring for itself, feeding and interaction with others (birds, humans, and other animals). The diversity of birds is important in many ways. They keep the climate stable, oxygenate the air and transform pollutants into nutrients. Birds play an important role in the effective functioning of these systems.

The book “Behavioural Diversity Among Birds” by Capt. Vijay Wadhwa gives a detailed explanation of the diversity among birds due to several reasons and conditions that have been explained in comprehensive 15 chapters of the book. ‘Bird’ is a very popular theme among thematic philatelists these days. The book is very useful for lovers of Birds as well as thematic stamp collectors who love to collect stamps on birds. The author has given illustrations of bird stamps with the year of the issue. It would be a good reference book for Avian stamp collectors. This book will be an asset for every nature lover and those collecting stamps on birds.

 About the author

Capt. Vijay Wadhwa is a noted philatelist from Raipur, Chhattisgarh. He has won many awards in different National and International Philatelic Exhibitions. His special interest is in Bird Philately and has prepared excellent exhibits of different bird themes. He has brought out 3 e-books on birds. The first two ones “Birdlife on Stamps” and “The Beak” both being eBOOKs and awarded on debut at India’s National Philatelic Exhibition- “AMRITPEX2023

-     - Jeevan Jyoti