New Special Cover from Karnataka

National Flag Day : 22 July 2023 : Bengaluru

Karnataka Postal Circle released a Special Cover on 22 July to commemorate National Flag Day.

- Praveen Shastry, Bengaluru

New stamp & Cancellations : 75 years of Independence

 

Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav

Journey of the National Flag

Date of Issue : 2 August 2022

Union Home Minister Amit Shah , Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Union Minister for Culture G. Kishan Reddy releases the commemorative postal stamp honoring freedom fighter Pingali Venkayya, during ‘Tiranga Utsav’, organised on the occasion of birth anniversary of Venkayya, in New Delhi on August 2, 2022.

Special Covers

A hero Indian Freedom Struggle : Pingali Venkaiah

Flagman of India

146th Birth Anniversary : 2 August 2022

Tribute to Freedom Fighters

Special Cancellations on freedom fighters with the celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav will be released from 1st Aug to 15th Aug from Dibrugarh Postal Division under Assam Circle.

 

1. Rani Lakshmi Bai

2. Kushal Konwar (Assam)

3. Malti Mem (Mangri Orangi)(Assam)

4. Kharageswar Talukdar(Assam)

5. Saheed Bhagat Singh

6. Bal Gangadhar Tilak

7. Tikhewar Borgohain(Assam)

8. Kanaklata Barua(Assam)

9. Mahatma Gandhi

10. Maniram Dewan(Assam)

11. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

12. Durgeswar Sharma(Assam)

13. Ullash Dutta(Assam)

14. Bhogeswari Phukanani(Assam)

15. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

 

Lions International

Date of Issue : 20 January 2017

Here is a beautiful stamp on "Lion International' issued by Finnish Post on 20 January 2017 featuring logos of different countries.. It also depicts the map of India and Indian flag and national emblem.Lions Clubs International is an international secular, non-political service organization founded by Melvin Jones in 1917. As of April 2015, it had over 46,000 local clubs and more than 1.4 million members in over 200 countries around the world.

2017 Maltese Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Date of Issue : 12 January 2017

Here is a  Miniature sheet on Flag theme, issued by Malta Post.Every 6 months the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) rotates among the EU member states. Member states holding the Presidency work in'trios'. This system was introduced in 2009 as part of the Lisbon Treaty. The 'trio' works on a common agenda through long-term goals that are addressed by the Council over 18 months.

The current trio consists of the Netherlands, Slovakia and Malta. The Netherlands held the Presidency between January and June 2016 and Slovakia between July and December 2016. Malta will be holding the Presidency between January and June 2017 and will work on a detailed 6-month programme on the basis of the 18-month programme set by the 'trio'.

A logo for Malta's EU Presidency was chosen from 29 submissions by students. It represents the Maltese EU Presidency in a stylised interpretation of the Maltese Cross. This represents a bridge between the historical national values and the multi-faceted fellowship characterizing the European Union. The Cross is pointing in all direction, signifying Malta's place in the world. The colourful logo represents the dusk and the sunrise that suggest the continual process of rebirth, renewal and reunion.

New Stamp on Taj Mahal

Date of Issue - 23 September 2016

Wonders of the World -TAJ MAHAL

Following the series Wonders of the modern world, Correos, as did the previous year Christ the Redeemer, the Great Wall of China or Chichén Itzá, devotes a Premium Pliego this time to another of the world's wonders like the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal, or what is the same, the "Crown Palace" is a complex of buildings in the city of Agra, in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India between 1631 and 1648 by the Muslim emperor Shah Jahan in honor of his favorite wife, Arjumand Bano, who died in childbirth of her fourteenth child. His wife's death was a devastating blow to the emperor was imprisoned by his son leaving the Empire in the hands of his successors. From his window, he imagined a grand mausoleum for his beloved, the most impressive mausoleum that the human mind could conceive.

He fulfilled his dream. It took more than 20,000 men and 1,000 elephants to lift. The most important architects of the Empire participated in construction, and, legend has it that, once completed work, ordered cut off the hands of anyone who had participated in the works so that they could never build something.

Today Taj  is one of the most important tourist destinations in India since 1983 and is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

Its architecture is a perfect blend of styles such as Persian, Islamic and Indian. Depending on the time of day and the light projected onto it, you can acquire different shades.The walls of the mausoleum are truly wonderful. The marble is full of inscriptions Muslim holy books and in those walls are embedded numerous gemstones.

The Premium Pliego includes a seal where the image of this impressive building appears with and orange, white and green of the Indian flag.

(as per Spain Philatelic Bureau)

- Leeza Padhi, Cuttack : email : leezapadhi@gmail.com

Fabric stamp from Canada

 

Date of Issue : 15 February 2015

The 50th anniversary of the flag is marked with Canada’s first cloth stamp.

Canada’s first-ever fabric stamp is being issued to mark the 50th anniversary of the Canadian flag, on Feb. 15, 2015.

The $5 stamp is printed on a specialized satin rayon fabric, applied to a paper backer using adhesives and silicones. The backer is similar to, but thicker, than that used on most self-adhesive stamps. The material is produced by Wausau Coated Products, based in Wisconsin. The design is simple, a large Canadian flag, with the dates 1965-2015 in the lower left corner. The stamp also includes security features which glow when viewed under an ultra-violet light.

The high-value stamp is being issued on a souvenir sheet, and on an uncut press sheet. The press sheet is signed by Joan O’Malley, the person who sewed the first prototype of the Canadian flag.

A total of 1,000 uncut sheets have been printed. There are 300,000 souvenir sheets, which have red tagging. The souvenir sheet stamp design is also used for the official first-day cover, which has an Ottawa cancel dated Feb. 15, 2015, printed in gold ink with a maple leaf design.

: Canadian Stamp News ,  Prakash Modi – Canada

Club News

New pictorial cancellation from Germany

On March 8th a new pictorial cancellation will be issued at 56564 NEUWIED. The cancellation is featuring  a mummy head (head of a mummy) of the Botocuden-Indians . The rest of the Botocudens lives at the state Minas Gerais (BRAZIL). Interested philatelists may please contact: Wolfgang Beyer,

member of the German Collector Group ARGE BRAZIL. Mail: Wolfgang.beyer1@aol.de .

Postage rates: 0,80 Euro AIRMAIL ,2,95 Euro Registered AIRMAIL

 

 

25th Anniv. of the fall of the Berlin Wall

 

Date of Issue: August 28, 2014​

Here is beautiful miniature sheet featuring Rainbow issued by Post of Vatican City to commemorate  25th Anniv. of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

 

25th Anniv. of the fall of the Berlin Wall

The fall of the Berlin Wall during the night of the 9th and 10th of November 1989 marked a very joyous and unimaginable surprise for the inhabitants of East and West Berlin. For 28 years this border strip was strictly patrolled by technical and military means, dividing the city and conditioning the lives of its inhabitants. The Wall suddenly became passable even for the people of East Berlin as a result of the “Peaceful Revolution”. Beginning in 1975, the white wall of reinforced concrete visible from the west and the complex system of border fortifications became the defining image of the divided city, a symbol of the Cold War. The irreversible process of the city’s reunification began in the days following November 9th when the border troops of the German Democratic Republic, accompanied by jubilant Berliners, started to remove individual segments of the Wall to create more crossing points. Beginning in March 1990, before the German Democratic Republic began to remove the 45 thousand wall segments, Berliners themselves started the demolition process. Even the night the Wall was opened, they brought out their own hammers and chisels to start removing the first small fragments. In the autumn of 1990, the last sections of the Wall were saved to be kept as a monument. Today it is difficult to notice the past division of the city. Only a small section of the border strip and segments of the wall are kept as a historical monument inside the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer street.

Manfred Wichmann, Berlin Wall Foundation

The Philatelic Office  commemorated the event with a postage stamp showing a beautiful photo of those historic days taken by photographer Michael-Reiner Ernst in memory of all those who helped bring down the wall. A miniature sheet was also issued featuring the names of the 138 persons who died attempting to cross the border, according to research conducted by the Berlin Wall Foundation.

News Courtesy – Kasinath R. - Tanjore

Club News

 

Inauguration of Philately Training Hall at Postal Training Centre, Vadodara - 4th September 2014.

The Postal Training Centre, Vadodara is a premier Training Centre of Department of Posts that runs high quality training programmes for postal personnel. The Centre was established in 1962 to impart training to Postal Employees in order to enhance the efficiency of the department by training the officials in various fields. The training centre is imparting training to the employees of various postal circles like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh etc. As a part of various training programs, Postal Training Center is also conducting lectures on various aspects of philately and philatelic workshops, mock philatelic exhibitions for postal employees with the help of members of Baroda Philatelic Society.

Brig. Sanjeev Thapar, Chief Postmaster General, Gujarat Circle inaugurated new Philately Training Hall at Postal Training Centre, Vadodara on 4th September 2014 in presence of Shri B. B. Dave, Postmaster General, Vadodara Region, Shri Ganesh Savaleshwarkar, Director, Postal Training Centre, Vadodara, Smt. Sucheta Joshi, Director, Postal Services, Vadodara, Shri Prashant Pandya, President, Baroda Philatelic Society, Shri Timir R. Shah, Hon. Secretary, Baroda Philatelic Society and other dignitaries and staff members of India Post, Postal Training Centre and members of Baroda Philatelic Society.

New Philately Training Hall has been decorated with blowups of commemorative stamps and equipped with Audio Visual equipments. 10 Specially designed attractive philatelic frames have been permanently installed on the walls of the hall. Each frame can house 8 exhibit sheets (1/2 frame). In total 5 Frame exhibits can be exhibited in these frames. Permanent display of exhibits will be arranged in these frames for the benefits of postal trainees. Permanent display of exhibits in regular philatelic frame is also planned in near future.

Courtesy –  Prashant Pandya

 

Flags - Short Hand of History - An exhibition on the Indian National Flag

 

Rabindranath Tagore Centre - Kolkata, the cultural flagship of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Ministry of External Affairs presented (from August 14 to August 24, 2014) in its Horizon Series a unique exhibition on the Indian National Flag in commemoration of the 68th anniversary of its adoption, curated by Sekhar Chakrabarti. The exhibition was inaugurated by Sri Jayanta Sengupta, Curator, Victoria Memorial Hall, Prof. Bharati Roy, Member of the Governing Council, ICCR was the Guest of Honour. There were many visitors thronged the gallery almost all day long. On popular demand the closing date of the exhibition was extended up to 24th August. Local news papers and TV channels also covered the events. Many visitors mentioned that this type of exhibition should be taken to all other cities of India so that general people may get the opportunity to know the history of the National Flag more intimately. It was a grand success.

The exhibition, which was the first of its kind by the ICCR, featured a rich collection of the Indian National Flag symbol on myriad objects sourced from a plethora of articles, such as postage stamps, coins, currency notes, medals, old news paper articles and advertisements, book covers and various other artifacts like, matchbox labels, 78 RPM gramophone records, propaganda leaflets, etc. that were pieced together to reconstruct the history and evolution of the Indian National Flag. The exhibits explored and celebrated the rich history of our Flag and the process by which it was born on 22nd July 1946.

 

Baekje Cultural Festival

 

Date of Issue : 21 August 2014

 

Korea Post is to issue a new series of commemorative stamps on occasion of the 60^th anniversary of Baekje Cultural Festival that will be held from September 26 to October 5, 2014 for 10 days in and around Buyeo-gun and Gongju city in Chungcheongnam-do.

Initiated by local residents, the Baekje Cultural Festival, now stretching beyond its local boundaries, has become a world cultural festival over the last 60 years. The festival is also a reminder of the cultural power of the Kingdom which had developed and spread its ancient culture to neighboring countries through international exchange.

The abundance of endless rice fields provided the basis of Baekje’s rich culture and created “the Great Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje” regarded as the essence of Baekje’s culture, “Gold Diadem Ornaments” resembling a blazing flame, “the Five-story Stone Pagoda at Jeongnimsa Temple Site” boasting a one-of-a-kind and refined beauty and “the Rock-carved Buddha Triad” carved with a simple and genial smile.

 

Club News

Flags – Short Hand of History

An Exhibition on the Indian National Flag

Curated by Sekhar Chakrabarti

14 – 20 August 2014

Venue : Abanindranath  Tagore Gallery, ICCR, 9A, Ho Chi Minh Sarani, Kolkata

Inauguration : 14 august 2014 at 5 PM

Kolkata Regional Centre of the ICCR, Govt. of India is hosting a unique exhibition from 14 - 20 August 2014 on the Indian National Flag in commemoration of the 68th anniversary of its adoption. The exhibition curated by noted philatelist Shri Sekhar Chakrabarti, features a rich collection of the National Flag symbol on myriad objects sourced from a plethora of expected and unexpected sources that are pieced together to reconstruct the history and the evolution of the National Flag.

New stamps on Biodiversity from Ireland

 

Date of Issue : 31st July 2014 

On July 31st, 2014, An Post issued eight new stamps “Continuing the celebration of Ireland’s biodiversity”

The species featured in this issue are the scallop, otter, viviparous lizard, badger, wren, mute swan, basking shark and violet snail. These eight new stamps are a part of An Post’s Irish Animals and Marine Life definitive series.

As an island, Ireland and its surrounding waters provide a home for many species of plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms. This variety of life is called  biodiversity and here, as in many other places on Earth, it is a very important part of our day to day life.

Compared to the rest of Europe, Ireland does not have a great many indigenous species of animals. There are only 26 land mammal species native to Ireland, one land reptile, three amphibians, about 400 birds and 400 types of fresh and saltwater fish. The stamps will promote the protection of  natural heritage.

In this series, 8 new animal species are featured. The series features 50 animal species found in Ireland and its surrounding waters and aims to bring as diverse a sample of Irish animal and marine life as possible.

Club News

EXHIBITION ON THE INDIAN NATIONAL FLAG

Curated by Sekhar Chakrabarti

14 – 20 August 2014

On the eve of India’s 68^th Independence Day on 14^th August 2014, the Rabindranath Tagore Centre-Kolkata, the cultural flagship of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India will host a unique exhibition on Indian National Flag commemorating the 68^th anniversary of its adoption. 

The Venue  :  Rabindranath Tagore Centre, 9A, Ho Chi Minh Sarani, Kolkata 700071

The Gallery : Abanindranath Gallery

 

 The exhibition will showcase a surprising rich collections of the Indian National Flag symbols on visual objects - sourced from – a plethora of materials, namely, postage stamps, news-paper clippings, books and various other myriad articles and even unconventional sources like match box labels, propaganda leaflets, 78RPM gramophone records, et al, have been pieced together to reconstruct the history of ‘Flags of India’ right from the Vedic periods. Perhaps, the collections itself is only one in kind in our country at the moment. The exhibition explores and celebrates the rich and colourful history of the Indian National Flag and the process by which the National Flag in its present form was born on 22^nd July 1947, its uses and abuses, etiquette and protocols, etc.

Flags are ‘short hand of history’.

It will be also a tribute to the heroes of our freedom struggle, who fell for the cause of the flag during various phases of our freedom movements. Going through the exhibition one will find, many, unknown, or, ‘little known’  or forgotten ‘flag events’ -  which were once pivotal in drawing volunteers - young and old, men and women -  to free our country from the foreign rulers – The Dutch, British, French and the Portuguese. There will be dedicated sections on each of them and the impacts they had on our societies since the ‘Age of discovery’.

Read More…

Exclusive Exhibition on the Indian National Flag

‘Indian National Flag’ was born in its present form on 22^nd July 1947".

The National Flag of India is a horizontal rectangular tricolour of deep saffron, white and India green; with the Ashoka Chakra, a 24-spoke wheel, in navy blue at its centre. It was adopted in its present form during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on 22 July 1947, when it became the official flag of the Dominion of India. The flag was subsequently retained as that of the Republic of India. In India, the term "tricolour" almost always refers to the Indian national flag. The flag is based on the Swaraj flag, a flag of the Indian National Congress designed by Pingali Venkayya.

The flag, by law, is to be made of khadi, a special type of hand-spun cloth of cotton or silk made popular by Mahatma Gandhi. The manufacturing process and specifications for the flag are laid out by the Bureau of Indian Standards. The right to manufacture the flag is held by the Khadi Development and Village Industries Commission, who allocate it to the regional groups.

Exhibition on the Indian National Flag,

14th to 20th August 2014,  Kolkata

 

For the first time in India, the Kolkata Regional Centre of the ICCR, Govt of India  is hosting a unique exhibition from 14 - 20 August 2014 on the Indian National Flag in commemoration of the 68^th anniversary of its adoption. The exhibition curated by Mr. Sekhar Chakrabarti features a rich collection of the National Flag symbol on myriad objects sourced from a plethora of expected and unexpected sources that are pieced together to reconstruct the history and the evolution of the National Flag. The exhibits will bring alive the process by which the ‘Indian National Flag’ was born in its present form on 22^nd July 1947".

 

 

Philatelic Tributes to  Great Singer - Mukesh

Today is Birth anniversary of India’s great playback singer of Hindi Films , Mukesh. This special Post is a tribute to him whose songs have special place in the heart of all music lovers !! 

A beautiful song by Mukesh to share with all……

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVeDXzv7AQU

Mukesh Chand Mathur  22 July 1923 – 27 August 1976), better known as Mukesh, was an Indian playback singer of Hindi movies. He, alongside Mohammad Rafi, Manna Dey, and Kishore Kumar, left such an impact on the Hindi film industry that they are still remembered to date. Amongst the numerous nominations and awards he won, his song "Kai Baar Yuhi Dekha Hai" from film Rajnigandha (1973) won him the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer. Mukesh is also popular as being the voice of legendary actor Raj Kapoor.

150 years of Moscow Zoo

 

In 2014 Moscow zoo celebrates its 150^th anniversary. It is one of the oldest zoos in Europe. To celebrate the event Russian post issued a beautiful commemorative stamp block with one stamp.

By its opening, Moscow zoo contained 134 domestic animals, 153 wild animals and birds and 7 reptiles. Today one can find there more than eight thousand animals, some species are bred by the experts for the first time in the world. The zoo participates in many international programmes for the conservation of endangered species and cooperates with global environmental organizations.

In the middle of a huge bustling city Moscow zoo delights visitors with a modern beautiful appearance and is always glad to receive guests.

The background of the postage block illustrates Macaw parrot, giraffe, tiger, Pallas’ cat, peacock, crocodile, brown bear cub, pink flamingo, Asian elephant and gibbon, the postage stamp features the main entrance to Moscow zoo.

Club News

Misuse of the Indian National Flag by Political Parties

Political parties in India are very active these days as the time for general elections comes closer. Mr Sekhar Chakrabarty writes about misuse of Indian National Flag by political parties in 100th edition of his famous blog “ Flags and stamps”.

 

Misuse of the Indian National Flag by Political Parties. The Supreme Court of India on Friday last ( 7th February 2014) issued notice to Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and Trinamool Congress on a PIL seeking to restrain them from using party flags resembling and similar to the Indian National Flag.

Flags of the Political Parties resembling the Indian National Flag

Indian National Congress (I) Party Flag

This flag was adopted in 1977 as the symbol of break away group of the Congress (I). 
The Indian National Congress party split in 1969, and became two – one what was known as Old Congress or Syndicate Congress led by S. Nijalingappa, Kamraj, Morarji Desai, et al, and the other led by Indira Gandhi and christened Congress

All India Trinamool Congress Party Flag (abbreviated AITMC, TMC orTrinamool Congress) . Adopted in 1998

Nationalist (Rashtravadi)Congress Party Flag, adopted in 1999.

The Bodoland People's Front (BPF) is a state political party in Assam state in northeastern India.

Read more in 100th edition of "Flags and Stamps" at following link :

http://flagstamps.blogspot.in/2014/02/misuse-of-indian-national-flag-by.html

New stamp from USPS..

 

 

200th anniversary of the Star-Spangled Banner

Date of Issue : 28 January 2014

The US Postal Service issued a new Forever stamp on 28th January in commemoration of 200th anniversary of the Star-Spangled Banner . This sparkling stamp features  Flag and  firework . The First Day postmark also features a cracker.

The Star-Spangled Banner Stamps feature a treasured American icon ever since Francis Scott Key celebrated the sight of an American flag still flying over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.
This stamp commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Star-Spangled Banner with a photograph of the flag that flies over Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore. This flag is a replica of the one that inspired Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner” after Fort McHenry withstood the British attack of September 13-14, 1814.

Commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Star-Spangled Banner with this The Star-Spangled Banner Digital Color Postmarks (#6 3/4 envelope) bearing an affixed The Star-Spangled Banner Forever® stamp. The color postmark shows celebratory red fireworks falling over the stamp title, which is printed in blue and gold type and resembles antique wood-block lettering. Also included are the date and location of stamp issuance.

Photographer Gary Clark took the picture of the flag against a backdrop of fireworks during an annual celebration of Defenders' Day. Defenders' Day, according to the National Park Service, is “Baltimore's oldest holiday commemorating the bombardment of Fort McHenry and the writing of 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'” Clark said it was a challenge to get the fireworks and the flag in the same shot and that “the wind picked up quite a bit that night.” Art director Phil Jordan designed the stamp.
The Star-Spangled Banner stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps in double-sided booklets of 20 stamps and in self-adhesive coils of 100 stamps. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce rate.

Indian Theme on foreign stamps

 

 

Grenada released these MS for World Radio Day .  WRD falls on 13th Feb but the MS was released on 10th Oct 2013.

Sheet depicts Indian Flag and Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose.

Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, was a physicist, biologist, botanist, archaeologist, as well as an early writer of science fiction. He pioneered the investigation of radio and microwave optics, made very significant contributions to plant science.

 

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers  (IEEE) in NY, USA named him one of the fathers of radio science. He also invented the crescograph. Bangladesh also issued a stamp in 1999.

: Kenneth Sequeira – Dubai ( UAE)

email : kenneth.sequeira@hotmail.com

 

New Special Covers

50 years of changing Diabetes : 15 November 2013 , Bangalore

To commemorate World Diabetes Day, a special cover was released on 14th November 2013 at Bangalore.

Bicentenary of Kartik Mahotsav Procession - 18th November 2013

 

To commemorate 200 years of Kartik Purnamasi, famous Sawari festival, a Special Cover was issued on 18th November 2013 at Kolkata. Cancellation depicts towering Indra Dhwaja (about 60 feet tall). The towering three storey high Indra Dhwaja is one of highlights of the procession.

Courtesy :  Indian Philately Digest , Sreejesh Krishnan - Trivandrum, Pradip Jain - Patna