Club News

Coins on Tagore

To commemorate 150th Birth anniversary of Tagore, Kolkata Mint recently issued a 5 Rupees PROOF coin in a nice black presentation pack.

  

: Shrikant Parikh – Ahmedabad

 

REVIVING PHILATELY

( AT GRASS ROOT LEVEL )

 

C.R.Andhare and Naresh Agrawal talking to children

In Indian Philatelic scenario, there has been tremendous decline in birth and growth of new philatelists only because of less interest among the school children in stamp collection. The reason being pressure of studies, development in communication systems leading to intensive use of mobile phones and e-mails and also growth of private courier service. A strong need of introducing and inculcating the hobby of stamp collection among the school children is felt today as future of philately lies in these children only.

To move a step in this direction to take the children in to the world of stamps, Adharshila Vidya Mandir School at Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh organized a philatelic workshop on 06.05.2012 during its 15 days summer camp which saw various different creative activities. Mr. C.R. Andhare and Mr. Naresh Agrawal philatelists of international repute from Bilaspur introduced students of class II to class Xth. During this workshop students were introduced to the postal stamp, its feature and its importance as a collectable and educational item. They were taught how to collect, preserve, arrange and organize stamps. There were different thematic exhibits on display and PPt. presentation. The workshop was well attended and created interest amongst many of children. Stamps and covers were distributed amongst the children. Local print media also wrote high of this activity.

- Naresh Agarwal, Bilaspur

World remembers 9/11 victims…

 

Tribute to 9/11 victims

To mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks,  events taking place across the globe to remember the worst attack on US soil in history. Our tributes to all the victims of 9/11 attack !!

The U.S. Postal Service on March 11th, 2002  issued a special semi postal stamp whose sales generate funds to provide assistance to families of emergency relief personnel killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty in connection with terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

 

Date of Issue : 14 May 2002

In Remembrance  - 11th September 2011

Dedicated to the men, women and children who lost their lives; those brave people who gave their lives And the Heroes that responded to the emergency 11 September 2001

 

Raising the Flag at Ground Zero is a photograph by Thomas E. Franklin of The Record (Bergen County, NJ), taken on September 11, 2001. The picture shows three New York City firefighters raising the American flag at ground zero of the World Trade Center following the September 11 attacks. The official name for the photograph used by The Record is Ground Zero Spirit. The photo appeared on The Record front page on September 12, 2001. The paper also put it on the Associated Press wire and it appeared on the covers of several newspapers around the world.

Archaeopteryx Cover from Germany…

 

 

Here is another nice  registered cover from Germany sent by  Mr Wolfgang Beyer  with stamps and cancellation on archaeopteryx. Thanks a lot  for this perfect cover. It’s wonderful !!

  : Wolfgang Beyer- Germany

 

Indian theme on World Philately

                                            - Kenneth Sequeira

Ashoka Pillar on postmark from Reunion

The postmark depicts the Ashoka Pillar with slogan "1985-86 year of India"

Note :

I would request if  readers could share some input on this postmark depicting the Ashoka pillar with caption "1985-86 year of India" It is difficult to co-relate or get some link between Reunion Island & India. It might be due to Indian community living in Reunion and the particular year might be dedicated to them. But this is only a presumption. If anyone, especially from France  knows more about it, please write your comments for publication on this blog. It will be pleasure to share with the readers – J.Jyoti

Réunion previously Île Bourbon) is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about 200 kilometres (120 mi) south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.

Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas départements of France. Like the other overseas departments, Réunion is also one of the 27 regions of France (being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic with the same status as those situated on the European mainland. Réunion is an outermost region of the European Union and, as an overseas department of France, is part of the Eurozone.

Arab sailors used to call this island Dina Morgabin ("Western Island"). The Portuguese were the first Europeans to visit the island, finding it uninhabited in 1513, and naming it Santa Apollonia. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration, supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians, gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route.

An island of true contrasts, the French department of Reunion is unknown to many of the world's travelers. ! This unique island in the middle of the Indian Ocean is simply one of the most intriguing spots on earth. Not as well-known as nearby Mauritius or the not-so-far-away British Seychelles, little Reunion seems but a speck in the vast ocean, dwarfed by Madagascar, located 500 miles to the west. The French know the island well but only the very well-traveled have ever stepped foot on Reunion's varied and enticing terrain.

Club News

Joyland – an exclusive newspaper for children

I have received  a copy of exclusive newspaper for children “Joyland”, published from Kolkata  and edited by Jhikimiki Das. The newspaper is very informative and contains articles on a variety of subjects like Science, Culture, history, hobbies and current affairs. The small and beautiful newspaper  inculcates the habit of general reading in children which is diminishing these days due to over dominance of TV and computer  in our daily life . The newspaper can be ordered at a very nominal subscription . Contact Editor, Joyland email : ourjoyland@gmail.com 

 

Hong Kong Chinese Idioms and Their Stories on stamps…

 

Date of Issue : 28 June 2011

Hi ! Here is a very beautiful set of stamps issued by Hong Kong Post featuring moral stories for all. The stamps have a message for every age group. It is  a wonderful theme on stamps.Each stamp depicts an idiom and a story related with it having a life message for all. The stamps are very nice I like them very much !!

Chinese idioms are set phrases which have evolved over thousands of years of use. Hong Kong Post’s first issue of Chinese idioms stamps was received eagerly by philately enthusiasts and the general public in 2006. The second set is now released in the form of Children Stamps, intending to stimulate the younger generation’s interest in Chinese culture and philately with colourful and lively pictures on five idioms and their stories.

Chinese idioms are succinct and expressive, vivid and figurative. Often originating from fables, literature and historical facts or personages, their stories are full of references and the wisdom of the ages.

The set of stamps is themed on five Chinese idioms.

$1.40 - Mutual help in hard times
This idiom originates from Zhuangzi (369 - 286 BC), the famous Daoist philosopher born in ancient China. It literally means that when the spring water dries up, the fishes stranded on land moisten each other with their saliva. The idiom is now used to describe people coming to each other’s assistance during difficult times.

$1.80 - Water drops wear away rocks
According to the observation of a scholar of the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279 AD), water drops, small and soft as they may be, can hollow out hard rock over time. The idiom carries the message that perseverance and determination breed success.

$2.40 - Practice makes perfect
Dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD) , this idiom refers to the repetitive heating and hammering during the iron forging process, alluding to the polishing of a piece of writing in the most meticulous manner in the quest for perfection. It is also used to describe one’s experience of numerous trials and challenges.

$3 - Save to give
This idiom originates from an article in the Tang Dynasty. It advises that governing officials should economise on resources so that more can be given back to the people for a better life.

$5 - As deft as a master butcher
Zhuangzi described in this story how a butcher used his superb skills to cut up an ox effortlessly for Lord Wenhui. It illustrates the fact that with constant practice and thorough knowledge, one can deal with everything with ease.

Colour stickers associated with the souvenir sheet can be matched with monochrome shapes on the stamps to complete the five stories. The game enhances the meaning behind the stories for children, as well as making stamp collecting fun!

Club News

Demand of a Philatelic Bureau by philatelists of Gorakhpur….

Press clipping

Published in  Amar Ujala

New stamps on Astronomy from Germany

 

Date of Issue : 11 August 2011

German Post will issue four new stamps on Astronomy on 11 August 2011.

Courtesy : Shrikant Parikh, Ahmedabad

Club News

Real Tributes to unsung heroes by a Philatelist…

Here I wish to share a great work and  service by Mr Anil Dhir, renowned philatelist from Bhubaneshwar. Mr Dhir is known for his extraordinary   work and  deep research in  philately and   social fields. “The Last Post” is an excellent example of his work with many more to mention… His selfless effort  and love for deep research makes him always very special in his work and findings. Here is another finest piece of work rather great service done by him….Read the full story !

 

1945 - An untold story of war & love

- DN Singh

This story begins with a visit to the Madras War Cemetery early this year, by a man in quest of a trace dating back some 66 years. The man in question, Anil Dhir has a penchant for history and has an enviable record in unearthing the glories of the past. Dhir says he was in search of material for his article on the War Cemeteries in India, which took him from one end of the geography to the other. 

His quest landed him in Chennai, where the Madras War Cemetery is situated. The Cemetery presented interesting clues before Dhir and a challenge too. At the Cemetery he had a tryst with an interesting disclosure - a set of fourteen graves which were of airmen who had apparently died in a plane crash at Amarda Road. The fourteen individually named headstones were arranged side-by-side, but from the Cemetery Registry it was learnt that they had been interred as a collective grave. A collective grave is a burial of recovered remains which, though not individually identified, constitute of a small group of known individuals.

Read full Story…

…….

It is a gigantic task, almost impossible to locate the living relatives of  the  airmen   who died in crash many years ago..... and  real  heart felt tributes to the  unsung heroes by Mr Anil Dhir  who is always in the quest of something different and unique !!  This is a heart touching story. To do this work one must have a great patience to work and wait .....which Mr Dhir has proved...in many  of his tasks done in past years.... The Last Post by Anil Dhir is one such example , well  known to   philatelists...   Philatelic Community is proud to be asscoited with Mr Dhir !! Great work  by him !!

Club News…

 

 

Hi ! I have just published July issue of Rainbow Stamp News on Blog with articles and news from the world of stamps. Special feature of the issues are Interview with Mr Rajesh Kumar Bagri, Commissioner General of INDIPEX 2011 and a very informative article by Dr Satyendra Kumar Agarwal for the lovers of Thematic Philately.  Just enjoy this issue with other regular features : series by Dr Jagtap and Mr Naresh Agarwal. This is all for today …Till Next Post….Have a Nice Time !!

Discussion

Our Readers write…

e Post Office….

Kasinath R. :  My Watercraft Philately - http://shipthemegallery.blogspot.com/

Recently when I tried to access e PostOffice website, I got this message as shown in the attachment.
This makes me to think whether providing credit/debit card information with this site will be secure or tampered with.India Post officials maintaining the site should try to rectify the problem ASAP to prevent any fraud happening.

Readers are requested to Comment …. or share their experience if they received such message while accessing ePost Office website.

Stamp on Tagore from Uruguay….

 

Hi ! Here is a beautiful stamp on Tagore issued by Uruguay during Indipex 2011 and its cover shown below with the poem of Tagore "Aami Prithibir Kabi". Some might have seen the cover but they do not know the story behind it which I wish to share ………

During Indipex 2011 Ururuguay issued a stamp on Rabindranath Tagore. Prior to the issuance of this stamp I received an email from Uruguay Post that they wished to include a small poem by Tagore on the First Day Cover of the stamp and they wanted to know if any permission was required from concerned authorities for copyright publications . I forwardrd that mail to Mr Sekhar Chakrabarty of Kolkatta for an expert opinion. Mr Chakrabarty suggested them to include Tagore’s "Aami Prithibir Kabi" (I am the poet of the world) and advised them that permission is not required for 100 years old publications. It is a matter of great pleasure that this suggestion was materialized and the small poem of Tagore appears on the cover which Mr Sekhar Chakrabarty received from Uruguay (sent by Mr. Malosetti) released on the occasion of issuance of the Tagore stamp on 16 February 2011 which has the words "Aami Prithibir Kabi" and it was originally suggested by Mr Sekhar Chakrabarty.

I am extremely happy that small effort done in this regard resulted in a wonderful cover of the greatest poet of our country “ Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore”. with his beautiful lines "Aami Prithibir Kabi" I express my gratitude to Uruguay Post to honour the greatest poet of our country on commemorative stamp of Ururguay and including his poem on the cover….and many thanks to Mr Sekhar Chakrabarty for his efforts in selecting the most appropriate poem of Tagore and finally suggesting the Uruguay Post to include it on Special Stamp Cover !!

.
Stamp Exhibition on Tagore

In celebration of 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India will be organizing a month long Stamp exhibition commencing on May 9, 2011, exclusively on Rabindranath Tagore from the collection of Sekhar Chakrabarti and Moloy Sarkar, at Rabindranath Tagore Centre, Kolkata.

New stamps on Wildlife…

 

 

Date of Issue – 7 February 2011 

Hi ! Here are some beautiful stamps on Wildlife. Israel Post issued  a set of four WWF stamps featuring  Leopard on 7th February. The stamps issued as a miniature sheet of two sets. These wonderful stamps have marginal tabs with special pictures of leopard’s cub and foot prints. However the pictorial marginal tabs are always very special on Israeli stamps. This set is definitely a philatelic treat for wildlife stamp lovers.  Thanks to Dr Eli Moallem of  Israel for this Post. This is all for Today….. Till Next Post……Have a Great Time !!

 

 

New Stamp from India

Census of India

Date of Issue : 8 February 2011

: Mansoor. B

From our Readers…

Jagannath Mani, Bangalore

Dear philatelist friends and sports lovers

As I am sports lover and sports philatelist  I request the Indipex  2011 organising committee to  give prominent place to sports in Indian philately .The tenth ICC Cricket World Cup opening ceremony will be held on 17 February 2011, two days before the start of the tournament,  that is during the world philatelic exhibition but no special cancellation nor special cover will be issued. There is a need for a special cover to be issued during this occasion in order to promote both  philately & sports in our country. 

Pradip Jain, Patna