Book Review : Philatelic Paradise

 

Philatelic Paradise 

- Major (Dr) Ritu Kalra

Philatelic Paradise by Major (Dr) Ritu Kalra : Pages : 140 : Type - Paper Back : Published By : Minerva Book House, Shimla :  Price - Rs. 399 Available with the author - email :  ritukalra23@yahoo.in & ritukalra32@gmail.com : Mob. Whatsapp  - 9816352225

Philately Paradise by Maj. (Dr) Ritu Kalra is a very informative book for stamp lovers. It gives comprehensive details about the hobby of stamp collecting. It has 16 chapters with special reference to anatomy of postage stamps., Tools and Accessories used in stamp collection, Systematic Handling of stamps and how to participate in a philatelic exhibition.  The book also gives the list of changed country names, country identifier Index and Philatelic Glossary.  

Besides these it has special chapters on First Indian Postage stamp - Sinde Dawks, Rare stamps of the world , Errors on stamps and some more interesting chapters related to philately. The stamp lovers will find this book very interesting and informative. One can start the hobby just by going through this wonderful book. I recommend this  book to all philatelists and stamp collectors as well as to school and college students . One can learn systematically  about the philately through this book . The schools must have this book in the library so that young children may start collecting stamps and acquire knowledge about history, culture, science, Flora and Fauna, personalities and famous places of the world  through the postage stamps. This book will be an asset for every stamp lover . The philatelic clubs and societies must have this book for the refence of young budding collectors as well as philatelists.

About the author

Major (Dr.) Ritu Kalra is a renowned philatelist of Shimla, Himachal Pradesh . She has participated in several Philatelic Exhibitions and won many awards. She is the founder member and President of 'Himachal Philatelic Club' and has conducted philatelic workshops in different schools of Shimla to promote philately. She is life member of Philatelic Congress of India and member of India Study Circle.

She has served the Indian Army in the Army Dental Corps and presently a practising dentist at Shimla . Besides an ardent  philatelist and dentist by profession she is a  wonderful painter and has made many painting on different themes.

-Jeevan Jyoti

Philately Day

 

MUMBAI: The postal department launched a "stamped mask" on Philately Day on Tuesday. These masks had images of postage stamps imprinted on them in order to make them attractive and drive home the importance of the role played by masks amid the Covid-19 pandemic.The department also initiated a ‘Know Your Beat Postman’ initiative."A virtual card containing the name, beat number, area of service , Phone number and photo of the postman would be circulated to the customers to help them to know their postman.The postal department is celebrating National Postal Week from 9 -15 October.

Philately Day celebration at Patna GPO on 13^th Oct. 2020 –

 

The group of Philatelist in the Philatelic Bureau Patna GPO was invited the occasion in the presence of CPMG Mr. Anil Kumar  and the officers/ staff member of Postal circle/ Patna GPO/ Philatelic Bureau.

 

CPMG Mr. Anil Kumar felicitated to all the Philatelist present by presenting a memento and spoken very well about Philately and addressed to look into the problems faced by the stamp collector/Philatelist.

 

He also invited to the Philatelist to convene the meeting once in a month every second Saturday, 4.00 pm in the Philatelic Bureau and also  requested Philatelist to promoting Philatelic activities in Bihar with their active co-operation/ participation.

 

-Pradip Jain - Patna

Special Covers on Philately Day

Philately Day : 13 October 2020: Bangalore

Special Cover released in Lucknow

Image Courtesy : Prayag Philatelic Society

 Philately Day : 13 October 2020 : Balangir 767001

Courtesy - Orissa Philatelic Association

World Cup Football (Jules Rimet Cup) and India

India was qualified for the final tournament for playing in the 4th edition of the World Cup Football held in Brazil in 1950. India then ranked 36 were placed in Pool- III along with Sweden (3), Italy (5) and Paraguay (10). But eventually withdrew because FIFA would not allow Indians to play barefoot. So far so good.

The Official Poster promoting the tournament unfortunately made a big goof-up. The original poster (now held in FIFA's archives in Zurich) shown below has the British-Indian Blue Ensign of pre-Independence India in place of Independent India's Tricolour adopted in 1947.

This poster was later depicted in several postage stamps issued from across the world viz., Uruguay (1951), Tcand (1977) and Japan (2010).

-       Sekhar Chakrabarty : email : sekhar.chakrabarti@gmail.com

Club News

Markand Dave wins The Royal Philatelic Society London Medal 2018

Markand Dave FRPSL,  A Philatelist from Nadiad has been awarded by Patrick Maselis RDP FRPSL , President of the Royal Philatelic Society London with the prestigious LONDON MEDAL 2018 for his outstanding and extensive services to the society as a Representative of India. He was awarded medal on 28^th June 2018. The Queen of Great Britain , Elizabeth ii is the Patron of the society where Markand Dave is the youngest fellow in the world and first Indian to receive this medal.

Stickers for Promotion of Philately

Thanks to Mr Sushil Mehra for these nice stickers.

12 October - National Philately Day

12 October is celebrated as Philately Day by India Post. Stamp exhibitions and other philatelic activities are organized by Deptt of Post on this day.

Philately Day Celebrated on Gorakhpur (UP)

Photo Courtesy : Ashwani Dubey, Gorakhpur

Philately Day in  Philatelic Bureau GPO Lucknow

Photo Courtesy : Ramesh Chandra Prajapati, Lucknow

Philately Day in Mumbai

Photo Courtesy : Surendra Kotadia, Mumbai

Adieu ...Man of Roses...

Rainbow will always miss you ........

I am sorry to inform all the  Readers of Rainbow that renowned philatelist Dr Satyendra Kumar Agrawal passed away on 21st April 2017. He was internationally known for his finest philatelic collection on Roses. He has written a number of articles on thematic philately  in several national and international philatelic magazines including Topical Times of American Philatelic Society. He has contributed more than 100 articles to Rainbow stamp News. His sudden death is a great loss to Indian philately. Our heartfelt Condolences to all his family members . May his soul Rest in Peace. 

RIP...Dr Agrawal....

It was shocking to hear the that Dr. Satyendra  Agrawal has passed away leaving a vacuum in philatelic fraternity in India. It took me some time to believe this  truth.  Dr Agrawal a very close friend of mine and was genuinely an asset of Indian philately. His different articles touching different aspects of thematic philately  will keep spreading their fragrance in the years to come in philatelic field as his  highly recognized collection and exhibit on ROSES does. A master in Thematic Philately, a thorough gentleman, a seasoned poet with good command on Urdu poetic vocabulary , a prolific writer, cartoonist  ….a man with versatile personality .My heartfelt condolences. May his soul rest in peace and may god give strength to his family members to bear this  irreparable s loss.

- Naresh Agrawal- Bilaspur (C.G.)

Dipok Dey What a sad news it is. He was a very good friend of mine. It's a great loss to Indian Philatelic particularly thematic . I pray to God- May his soul rest in peace.

Col Jayanta Dutta Sad to hear this. RIP

Abhai Mishra Unbelievable , no words to express the loss

Jagannath Mani 

Very sad news .Dr.Satyendra Kumar Agrawal 
Writer,Cartoonist,Philatelist and more over my one of my best friend who motivated others to write-up and share the knowledge among the others 
Lot of wonderful articles he contributed to philatelic world .
My heartfelt condolences...May his soul rest in peace and may god give strength to bear this loss to all friends and family members.

Sudhir Jain Oh very sad. He was great Philatelist, great writer and my good friend.
May God rest his soul in peace

Prashant Pandya Very Sad news. Indian Philatelic fraternity has lost a good writer. My heartfelt condolences.

Vidhu Chopra It's really a heartfelt news & difficult to believe such a shocking news.his absence will always be felt as we have lost such a knowledgable gentleman.My sincere condolence to the family & prayers for his departed soul

Kamran Ahmad very sad news .a flow of philatelic knowledge has stopped. 
sad day for philatelist community. 

New Special Cover from Bangalore

 

Special Cover on birth centenary of eminent philatelist Late Col. L. G. Shenoy

11th August 2015

Col. Lakshman Giri Shenoy (b. August 11, 1915, - d. June 19, 1997) was born as the second son of Giri Shenoy and Saraswathi Bai. He passed B.A (English) from the Maharajah's College, Ernakulam. His early career was as editor of English newspapers 'Hyderabad Herald' and 'Modern Times'. The powerful editorials which he wrote those days on the Freedom struggle and many other subjects prove his journalistic abilities. He joined British Indian Army during the Second World War as a second lieutenant in 1943. As a military officer, he travelled all over India. He served the army, which later became the Indian Army, for 24 years, retiring in 1968 as Colonel. After retirement, he worked in Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., Bangalore in higher management cadre. He selected Bangalore as his retirement abode in 1968 and settled there and spent his remaining life for the cause of philately.

Col. Shenoy was founder member of Karnataka Philatelic Society which was founded in 1976 and remained President of the society for four years. He was also a President of Philatelic Congress of India during 1993-95 and member of jury at State, National and International Philatelic Exhibitions. Col. L. G. Shenoy was specialized in the history of Travancore, Cochin, Puddukottai and Mysore Princely States of India. His knowledge of District Dak, Travelling Post Offices, (TPO) of India, Early India Cancellations and Sea Post Offices were outstanding. He also collected stamps and postal stationery on the subject ‘Coconut Tree’. Being a Postal Historian, he maintained a superb library which housed Postal History of C.E.F., I.E.F., WWI, WWII, Censorship Postmarks etc. Realising the need of Indian Philatelic Magazine with an emphasis on the Postal History, he embarked upon publishing ‘IND DAK’ on 1st January 1977. ‘IND DAK’ monthly was published without a break for 21 years till his death in June 1997. He promoted youth philately movement in India and published ‘MAYUR’ once in three months. He conducted awareness classes in Bangalore schools. His scholarly articles on Postal History of India and the Promotion of Youth Philately are the testimony of his great stature in the world of Philately. He passed away on 19th June 1997.

 

To mark the birth centenary of eminent philatelist Col. L. G. Shenoy a special cover was released by Karnataka Postal Circle at Bangalore with the support of Karnataka Philatelic Society and local philatelists Shri M.S. Ramu (Inddak), Shri Sushil Mehra, Shri Jagannath Mani and Shri Naveein who sponsored the special cover. (Special Cover approval no. KTK/49/2015)

Courtesy - Suresh Rao – ​Bengalore email : suresh.hobbies@gmail.com

 

175 years of Penny Black..

 

6 May 1840 :  The Penny Black stamp was officially launched

Happy Birthday Penny Black !!

 

The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was issued in Britain on 1 May 1840, for official use from 6 May of that year and features a profile of Queen Victoria.

All London post offices received official issues of the new stamps but other offices throughout the United Kingdom did not, continuing to accept postage payments in cash only for a period. Post offices such as those in Bath began offering the stamp unofficially after 2 May 1840.

The idea of an adhesive stamp to indicate pre-payment of postage was part of Sir Rowland Hill's 1837 proposals to reform the British postal system; it was normal then for the recipient to pay postage on delivery. A companion idea, which Hill disclosed on 13 February 1837 at a government enquiry, was that of a separate sheet that folded to form an enclosure or envelope for carrying letters. At that time postage was charged by the sheet and on the distance travelled.

On 1 May 1840, post offices were issued with stocks of black one-penny stamps bearing a profile of a young Queen Victoria. And on 6 May, their use became official.

The franking mark – to prevent re-use of the stamps – was a red Maltese cross. Unfortunately, that could be rubbed off. So the colour of the ink was changed to black – which spelled the end of the Penny Black, and the birth of the Penny Red, which was introduced in 1841 and would last until 1879.

The original die of penny black was engraved by the Heath brothers from a medal design showing the head of Queen Victoria by William Wyon. The stamps were printed by Perkins Bacon security printers in sheets of 240 examples without perforations with letters in each corner the deter forgery and each sheet had to be cut up by scissors at the post office. Due to the long life of the design 11 separate plates were used, each with its own distinguishing characteristics and in all over 68 Million Penny Blacks were printed.

Penny Blacks - what makes them valuable?

So what makes Penny Blacks valuable? The major factor is condition. Those postal clerks and their scissors didn’t often cut carefully along the narrow margins and the majority had the design cut into. Also because they became an overnight collecting sensation households and businesses would save them by passing a needle and thread through the middle making1d Black Strings which were then sold by the foot to budding stamp dealers!

On 17th February 2015,Isle of Man Post Office issued in collaboration with Stanley Gibbons marking the 175th Anniversary of the Penny Black, the world's first adhesive posting stamp used in the public postal system, and the birth of Edward Stanley Gibbons.

Press Clipping

 

Ludhiana philatelists wish for million-dollar stamp

Aditi Gyanesh,TNN | May 6, 2015, 06.52 AM IST

LUDHIANA: World's first adhesive postage stamp, 'Penny Black', completes 175 years, and so does the culture of stamps. City philatelists on Tuesday shared their experiences of collecting stamps and still craving for the prized 'Penny Black'. Some of them are even keeping dummy, stickers, or photocopies of this stamp, to memorize and tell people about how and when stamps around the world took birth.
The reason behind collectors pursuing this rare stamp is not just philately. "It is extremely high in crores," Yashpal Bangia, president of Philatelic Congress of Punjab, said. "None of the philatelist in North India have the Penny Black. One has to shell out in crores for the stamp. The pricing, however, depends on the stamp's condition," Bangia added.
"Every philatelist the Penny Black," Bangia said. However, to articulate his love for the world's first stamp on its 175th anniversary, Bangia proudly mentioned about his collection of stamps on "Rowland Hill", inventor of "Penny Black" and first Indian stamp.
Bangia has worked for India Post and has written more than 40 books on philately till date. Another philatelist, IP Mehta (67), "This stamp gave birth to our work and hobbies. With the 175 years of this stamp, it is also 175 years of culture of sending letters by using stamps. We have many Victorian stamps with us but not the most important one, sadly."
However, philatelist also discussed the loosing importance stamps in next generation. Emails have replaced stamps now, they said, people do not need snail mail it anymore.

- Times of India

Stamp on organized philately

 

 

125th anniversary of organized philately in Luxembourg

Date of Issue : 3 March 2015

Luxembourg Post has released a special stamp on occasion of the 125th anniversary of organized philately. The stamp was issued on the 3rd of March.

On Palm Sunday, 30 March 1890, five young collectors, Joseph Schock, J. Faber, Jean-Charles Kohn, Jean Hellinckx and Michel Goebel, met at the Kiffer Café in the train station district of Luxembourg-City to found a philately society, the “Union des Timbrophiles de Luxembourg”, the first philately society in Luxembourg.

In 1934, the “Union des Timbrophiles de Luxembourg” was one of the four founding societies of the “Fédération des Sociétés Philatéliques” of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (FSPL) which celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2014.

Club News

Bletchley Park Post Office to close

Britain’s secret little post office is to close at the end of March. The undercover mailroom of the Enigma code breakers during the Second World War became a post office in 1947. Then Bletchley Park’s first gift shop when it opened to the public in 1994. In 2012 it was refurbished and officially opened by the keeper of the Royal Philatelic Collection. But new management at Bletchley Park have decided it is no longer “core to the code breaking story”. It is the last of the private collections to leave Bletchley Park.

The limited edition first day covers for new stamp issues it produced helped in keeping Bletchley Park open in those early days. Many have become worth several hundred pounds GBP and sought after by collectors around the world. They became known as “little pieces of art and history” due to the beautiful artwork that combined with new stamp issues to tell the story of Bletchley Park.

Now that no more issues will bear the “Bletchley Park Post Office” postmark those collections could increase significantly in value. The few remaining cover and stamp issues are already being snapped by collectors and visitors whilst still available. The entire collection can be viewed at the bletchleycovers.com website.

- Terry Mitchell

Stamp donation : to save a child’s life

 

Here is  interesting information concerning stamps and stamp collecting. Who could only imagine that a pile of stamps helped to support a child with a serious illness? Thousands of stamps have poured in after a couple put out an appeal to help collect as many as possible to raise money to find a cure for their daughter’s rare genetic disease.

Carly and Paul Hadman set up stamp collection boxes in banks and shops across the Fens as part of an appeal to raise awareness and funds to find a cure for Late Infantile Batten Disease which their daughter Effie was diagnosed with last year.

Her mum Carly, of Whittlesey, thanked everybody for the response which she said had been amazing.Effie was a bright, bubbly girl until for no apparent reason she suddenly forgot all of her numbers, colours and people’s names. She then started suffering seizures.

Mrs Hadman said: “We thought she had epilepsy but in January 2014, when Effie was three and a half, we received the devastating news that she has Late Infantile Batten Disease which has a life expectancy of five to 12 years old”.

Carly and her husband Paul are carriers for the rare disorder. The one ray of light is that their one year old son George does not have the disease ‒ he was six weeks old when they discovered Effie was terminally ill.

Batten disease is a fatal, inherited disorder of the nervous system, in which previously normal children develop vision problems or seizures. At the moment, there is no treatment and no cure for Batten disease.

Slovak Philatelist honored on stamp

 

Date of Issue : 5 December 2014

I am pleased to share the information about a postage stamp to be issued in honour of a philatelist. Slovak Post will  release a special commemorative stamp to honor one of its greatest philatelists on the 5^th of December.

Severín Zrubec lived, worked and received his degree of Doctor in Laws at the Faculty of Law of the Slovak University (1948) in Bratislava. Severín Zrubec worked as a lawyer in various organisations. He held his final post at the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1968 – 1981) until 1982 when he retired. He is buried in his home place.

However, the philatelic public knows Severín Zrubec as a successful exhibitor, journalist, association member, and a member of home and foreign juries assessing exhibits. He took part in organised philately for more than fifty years. He engaged in modern view of philately as a hobby with a significant cultural and social mission. Since 1952, Severín Zrubec was a member of the Association of Slovak Philatelic Societies.

Attempts for re-establishment of the Association of Slovak Philatelists (1969) are also closely connected with his name. He held an office of the association chairman during two terms (1969 − 1979) and then continued as its vice-chairman for another two periods. His activities earned him various awards, for instance, Gold Honorary Medal of the Association of Slovak Philatelists and Laureate of the Prize of the Association of Slovak Philatelists 2000.

Severín Zrubec worked as a member of the Thematic Philately Commission of FIP (1974 - 1984) and International Jury of the Association of Slovak Philatelists (1973 − 2011), as well.  His name has been written in golden letters in the Slovak and European philatelic history. The exhibit “Today Rotary Press Machines Revolve” was displayed at several tens of domestic and foreign exhibitions for twenty eight years. It was awarded four gold, seventeen gilded and seven silver medals at five world’s fairs under the patronage of FIP and twenty two international exhibitions. When finishing his exhibition activity in 1998, Severín Zrubec gifted his extensive thematic collection “Printing and Book” to the Museum of Book Culture in Trnava. However, the good man and excellent philatelist was also a poet engaged in writing for a long time. During 2003 - 2005, he published fourteen short collections of subjective lyric poetry written especially for his friends and acquaintances.

The traditional postage stamp with a coupon annually issued at the occasion of the Postage and Philately Stamp Day is impressively shaped as a trapezium with triangle coupons. It is dominated by his portrait and autograph. Zrubec’s first gold medal awarded at the World Postage Stamp Exhibition PRAGA 1962 extends over the right coupon, while a section of the emblem of the Society of St. Gabriel, he co-founded (1962), is depicted on the left one. FDC includes a postal stationery (J. Fándly, 1991 from Museum of Book Culture) issued by the Union of Slovak Philatelists and sent to his address.

Club News

Hyderabad Stamp, coin & Note Fair – 2015 potponed

The Hyderabad Stamps, Coins & Notes Fair-2015 is postponed which was  proposed be held in February 2015 It was to be held at FAPCCI Federation House, Hyderabad. Executive Committee of FAPCCI has decided to renovate the Hall where this Fair was to be held, all bookings for the hall are cancelled.The Fair will be held under same terms and conditions and everything else remaining same, at the same place at a future date, details will be intimated soon.

- BK Nagpal  : email :  HydPhilSociety@yahoo.co.in Phone :+91 - 9885031013

 

One Crore Question on world’s first Airmail in KBC..

 

 

A stamp recognizing the feat of Henri Piquet

The recent episode of KBC in which Narula brothers of New Delhi won seven Crore Rupees, the One Crore Question was from Philately i.e name the pilot who flew the plane of world's first official airmail. To see the question I remembered my Blog Post and Henri Piquet's face flashed in my mind and unconsciously chose the right answer....Hope my philatelist friends watched this episode and felt the thrilling moment !! We always learn from philately....

India Post issued a souvenir sheet during World Stamp Exhibition INDIPEX 2011 on 100 years of Air Mail

On 18 February, 1911 the first commercial civil aviation flight took place in India between Allahabad and Naini, a distance of 6 miles when Henri Piquet carried 6500 mails on a Humber biplane. This is considered to be the world’s first airmail service and the beginning of civil aviation in India.

1911: THE WORLD GETS ITS AIRMAIL @ KUMBH

The Kumbh is known to have been a place where the first Air Mail started.

Historically,  Allahabad and the Mahakumbh are of great relevance. If the world  at any point got an Air Mail it was due to this very Kumbh in 1911.On February 8, 1911, French pilot Henri Piquet loaded a sack of 6500 cards and letters and flew away in a two seater bi plane. The flight was made to Naini and it reportedly lasted barely 13 minutes. Though it flew a mere five miles but it did create history.

This was the world’s first official airmail. Among the many letters sent ere the one written by Motilal Nehru to his son Jawaharlal Nehru and some addressed to England's King George V.

The flight happened when a grand exhibition was happening. The idea of the Airmail was the brainchild of British commander Walter G Windham. The British commander was reportedly approached by the chaplain of Allahabad’s Holy Trinity Church to help raise funds.

The idea which was then conceived for the money, was the AirMail. Many might ask how was this going to help, the idea was simple. This was to not only generate money, but it was also to help publicize the exhibition and also set an example of rapid and safe transportation of mails.

Hence, the idea of the world's first official airplane mail was born. Those interested in availing the service were asked to send their mail addressed and stamped to the chaplain of the Holy Trinity Church. The payment for the service was a basic six annas as donation. The funds collected were to go for the new hostel building of the Church. A condition however was set that cards or letters weighing less than one ounce was to be accepted.

Since the occasion was ceremonial, these letters were addressed to people all over the globe. It is believed when the flight was made thousands were present to witness the site. They viewed the take off from the polo ground and the landing at Naini junction.

It is said, when Piquet descended, there was no crowd to greet him. He merely handed over the mail bag to the only post office official present there and returned to Allahabad.Piquet himself is believed to have noted that he flew on a Sommer bi-plane with a rotary Gnome engine of 50 horsepower at the speed of 60 miles per hour at a height of 120-150 feet.

In an interview given to a magazine he had said, he flew over the Ganga and was sure he would make it. The interview was given before he died in 1974 at the age of 86.

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