STEM Education stamps from USPS

Date of Issue : 6 April 2018

The US Postal service will issue a set of four stamps on science, technology, engineering and mathematics on 6th April 2018.

STEM Education

These Forever stamps celebrate the role of science, technology, engineering and    mathematics  education in keeping America a global leader in innovation. 

In an increasingly competitive world, proficiency in the fields collectively known as STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — is more critical than ever.  Designed to pique the curiosity of the viewer, each of these four stamps features a collage of faces, symbols, drawings and numbers that represent the complexity and interconnectedness of the STEM disciplines.

New Stamps from India - The Solar System

The Solar System

Date of Issue : 20 March 2018

India Post issued  a set of 8 special postage stamps in the denomination of Rs 5 each on the Solar System on March 20, 2018 . The stamps are produced in a miniature sheet of 8 stamps and in 8 different sheetlets. The stamps were released in New Delhi by Shri Manoj Sinha, Minister of State for Communications (Independent Charge) and Minister of State for Railways .

200 Years of Kaleidoscope

Date of Issue : 10 July 2017

Here is a beautiful miniature sheet issued by Jersey Post featuring 200 Years of Kaleiodoscope. The kaleidoscope was invented in 1816 by Scottish scientist Sir David Brewster, and the patent was granted in 1817. Whereas the instruments themselves have become simplified and mass-produced in modern times, fascination remains constant some 200 years on. Six stamps feature intricate, symmetrically designed illustrations, in homage to the curious beauty of kaleidoscope patterns that have captivated people for 200 years. Each of the designs is based on a different theme, using Jersey’s abundance of flora and fauna as their subject.

An inscription on each stamp provides a clue as to what is shown. For example, the 49-penny stamp is inscribed “shells & anemones.”

The other stamps are inscribed: “feathers & eggs,” 63p; “wildflowers,” 73p; “woodlands,” 79p; “minibeasts” (insects and a spider), 90p; and “marine life,” £1.07.

Brewster (1781-1868), a Scottish physicist, actually invented the kaleidoscope in 1816. The 200th anniversary refers to the year it was patented, 1817.

Stamp on 57th International Mathematical Olympiad 2016

Date of Issue: 6 July 2016

"57th International Mathematical Olympiad 2016" Special Stamps

The 57th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), being held in Hong Kong from 6 to 16 July 2016, is hosted by the International Mathematical Olympiad Hong Kong Committee (IMOHKC) with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology as the Host University and the Education Bureau as the Supporting Organisation. More than 100 teams from all over the world will compete in this year’s contest. To mark this major mathematical event, Hongkong Post has  issued a stamp sheetlet on this theme.

The IMO is a competition for secondary school students. The event, held annually in a different country or territory, provides an opportunity for exchange among youngsters from around the world who are under the age of 20 and gifted in mathematics, and nurtures students’ interest in mathematics. The IMOHKC was founded in 1986. In collaboration with the Education Bureau and the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education, the committee voluntarily provides talented local students with mathematical Olympiad training and other learning opportunities. Hong Kong has been participating in the IMO since 1988, with the six representing contestants handpicked annually by the IMOHKC among the students attending training courses.

The stamp sheetlet features an illustration of Ceva’s Theorem, a tool frequently used in mathematics to solve problems in geometry. The stamp is circular in shape and shows a geometric problem formulated by Hong Kong, which was adopted as one of the questions in the 2010 IMO.

Joint stamp of Einstein and Stephen Hawking

Date of Issue : 1 July 2016

Here is a wonderful set of six stamps which marks the 100 years of Professor Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity and the work of theoretical physicist Professor Stephen Hawking. Its a nice set of stamps related with Science theme especially on  physics .

The stamps have been personally endorsed and approved by Professor Stephen Hawking together with support from The Stephen Hawking Foundation.

Professor Stephen Hawking says “This collection of six stamps, created in collaboration with the Isle of Man Post Office and Glazier Designs, displays some of the equations over the past century that have led to significant scientific discoveries and, in turn, have had a profound impact on the world.”

This stunning stamp issue showcases the works of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. Each stamp features a rare iridescent foil printing technique on the words ‘Isle’ and ‘Man’ and Her Majesty the Queen’s portrait along with warm earthy colours to create a scientific and atmospheric look and feel to the collection.

The insightful issue text explains the scientifically accurate diagrams featured on each of the stamps and was prepared by Cambridge university experts and Professor Hawking.

Stephen Hawking endorsed the stamps, saying: “I am honoured to have both my face and life’s work featured alongside Albert Einstein and the commemoration of 100 years since the publication of his theory of general relativity.”

100 Years of General Relativity Prestige Booklet

This exquisite full colour 24 page booklet contains two sets of the stunning 100 Years of Relativity Stamps. This booklet features additional issue text written by Prof. Stephen Hawking, Prof. Malcolm Perry and Sasha Hajnal-Corab, giving more insight in to the themes of the stamps. 

New stamp on Einstein..

 100 Years of   Einstein's Theory of Relativity 

Date of Issue : 20 March 2016

Albert Einstein, one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century, is most famous by his theory of relativity by which he introduced a revolution to modern physics was commemorated by a new special commemorative stamp by Croatia Post  on 20th March 2016.

General theory of relativity is a geometric theory that suggests that the presence of mass and energy “curves” space-time (physical concept that fuses space and time dimensions in one matter), and curvature impacts the way of free particles. The theory of relativity is named this way because according to it absolute greatnesses do not exist rather everything is relation to one another, and consists of two scientifically theories in the physics field: special relativity and general relativity.

One hundred years after Einstein’s General theory of relativity, in February 2016, scientists from Columbia University (New York) confirmed the existence of gravitational waves. This revelation confirmed Einstein’s final unconfirmed theory according to which gravitational waves move at the speed of light in a vacuum and have deviation in space. Evidence that gravitational waves exist proves Einstein’s theory that the term space-time is not emptiness but yet four ‒ dimensional “fabric” that could be stretched in cases in which objects pass through it.

Centenary of publication of Einstein‘s theory of relativity

 

 

 

Here is a recent stamp from Monaco featuring Einstein with an extraordinary design. The equations of his work could be seen in the background.

Einstein is the person who amazes not only scientists but also the ordinary people from different countries. Philatelists and stamp collectors are looking stamps that commemorate this great genius too. This year Postal Authorities celebrate the centenary of publication of Einstein‘s works on general relativity, and Monaco Post is not an exception.

In 1915, Einstein published his theory on gravitation, known as general relativity, which superseded Newton’s theory. However, despite convincing experimental confirmation, the theory of general relativity had to spend a period in the wilderness: it was only in 1960 that scientists recognized the true significance of the theory and grasped the revolutionary developments it represented.

New stamps on International Year of Light

 

International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (IYL 2015)

Serbia Post issued two stamps to commemorate IIYL 2015 on 26 August 2015.  The UN General Assembly 68th Session proclaimed 2015 as the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (IYL 2015) on 20 December 2013.This new issue is  dedicated to the International Year of Light ‒ a global initiative which highlights to the citizens of the world the importance of light and optical technologies in their lives, for their futures, and for the development of society.

Light plays a central role in human activities. On the most fundamental level through photosynthesis, light is necessary to the existence of life itself, and the many applications of light have revolutionized society through medicine, communications, entertainment and culture.

The International Year of Light is a global initiative which comprises a series of coordinated activities on national, regional and international levels, aiming to inform all citizens of the world about the importance of light and light-based technologies in their daily lives, their future, the development of society and art, and overall social progress.

Light is one of the initiators of the process of photosynthesis, an essential factor for the development of the biosphere and the evolution of the human species. The light plays a central role in human activities starting from the understanding of the world through the sense of vision, artistic expression, modern communications, Internet, to the development of the fundamental concepts that allow us to understand our place in the Universe and record the events in time and space.

Application of light-based technologies gave revolutionary contribution to the development of medical diagnostics and treatment, telecommunications, energy efficient manufacturing, media, art and culture, and thus improve the health and overall quality of life.

Almost all scientific fields are based on the theories of light and its interaction with matter, and light is also the main messenger in the study and our understanding of the Universe and subatomic world. The history of the study of light spans centuries, while the modern science of light was born in the 20th century. Today light and light-based technologies become key disciplines in science and technology of the 21st century.

100 years of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity

 

Date of Issue : 7 September 2015

Magyar Posta celebrates  100 years since the creation of theory of relativity by the genius of all times Albert Einstein. One hundred years ago Albert Einstein presented his new relativistic gravitational field equations to the Prussian Academy of Sciences at its meeting on 25 November 1915, and thus his general theory of relativity was born. Since then, this theory not only has proved to be of great significance in physics, but it also has astrophysical, technical and everyday applications. Magyar Posta issued a stamp on 7th March to mark this centenary.

A portrait of Albert Einstein, the Noble Prize-winning physicist, and the mathematical formula of the general theory of relativity appear in the stamp design.The First Day Cancellation features Einstein’s signature.

The general theory of relativity is the theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. Its basis is the equivalence principle, which describes gravitation and acceleration as two ways of seeing the same thing. The theory rests on the fact that, locally, no experiment can make a distinction between the homogeneous gravitational field and constant acceleration.

Einstein gradually expanded the meaning of the equivalence principle in his further writings and later included the idea that no physical measurement can establish the state of motion of a non-accelerating reference system. This means that it is impossible to measure, and thus in effect pointless to discuss, the changes in the inertial mass or electrical charges of the basic physical constants such as elementary particles in the case of different relative motions. Every measured change in these constants is either an experimental error or shows that the theory of relativity is wrong or wanting.

150th anniversary of the Discovery of the Laws of the Heredity

 

 

Here is wonderful set of stamps from Portugal. Portugal Post has released a set of stamps to mark the 150^th anniversary of the Discovery of the Laws of the Heredity. The design of both the stamps is very nice and appealing.

Mendelian laws of inheritance are statements about the way certain characteristics are transmitted from one generation to another in an organism. The laws were derived by the Austrian monk Gregor Mendel (1822–1884) based on experiments he conducted in the period from about 1857 to 1865. For his experiments, Mendel used ordinary pea plants. Among the traits that Mendel studied were the color of a plant’s flowers, their location on the plant, the shape and color of pea pods, the shape and color of seeds, and the length of plant stems.

Mendel’s approach was to transfer pollen (which contains male sex cells) from the stamen (the male reproductive organ) of one pea plant to the pistil (female reproductive organ) of a second pea plant. As a simple example of this kind of experiment, suppose that one takes pollen from a pea plant with red flowers and uses it to fertilize a pea plant with white flowers. What Mendel wanted to know is what color the flowers would be in the offspring of these two plants.

In the second series of experiments, Mendel studied the changes that occurred in the second generation. That is, suppose two offspring of the red/white mating (“cross”) are themselves mated. What color will the flowers be in this second generation of plants? As a result of these experiments, Mendel was able to state three generalizations about the way characteristics are transmitted from one generation to the next in pea plants.

Special stamp on International Year of Light

 

Date of Issue : 2 March 2015

Here is a unique stamp with special effects to be released by Liechtenstein Post today. This special  stamp, being  released on the 2nd of March is to celebrate the International Year of the Light.

Sunlight is the foundation of life for humans, animals and plants. Light in general is also a key subject of science and culture. The United Nations proclaimed 2015 as the International Year of Light: 1000 years ago it was proven for the first time that light sources emit light rays, exactly 200 years ago the wave character of light was discovered and the quantum theory of light is 110 years old.

Experimenting with light arouses scientific curiosity. The special stamp “Play of Light” (value: CHF 1.90) permits the observer to conduct three experiments relating to the anniversaries mentioned. The background of the stamp glows in the dark owing to its fluorescent colour. It turns into a source of light if it was exposed to sunlight beforehand.

The wave theory can be observed if the stamp is held up to a source of light. The micro-perforations in the paper become easily visible as the light waves are diffracted through the small openings. For the experiment on quantum theory, the light pink colour behind the ball was printed with a special colour. When irradiated with UV light, the colour turns from pink to violet.

Europa 2015 stamps from Liechtenstein

 

Date of Issue : 2 March 2015

Another set of stamps to be released on 2nd March features Europa 2015 . Toys are the theme of this year’s Europe stamps issued by the member states of the trade association representing European public postal operators, PostEurop. The Liechtenstein issue comprises two special stamps showing figurines produced in Liechtenstein in the 1940s, a “Polar Bear” (value: CHF 1.40) and a “Goat” (value: CHF 1.40).

The artistic realisation focuses on the actual purpose of the figurines – playing – so the pictures look like snapshots of childlike playing scenes: The polar bear is enjoying the climate in the freezer compartment of a refrigerator and the goat is proudly climbing a lemon. The toy factory in Schaan at that time made nativity figurines and other animal figures for several years. A kind of modelling material was developed in advance on the basis of kieselguhr in protracted tests. This was pressed into metal moulds and painted by hand after hardening. The figurines found a ready market worldwide. In 1949, one of the company’s founders left the company. Under the name Spiwa, his partner merged with another company in the business and continued to make toys for some years afterwards.

2015 - International Year of Light

 

Italian Post issued its special stamp edition celebrating International Year of Light 2015. The issue was released on the 26^th of January. On 20 December 2013, The United Nations (UN) General Assembly 68th Session proclaimed 2015 as the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (IYL 2015) .

This International Year has been the initiative of a large consortium of scientific bodies together with UNESCO, and will bring together many different stakeholders including scientific societies and unions, educational institutions, technology platforms, non-profit organizations and private sector partners.

In proclaiming an International Year focusing on the topic of light science and its applications, the United Nations has recognized the importance of raising global awareness about how light-based technologies promote sustainable development and provide solutions to global challenges in energy, education, agriculture and health.

Light plays a vital role in the daily lives and is an imperative cross-cutting discipline of science in the 21st century. It has revolutionized medicine, opened up international communication via the Internet, and continues to be central to linking cultural, economic and political aspects of the global society.

Club News

Stamp Exhibition at Hazaribagh

A  District level Philatelic Exhibition has been organized at “Gurunanak Palace, Near Government Bus Stand, Hazaribagh” from 06^th  February to 07^th  February 2015.

- Anil K Saxena - Gaya, Bihar

 

A request to the Readers

Philatelic Gems of the Maharajas Maharanis

I am currently working on producing a limited edition 500+ page coffee-table book that will feature what one considers the gems of Indian States Philately (both Convention & Feudatory). Items in the form of stamps, covers and postal stationery (excluding fiscals & revenues) will be represented from each State.

I am reaching out to all the members of our Society to request scans of items you feel should be pictured in the book. Provenance will be duly acknowledged unless one prefers to remain anonymous. We have several ISC members who are collaborating on this project.

 
Please send scans of items you feel should be considered for the book along with a brief write-up (if you have one) describing the item. All submissions must be received by no later than October 31st,  2015.

Please send scans by email or mail them on a CD to my address below.

The target launch date for this book is the 'World Stamp Show-NY 2016" on May 28' 2016.

- Sandeep Jaiswal sc APS UPSS GCS= PO Box 8689 Cranston, RI 02920 USA

Phone: +1 401 888 9473 From UK: 020 3002 3626 email :  sj722@aol.com

 

 

New Special Cover

 

13th Silviculture Conference, FRI Dehradun

A special cover was released on 24 November 2014 at Forest Research Institute (FRI) Dehradun, during the 13th Silviculture Conference (24-28 Nov. 2014) to mark the 150 years of organised Forestry in India (1864-2014). The special cover/cancellation was designed by noted  philatelists  Mr Abhai Mishra and Mr Rajesh Verma.

Garhwal Post - 29 November 2014

Courtesy : Abhai Mishra - Dehradun

Stamps on Sun Dials

 

 

 

Date of Issue : 16 December 2014

Israel Post has prepared for issuing a special set of three stamps on the theme “Sundials”- the first tool that allowed people to measure the passing of time. Three beautiful and different sundials found in Israel are depicted on this stamp set. The issue is to be released on the 16^th of December.

 

Sundials in Eretz Israel

The changing shadows cast upon the ground as the sun apparently moved across the sky have caught people’s attention since ancient times. This phenomenon was utilized in planning the sundial, the first tool that allowed people to measure the passing of time and determine the precise time for purposes of work and ritual.

The simplest type of sundial consists of a vertical rod (gnomon) that casts a shadow onto a dial marked with semicircular lines. Over time, sundials were improved and their precision was enhanced. Sundials are referenced in world literature as far back as the Bible.

The Jewish Quarter, Jerusalem

In the early 1970′s, a mobile sundial made of stone was discovered among the ruins of a grand building that was unearthed in an archeological dig in the eastern part of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem after the Six Day War and given the name “Beit Hamidot” (the measurement house). The dial was approximately 11 cms tall and the elegant etchings along its sides attest to the fact that it was a prestigious item used in a wealthy home in the 1st century.

It is a polar sundial, in which the scale of dates is affixed at a 33 degree angle to the ground, in accordance with the geographic latitude of Acre, and the top of the scale faces toward the pole. A dedication is carved into the front of the dial – “This sundial of the Al Anwar Al Ahmedi Mosque, which was dedicated by the honorable, renowned and magnificent minister Hag Ahmed Pasha Al Jezzar, who shall be rewarded by the forgiving God, is dedicated to benefitting humanity. It was built by Ibrahim Al-Faradi the Kurd in 1201 of the hijra of the prophet”.

Zoharei Chama Synagogue, Jerusalem

In 1908 a large perpendicular sundial was built on the southern wall of the Zoharei Chama synagogue on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem. It was designed and constructed by Moshe Shapira, a Jewish man from the old Yishuv who was born in the Meah She’arim neighborhood. He learned how to make sundials from Aryeh Leib Gordon,a learned educator in Jerusalem at that time, and from studying a book by the Vilna Gaon. The scale of dates is five meters in diameter and marked with lines indicating 5 minute intervals.

The pole that casts the shadow is fixed at an angle, parallel to the earth’s axis. Two reg

Club News

Hyderabad Stamp, coin & Note Fair – 2015 postponed

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

 

Santa at work

 

Date of Issue : 27 November 2014

Here is a beautiful set of stamps to be issued by Jersey Post for this year’s Christmas featuring Santa Claus at work ! This is a wonderful set of stamps and sure to be liked by one and all. These stamps are so beautiful that children would really  like them very much. 

Santa Clause is the brightest symbol of Christmas. Father Christmas is known by many different names around the world including Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Sinterklaas and Père Noël. A figure whose origin lies in legend, history and folklore, in many Western cultures he is said to bring gifts to the homes of well-behaved children the night before Christmas.

Whilst his appearance and features vary according to different countries, cultures and periods in history, over the years the somewhat contradictory characterisations have merged together to create the universal image of Father Christmas.

 

300 years Fahrenheit scale

 

Date  of Issue : 9 November 2014

German Post issued on the 3rd of November a special postage stamp marking 300 years of creating the Fahrenheit scale.  Fahrenheit is a temperature scale used mostly in the USA. It was introduced almost 300 years ago by a German scientist called Daniel Gabrial Fahrenheit. The stamp is very nice with a very appealing design, highlighting the theme.

When Europeans sweat at 32 degrees,  Americans scrape ice from the car windows. Since then the clarifying question is appropriate: Fahrenheit or Celsius? Two scientists namesake, two units of measurement for temperature. Originally from Gdansk physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686-1736) in 1714 has significantly improved the thermometer and combined it with a scale divided into degrees. On his scale, he adopted a calibrated high and a low point. For the first time could not only absolute temperatures and temperature differences are indicated. A few decades later, in 1742, introduced the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701-1744) but before the common use today in our degree Celsius temperature scale.

As a glassblower put forth Weingeist- Fahrenheit and mercury thermometer, which showed mismatched measurements. Thus, the basis for the serial production of thermometers was placed. To the zero point of his scale he determined the lowest temperature of the cold winter of 1708/09 in Gdansk. The Danziger winter record was minus 17.8 degrees Celsius and was characterized by a mixture of ice, water and ammonium chloride at any time produced. At the other end of the Fahrenheit scale, the boiling point of water was 212 ° Fahrenheit.

The end of Fahrenheit standards in Europe came in the 19th century. Following the lead of meter and kilogram of the measurement systems were unified and divided into tens or hundreds units. So the Fahrenheit scale over the Celsius scale falling behind. For this you took yourself in buying that with the Celcius measurement - below 32 ° Fahrenheit - were regularly reported freezing temperatures. But who jumps at 100 ° Fahrenheit in the pool, this must not fear: There are 38 ° Celcius.

Courtesy – German Post

Indian Antarctic Expedition - Philatelist’s Guide

 

 

I am pleased to write the review of the recent book “Indian Antarctic Expedition-Philatelist's Guide'” by noted philatelist of Dehradun, Mr Abhai Mishra  . Mr Mishra personally presented this book to me recently . I have gone through the book and found that it is not only the catalogue of philatelic items related to Indian Antarctic Expeditions for a philatelist but a complete book on all Indian Antarctic Expeditions which will attract philatelists and non philatelists both since the book gives comprehensive details about  people, organizations and scientific units associated with Indian Antarctic Expeditions. Another interesting part of the book is author’s personal experiences revealed in the book  which he had as a member during twenty-first Indian Antarctic Expedition  2002 .He writes …

“Participation in the Antarctic Expedition requires mental and physical fitness at the utmost level. An Antarctic expeditionary has to face the severe cold, blizzards and isolation. Members  of the Expedition had to undergo a week long rigorous medical examination at AIIMS, New Delhi. The team was taken to Gursaon Top (13000ft), Auli, Joshimath for acclimatization purpose. The team had undergone extensive training for movement in the glaciers.”

The book is the amalgamation of  philately and scientific expedition which the readers would find  extraordinarily interesting !! Before I share my own review I would like to share here a wonderful review of this book by a non philatelist, Mr US Pandey who is a banker,  novelist and a  writer. His review is available at following link..

A Scientist and a Philatelist

Indian Antarctic Expedition —Philatelist’s Guide 

-  A Review by US Pandey 

 http://uspandey.com/2014/08/14/a-scientist-and-a-philatelist/

Book Review

Indian Antarctic Expedition Philatelist’s Guide By Abhai Mishra - Pages 116 - Price For India  Rs. 1500/- postpaid. For foreign via paypal 50 euro postpaid  Available at  : www.stampsofindia.com or contact Abhai Mishra  email : abhai_mishra@rediffmail.com 

 A book titled "Indian Antarctic Expedition-Philatelist's Guide" by noted philatelist, Mr Abhai Mishra was recently released in Dehradun. The book traces the history of Indian Antarctic Expeditions through mails and letters carried with the expedition. It documents the Indian Antarctic postal history through cancellations, cachets, labels, envelopes, letter  heads, QSL cards, postcards used during the expedition. The book reveals very rare and lesser known facts of Antarctica. The book illustrates, hundreds of rare letters carried with the expedition and describes each and every Indian Expedition in detail.

Author with Dr Giriraj Singh Sirohi,First Indian to visit Antarctica

The book has 54 chapters.These include historical perspective (with details about Dr Giriraj Singh Sirohi, First Indian to visit Antarctica and Dr Paramjit Singh Sehra, first Indian to winter over in Antarctica) , Various date cancellers used in Indian Antarctic Post Offices,Institutions managing the Indian Antarctic  Program, Indian Antarctic Expeditions,Indian Antarctic Stations ( Dakshin Gangotri, Maitri and Bharati), Lists of Commemorative stamps, special covers, Cinderella and booklets pertaining to Indian Antarctic Expeditions, Indian Antarctic Clubs, lists of QSL Cards used by the HAM operators  during the expeditions,, honorary postmasters of Indian Antarctic Post offices, Feats and Facts of Indians in Antarctica and List of estimated price of  Indian Antarctic Covers .

The author has given guideline as to how to use the book. Various  Philatelic items illustrated in the book have been numbered for reference purpose. Specific numbers have been assigned to Covers, Letter Heads, Labels, Postcards, Cachets, Viewcards, QSL Cards and Date Cancellers. The details about these numbers have been given under special chapter “ Numbering System”.

The author himself was part of twenty-first Indian Antarctic Expedition in 2002 as communication officer. He writes…‘When I saw the first iceberg, draped in the evening sun and glittering like gold on the vast expanse of water, I decided I will definitely write a memoir of my journey to the forbidden continent. It never happened.’ But in this book Mr Abhai Mishra writes about his Antarctic Expedition both as a scientist and philatelist with a deep research on various type of philatelic items issued  on Indian Antarctic Expeditions. As a scientist he explains all technical terms, organizations and technical units associated with the expeditions as well as many interesting facts which he himself experienced during the expedition. As a philatelist he categorized all the philatelic items related with Indian Antarctic Expedition  which he could obtain or create so meticulously in a catalogue form. The material listed in the book primarily belongs to author’s collection which took about ten years to form.

In fact this book has  created  a special branch of postal history which could be called Postal history of Indian Antarctic Expeditions . It  will be cherished by all philatelists as this is a novel and difficult subject . Difficult in the sense that to collect letters from Antarctica,lot of patience is required as it may take about a year for the letter to reach its destination by various modes of Transport like ships, snow automobiles, aircraft helicopter, sledge etc..The author has put great efforts to  list and catalogue the material related to Indian Antarctic expedition which beautifully  emerged into new branch of Indian postal history. This book will be very useful to those too who love to know more about Indian Antarctic expeditions as the book gives  necessary details  about all Indian Antarctic Expeditions and personal thrilling experiences of the author .

The book is first of its kind to be written on Indian Antarctic postal history.  The book has a nice  layout with high quality printing on very fine paper. Various philatelic items illustrated in the book are very sharp , clear and  are in their original color   . This is an essential reference book for the lovers of  Indian Postal History and those collecting stamps on   Antarctica or scientific expedition themes. The book will be an asset to the libraries of educational institutions as well as to the  libraries of the philatelic societies. Every philatelist will be proud to have this book in his/her collection.

About the author

Abhai Mishra is an amateur philatelist since 25 years.He has designed over fifty Special Covers and cancellations for the Department of Post. As a philatelist he specializes in in the area of Indian Antarctica and Uttrakhand. He has authored a book titled – ‘A Philatelic Journey’, published by Deptt of Post, Uttrakhand Circle.Professionally he is a scientist with Defence Research and Development, presently working at DEAL, Dehradun. He may be contacted at email : abhai_mishra@rediffmail.com

 

- Jeevan Jyoti

New Special Cover

 

The NAARM Special Cover and NAARM My Stamp :  1st July 2014

NAARM : National Academy of Agricultural Research Management

Dr M.S. Swaminathan, renowned agricultural scientist released the NAARM Special Cover and NAARM My Stamp with Smt Mariamma Thomas, Director, Postal Services, Andhra Pradesh Circle, Hyderabad at the campus of the National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad on 1 July 2014 during the inaugural session of the Foundation Course for Agricultural Research Service (FOCARS-100).  During the inauguration  Dr S. Ayyappan, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director-General, ICAR, Dr D. Rama Rao, Director, NAARM, and Dr S.L. Goswami, former Director, NAARM and many eminent agricultural scientists were also present. Ravi Viswanathan, Editor, NAARM facilitated the release.

 

Dr M.S. Swaminathan (right) releases the NAARM Special Cover and NAARM My Stamp. Also seen are Drs S. Ayyappan, Secretary, DARE and Director-General, ICAR and D. Rama Rao, Director, NAARM. Behind are Smt Mariamma Thomas, Director, Postal Services, A.P. Circle, and Ravi Viswanathan, Editor, NAARM.

 

Special Cover on Doctor’s Day : 1 st July 2014

A Special Cover released by India Post, Tamil Nadu Circle on the occasion of Doctor's Day on 1st July 2014. 1st July is  both the birth and death anniversary of Dr. B.C. Roy.  He was a renowned Doctor, Freedom fighter and Chief Minister of West Bengal [1948-1962].  He was also awarded Bharat Ratna.

 

Courtesy : CG Bhaskar - Chennai & Ravi Viswanathan - Hyderabad