28 February 2010

Greetings on Holi !

 

Wishing you all a very Happy & Colorful HOLI !

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Hi ! It’s a festive time in India. Holi is one of the biggest Indian festivals celebrated with great joy all over the country. The fervor of Holi has started. It will be celebrated tomorrow in most parts of India but at my place Kullu it is being celebrated today a day before as per traditions in Kullu since a long time. So wishing you all a very Happy Holi. I have just introduced a non philatelic Blog…..It may interest those, who love music & Literature…just visit & enjoy a special Holi song by famous Pakistani Singer Farida Khanam… http://ilikemostinlife.blogspot.com/ This is all for Today….Have a wonderful Holi with your friends and relatives ! My special Greetings for those Indians who are not in India but living in other parts of the world, away from their native country and missing the vibrant colors of Holi ….Just have a wonderful time with your family ! Happy Holi !

27 February 2010

Festivals of India - Holi



Greetings on Holi - The festival of Colors


The colorful festival of Holi is celebrated on Phalgun Purnima which comes in February end or early March. Holi festival has an ancient origin and celebrates the triumph of 'good' over 'bad'. The colorful festival bridges the social gap and renew sweet relationships. On this day, people hug and wish each other 'Happy Holi'.Holi celebration begins with lighting up of bonfire on the Holi eve. Numerous legends & stories associated with Holi celebration makes the festival more exuberant and vivid. People rub 'gulal' and 'abeer' on each others' faces and enjoy the festival.


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The Legend of Holika and Prahlad

The Legend
There was once a demon king by the name of Hiranyakashyap who won over the kingdom of earth. He was so egoistic that he commanded everybody in his kingdom to worship only him. But to his great disappointment, his son, Prahlad became an ardent devotee of Lord Naarayana and refused to worship his father.Hiranyakashyap tried several ways to kill his son Prahlad but Lord Vishnu saved him every time. Finally, he asked his sister, Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap. For, Hiranyakashyap knew that Holika had a boon, whereby, she could enter the fire unscathed.
Treacherously, Holika coaxed young Prahlad to sit in her lap and she herself took her seat in a blazing fire. The legend has it that Holika had to pay the price of her sinister desire by her life. Holika was not aware that the boon worked only when she entered the fire alone.
Prahlad, who kept chanting the name of Lord Naarayana all this while, came out unharmed, as the lord blessed him for his extreme devotion.Thus, Holi derives its name from Holika. And, is celebrated as a festival of victory of good over evil.

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Holi is also celebrated as the triumph of a devotee. As the legend depicts that anybody, howsoever strong, cannot harm a true devotee. And, those who dare torture a true devotee of god shall be reduced to ashes.


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Celebration of the Legend

Even today, people enact the scene of 'Holika's burning to ashes' every year to mark the victory of good over evil.

In several states of India, specially in the north, effigies of Holika are burnt in the huge bonfires that are lit. The tradition of burning 'Holika' is religiously followed in Gujarat and Orissa also. Here, people render their gratitude to Agni, the god of fire by offering gram and stalks from the harvest with all humility.Further, on the last day of Holi, people take a little fire from the bonfire to their homes. It is believed that by following this custom their homes will be rendered pure and their bodies will be free from disease. After the burning of Holika the real color of Holi starts….Which creates a festive environment and everyone could be seen in different colors !!

Club News

Our Readers write…

Kaliash Nankani, Jodhpur (Rajasthan)

I  am a philatelist from jodhpur 342008 Raj I Collect Birds,Aids,Indian mint stamps and Postal History.I regularly visit Rainbow Stamp club and Rainbow Stamp News. It is very good for every philatelists I share a news clipping about AIRMAIL published in our SunCity Jodhpur local newspaper.

- KAILASH NANKANI  E –Mail : k_nankani@yahoo.co.in    Ph : 09314059290 & 02912755283

 

 

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New Stamps from India




PC Sorcar - 23 February 2010


PC Sorcar - The King of Magic

P C Sorcar (Senior) was known worldwide as `Jadusamrat` or emperor of magic for his achievements in the art of magic . He was an internationally active magician throughout the 1950s and 1960s, performing his "Indrajal" show before live audiences and on television.

P C Sorcar (Senior) was born on 23rd February 1913 in the small village of Ashekpur in Tangail district presently in Bangladesh. He was attracted to magic at very early age. Ganapati Chakravarti had been the Guru for him. His education began at the local Shibnath High School. While still at school, he started performing in magic shows. However, this did not interfere with his education. In 1929, he passed the Entrance examination in the first division. In 1933 he graduated with honors in Mathematics. After completing his education, he took up magic as a profession. At the age of 58, Sorcar died of a heart attack in Ashaikawa, Hokkaido, Japan, on January 6, 1971. He went to perform there. P C Sorcar (Senior) has been succeded by three sons animator, director, and laserist Manick Sorcar and magicians P.C. Sorcar, Jr. and P.C. Sorcar, Young.


In 1934 P C Sorcar (Senior) first went abroad. He subsequently toured about 70 countries, including the United States and the USSR. P C Sorcar (Senior) won many prizes for his magic at home and abroad. For best stage magic he twice earned the `Phoenix Award` in the United States. He also won the `German Goldbar` and the `Golden Laurel Garland` awards and the `Dutch Tricks Prize`. In 1964 the Indian government honored him with the "Padmashri". In 1937, P C Sorcar (Senior) donated all the money he had earned in Japan to the cause of the Indian freedom movement.

P C Sorcar (Senior) was a member of the societies of magicians in France, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium and Japan. He was a member of the International Rotary Club and life member of the Royal Asiatic Society in London. The Calcutta branch of the International Society of Magicians of USA was named after him. A number of well-known writers of Europe have written books on him, the most famous being "Sorcar: Maharaja of Magic".

A Technicolor motion picture has been produced on his magic. The All India Magic Conference published a photographic album on him on his 50th birthday in 1963. A long-playing record on him was released by `His Master`s Voice`. For his achievements in the art of magic he was known worldwide as "Jadusamrat" or emperor of magic.


The Bible Society of India - 21 February 2010


Club News


Indian Stamp Popularity Poll 2009


Stamps of India presents the Stamp Poll 2009 to select the best stamp of 2009, best miniature sheet of 2009, and best sheetlet of 2009. The results shall be announced based on the most number of votes polled.


You can send as many ballots as you wish. Please select from the issues of 2009 as shown at http://www.stampsofindia.com/lists/stamps/2009stamps.htm and vote for the best stamp, miniature sheet, and sheetlet of 2009 in your opinion. Also write your name, City, email id, and philatelic interests on the ballot and email your ballots to: stamppoll@stampsofindia.com


The last date to receive the ballots at Stamps of India is February 28, 2010. Incomplete ballots shall not be considered.

Several attractive philatelic prizes will be given away. The winners will be decided by draw of lots. Individual & Societies are welcome to sponsor for prizes, please contact admin@stampsofindia.com

in this regard.


Stamp Exhibitions in Himachal Pradesh

13-14 March SIMPEX 2010 Shimla

Venue : Gaiety Theatre, Shimla

22-23 March 2010 KulluPex 2010 Kullu

Venue : Deb Sadan, Kullu

March 2010 Distt. Stamp Exhibition, Dharamshala

For more details the concerned GPO/HPO may be contacted.


26 February 2010

Recent Stamps on Vancouver - 2010




Date of Issue - 8 February 2010



Hi ! here are the recent wonderful issues on Vancouover - 2010. The first pair shown above was issued by France on 8 Feb 2010. The stamps show two Olympic sports - alpine skiing and figure skating.The other lovely pair was issued by Monaco on 4 Dec 2009 featuring Skiing & Scateboarding. The stamps from Belarus are also very nice with a beautiful cancellation. To see these fantastic issues, I am highly fascinated to Vancuover 2010 stamps and would love to collect them. So anyone who is interested in recent Indian stamps may send me stamps on Winter Olympics for exchange. This is all for this Post.....Till next Post...Have a Nice Time !




Date of Issue - 4 December 2009





New stamps from Belarus





Date of Issue - 25 January 2010


25 February 2010

Cover from Croatia…

 

 

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Hi ! Here is a nice cover sent to me by my friend Zeljko from Croatia. Zeljko has also sent  me two beautiful stamps from  United Nations featuring Paintings by children on Rights of the Child & a nice cover with Tourism cancellation of 1965. The  70 c stamp depicts a lovely Rainbow.  Thanks Zeljko for these beautiful items ! This is all in this Post……Till Next Post Have a Great Time !

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United Nations - Rights of the Child

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GODINA TURIZMA – MALI LOSINI - 1 August 1965

"80 Years of Tourism" -Cancel is from Mali Lošinj, town

24 February 2010

New Stamps from New Zealand

 

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To be issued on 4 March  2010

 

Hi ! Here are some nice stamps and coins to be issued on 4th March by New Zealand featuring Reptiles of New Zealand. In 2010 New Zealand  once again celebrates its incredible extinct natural heritage with oversized stamps and five amazing coins. These species disappeared 65 million years ago. Here are the details about these reptiles. This is all in for today’s Post….Till Next Post…have a Wonderful Time !

A hundred million years ago, New Zealand  formed the eastern margin of the southern super-continent of Gondwanaland. Separated by ocean, ‘Zealandia’ had its own group of dinosaurs, pterosaurs (flying reptiles) and giant marine reptiles that thrived here for 20 million years. The Ancient Reptiles of New Zealand stamp and coin issue explores the behaviour and habitats of this exceptional group of animals, as if an explorer has travelled back in time and observed them directly. Illustrations on the stamps and coins are ‘field sketches’ – reconstructions based on the most up-to-date information on animal behavior, ecology and New Zealand paleontology.

Reptiles_stamps

50c - Allosaurus
At 12 metres long, Allosaurus was the largest meat eater on land in the region. It was at the top of the food chain and,it has been suggested,had a cooperative social behaviour, hunting in packs, much like lions do today. It was able to open its jaws extremely widely, allowing it to attack large prey.

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$1.00 - Anhanguera
This pterosaur was the most common flying reptile in Zealandia. Fish eaters with a five-metre wingspan, they formed large coastal nesting colonies, similar to the seabirds of our time. They laid leathery eggs, and the flight centres in the brains of the young developed well before
hatching, suggesting that they could fly from birth.

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$1.80 - Titanosaurus
Titanosaurus was the last descendant of the giant sauropods. It was small for a member of this group of dinosaurs, just 14 metres long, but was still massive and weighed about 13 tonnes. It was tall enough to browse the treetops and large ferns, travelling as part of an extensive
herd to protect itself from predators.

Reptiles_stamps 

$2.30 – Moanasaurus
The mosasaurs (including Moanasaurus) were the top predators of the shallow coasts of Zealandia. At 12 metres long, with a 78-centimetre long skull, Moanasaurus would have been a fearsome predator, undulating its snake-like body through the water a little like a crocodile with paddled feet. Although mosasaurs were widespread across the world, Moanasaurus was specific to this region.

 Reptiles_stamps
$2.80 - Mauisaurus
Mauisaurus was a 20-metre marine reptile (plesiosaur), the largest of its kind in the world. It was an ‘elasmosaur’, the type of plesiosaur with a tiny head and very long neck. This meant that, for all its size, its diet was restricted to small fish and squid in the shallow coastal waters in which it lived.

Commemorative Coins featuring reptiles of New Zealand

This handsome set comprises five pure silver (0.999) coins, featuring highly detailed, dynamic illustrations of each of the ancient reptiles will also be issued. These include the Allosaurus, Anhanguera, Mauisaurus, Moanasaurus and Titanosaurus.

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23 February 2010

St Patrick’s Day !…

 

St Patriick

Date of Issue -18 February 2010

Hi ! In today’s Post  some new stamps from Ireland. The recent one shown above was issued to commemorate St. Patrick’s Day on 18 February. Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland .Saint Patrick's Day  colloquially St. Paddy's Day  , is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick, and is generally celebrated on 17th of March.The day is a national holiday of Ireland. It is also a public holiday in Montserrat. In Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, Argentina and New Zealand, it is widely celebrated but is not an official holiday. Here are some more new beautiful stamps from Ireland including a wonderful wedding Booklet. Just enjoy this Post….& Have a Great Time !………….More in Next Post !….

St Patriick

On 18 February, 2010, An  Post (Ireland Post) issued a stamp to celebrate Ireland's patron saint and one of Christianity's most widely known figures. Patrick's Day is Ireland's national holiday and one of the most widely celebrated days all over the world. The stamp features an image of St. Patrick from a stained glass window in St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Co Armagh and can be used to send St. Patrick's Day wishes to anywhere in the world.

 

Year of Tiger

Tiger

Date of Issue – 11 February 2010

On 11 February, 2010, An Post issued a stamp to celebrate the Chinese New Year which began on 14 February, 2010. This year is the year of the tiger which is the third sign in the cycle of the Chinese zodiac which consists of 12 animal signs. It is a sign of courage. The tiger is a natural born leader and symbolizes power, passion and daring.

Wedding 2010

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Date of Issue - 21 January, 2010

 

On 21 January, 2010, An Post issued the fourth stamp in its popular Wedding series.The ever popular Wedding stamp is produced for use on wedding stationery, specifically for the growing bridal market. Lovingly illustrated by well-known Irish artist, Cathy Dineen, this year's stamp uses a pair of devoted lovebirds to embody the love and joy shared by the happy couple. Steve Simpson supplied the superb typography and layout for this beautiful representation of love and marriage, which is available in booklets of 10 self-adhesive stamps.

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First Day Cover (serviced)

First Day Cover featuring the 2010 Wedding stamp with cancellation from the first day of issue.

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Wedding Stamp Booklet

The Wedding Booklet is a convenient stamp booklet of ten self-adhesive stamps designed specially for  Wedding invitations, RSVP's, Thank You notes/cards, Wedding announcements, and Engagement invitations.

Courtesy - An Post ( Irish Stamps)

 

Club News

New Member

Name :   M.Ramesh

City : Hyderabad(AP) India

E-Mail  ramesh.manda49@yahoo.com

Postal Address…16a Bhelclny,Rasulpura.Secunderabad                

Collecting Interest – Worldwide stamps  

I am Ramesh from Secudersbad and would like to exchange stamps from friends around the world.

22 February 2010

New Special Cover on Spring Festival

 
 
 
 

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Date of Issue – 20 February 2010

Hi ! Here is a special cover recently issued by Uttrakhand Postal Circle commemorating Spring Festival of Dehradun.The cover design features a very important medicinal plant Gentiana kurroora. The root of this plant is widely used in preparation of a variety of medicines for liver disorder,stomach aches, diabetes, renal trouble etc. I want to mention here that this plant is also found in some parts of Kullu district My thanks to Mr Abhai Mishra of Dehradun for today’s Post. This beautiful cover will take a good place in thematic collection related with Plants. This is all in today’s Post….Till Next Post…..Have a Nice Time !

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21 February 2010

Great Personalities - Mother Pondicherry





The Mother - Pondicherry – Birth Anniversary - 21 February


"I belong to no nation, no civilization, no society, no race, but to the Divine.
I obey no master, no rules, no law, no social convention, but the Divine.
To Him I have surrendered all, will, life and self; for Him I am ready to give all my blood, drop by drop, if such is His will, with complete joy, and nothing in his service can be sacrifice, for all is perfect delight." - The Mother


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Originally named Mirra Alfassa, the Mother was born in Paris on 21 February 1878. She was the daughter of Maurice Alfassa, a banker (born in Adrianople, Turkey in 1843) and Mathidle Ismaloun (born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1857). Maurice, his wife and his son, Matteo (born in Alexandria in 1876), emigrated from Egypt to France in 1877, one year before Mirra's birth. Her early education was given at home. Around 1892 she attended a studio to learn drawing and painting, and later studied at the Paris Salon.

Concerning her early spiritual life, the Mother has written: "Between 11 and 13 a series of psychic and spiritual experiences revealed to me not only the existence of God but man's possibility of uniting with Him, of realizing Him integrally in consciousness and action, of manifesting Him upon earth in a life divine." In her late twenties the Mother voyaged to Tlemcen, Algeria, where she studied occultism for two years with a Polish adept, Max Theon, and his wife. Returning to Paris in 1906, she founded her first group of spiritual seekers. She gave many talks to various groups in Paris between 1911 and 1913.

At the age of thirty-six the Mother journeyed to Pondicherry, India, to meet Sri Aurobindo. She saw him on 29 March 1914 and at once recognized him as the one who for many years had inwardly been guiding her spiritual development. Staying for eleven months, she was obliged to return to France because of the First World War. She lived in France for about a year and then in Japan for almost four years. On 24 April 1920 she returned to Pondicherry to resume her collaboration with Sri Aurobindo, and remained here for the rest of her life.

At that time a small group of disciples had gathered around Sri Aurobindo. The increase of disciples led to the founding of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram on the 24th Nov, 1926. From the beginning Sri Aurobindo entrusted the Mother with full material and spiritual charge of the Ashram. After almost 50 years of work at every level, the Mother left her body on 17th Nov. 1973, at the age of ninety five.

The Mother and Aurobindo
On the 7th of March 1914, Mother met Sri Aurobindo with her
husband Paul Richard. She later related that, on seeing Sri Aurobindo Her mind flung into a depth of peace with an imposing silence without the interruption of thoughts. Mother and Paul had to leave from Pondicherry for Paris in 1915 on account of the First World War. They then migrated to Japan where they spent the next four years. It was there Mother was said to have met Rabindranath Tagore. However in 1920 Mother returned to Pondicherry with Paul and worked with Sri Aurobindo on bringing down the Supramental power to be established in the earthly life.
Mother also engaged in regular evening talks and group meditation. With the increasing number of participants a need to develop an ashram was considered. The Aurobindo Ashran was founded on 24th November 1926. Sri Aurobindo soon chose to retire from the public view announcing that Mother would hence forth be the caretaker of the ashram. He further identified Mother with 'Sakti'. In His letter's and instructions to His disciples, Sri Aurobindo asked them to take to the path of spiritual surrender unto Mother.
Mother also considered flowers of possessing spiritual significance. She gave spiritual names to over 800 varieties of flowers. Flowers are considered as carriers of Her blessings and Grace. It is a common sight to find Mother's devotees worshipping Her with colorful flowers.

Auroville
Auroville is the materialization of Mother's dream to have a common place for spiritual aspirants without the difficulty for food and shelter. Auroville or 'City Of Dawn' houses above 2000 people at present .The Matrimandir in Auroville has in its centre a meditation hall. It is constructed in such a way that sun light from a small hole in the roof entered the place. A newly added lens facilitates in having the light focused on a crystal in the central chamber. The dream city was inaugurated by Mother and the soil from all the independent nations of that period, 1960s, was mixed and placed in a lotus shaped urn to signify unity and brotherhood.
The Mother was an embodiment of spirituality guiding all those who took refuge under Her until she
shed her body on 17th Nov 1973. Numerous are the miracles performed by Mother in the lives of Her devotees, be it spiritual or material. It is a continuing story of Her grace manifesting itself in different aspects of Her devotees' life.


Club News


Philex Kolkata - 2010

A National Level Philatelic Dealers Bourse and Meet named as “ Philex Kolkatta 2010” is being organized at Kolkatta on 12 and 13th of March 2010 after 3 years with twenty booths for the dealers from India and Abroad ( Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Thailand) and arrangements for other good number of visiting dealers. This show will give opportunity to the collectors to dispose off their spare material and of course to procure material they require as the show promises some thing for every philatelist. The details and highlights are as under :

1. Only 20 stalls to be distributed among the dealers as per First Come First Serve basis.
2. Venue in the heart of the city and easily accessible
3. Good and cheap accommodation and food available nearby
4. Pleasant weather condition in Kolkatta those days
5. A golden opportunity to for the philatelists

Exhibition Venue : Rotary Sadan(Between Birla Planetarium & Nandan Auditorium), Kolkatta
Exhibition Dates : 12th & 13th March, 2010, Friday & Saturday
Exhibition Time : from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M.

For more details please contact the following:
1. Arun Bhattacharya, E-Mail: filatalie_cal@hotmail.com Ph- 98304-12286.
2. P.C.Jaiswal, E-Mail: philcent@rediffmail.com Ph- 98315-98560.
3. Tapan Dhang, Ph: (033) 2627-0129/2229-5634.
4. Tanmoy Chatterjee, Ph: 98311-10028.
5.Naresh Kumar, E-Mail: nareshkumar1992@yahoo.co.in
-Arun Bhattacharya, Kolkata

New Stamp on Mother Teresa..

A stamp in her honour of Mother Teresa will be issued by US Postal Service on her birthday, August 26, 2010.


Hi ! US Postal Service will issue a commemorative Postage stamp on Mother Teresa on 26 August 2010 on her birthday. It will be nice if India Post also takes an initiative to issue stamp on Mother in her Birth Centenary celebration .of Nobel Prize winner Mother Teresa and Oscar-winning actress Katharine Hepburn will be honoured on U.S. postage stamps this year. The Stamp will be a great philatelic tribute to the great humanitarian!. My Thanks to Mr Pradip Jain of Patna for today's Post ! This is all in this Post....Till Next Post .....Have Great Time !


USPS new stamp on Mother Teresa

Club News

Stamp Exhibition in Kullu on 22 & 23 March 2010

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For Details contact Postmaster, Kullu 01902 - 222550

New Award Scheme by India Post

Award Scheme for Book written in Hindi on India Post, Indian Postal System & History of Postal Services. See details at http://www.indiapost.gov.in/Pdf/Hindi_Puraskar_2009.pdf

20 February 2010

Chopin - The Prince of Romantic Music..




To be issued on 22 February 2010

Hi ! In today’s Post I wish to share a beautiful stamp to be issued by Poland in honour of great Romantic Composer, Chopin.As a music lover it’s a great pleasure to share some more information about the Prince of Romantic Music. As I had always written about Polish Stamps that they are one of the most beautiful stamps of the world. So this issue and its FDC is also wonderful portraying the great Pianist.It is 200th Birth Anniversary Celebration of this great musician. He is widely regarded as the greatest Polish composer, and ranks as one of music's greatest tone poets.This post is dedicated to all music Lovers of the world who find tranquility in listening to sweet melody and great philatelic tributes to Chopin, the Great Composer of all Time !! This is all in this Post….Till Next Post…Have a Great Time !!

Just listen to this masterpiece….

http://uservideos.smashits.com/video/mrq0flXHWyM/The-very-best-of-Chopin.html

http://uservideos.smashits.com/video/PGaChKRlu8Y/Chopin-Nocturne-in-E-flat.html

fdc chopin

“We may be sure that a genius like Mozart, were he born today, would write concertos like Chopin and not like Mozart.” - Robert Schumann

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Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, the Polish composer and pianist, was born on 1 March 1810, according to the statements of the artist himself and his family, but according to his baptismal certificate, which was written several weeks after his birth, the date was 22 February.

A bust of piano composer Frederick Chopin at the Musical Academy in Warsaw, Poland. This year Poland is celebrating with great pomp the 200th birthday anniversary of virtuoso Chopin, born near Warsaw in 1810.

Chopin was born in the village of Żelazowa Wola, in the Duchy of Warsaw, to a French-expatriate father and Polish mother. He was considered a child-prodigy pianist. The musical talent of Fryderyk became apparent extremely early on, and it was compared with the childhood genius of Mozart.On 2 November 1830, at age twenty, he left Warsaw for Austria, intending to go on to Italy. The outbreak of the Polish November Uprising seven days later, and its subsequent suppression by Russia, led to his becoming one of many expatriates of the Polish Great Emigration.

In Paris, Chopin made a comfortable living as a composer and piano teacher, while giving few public performances. Chopin's compositions were written primarily for the piano as solo instrument. Though technically demanding, they emphasize nuance and expressive depth rather than sheer virtuosity. Chopin invented musical forms such as the instrumental ballade and was responsible for major innovations in the piano sonata, mazurka, waltz, nocturne, polonaise, étude, impromptu and prélude.

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Chopin’s Stylish Autograph

Chopin, according to Arthur Hedley, "had the rare gift of a very personal melody, expressive of heart-felt emotion, and his music is penetrated by a poetic feeling that has an almost universal appeal.... Present-day evaluation places him among the immortals of music by reason of his insight into the secret places of the heart and because of his awareness of the magical new sonorities to be drawn from the piano.

Chopin's music for the piano combined a unique rhythmic sense (particularly his use of rubato), frequent use of chromaticism, and counterpoint. This mixture produces a particularly fragile sound in the melody and the harmony, which are nonetheless underpinned by solid and interesting harmonic techniques. He took the new salon genre of the nocturne, invented by Irish composer John Field, to a deeper level of sophistication. Three of Chopin's twenty-one Nocturnes were only published after his death in 1849, contrary to his wishes. He also endowed popular dance forms, such as the Polish mazurek and the Viennese waltz, with a greater range of melody and expression.

Chopin's mazurkas, while based somewhat on the traditional Polish dance, were different from the traditional variety in that they were suitable for concerts halls as well as dance settings. With his mazurkas, Chopin brought a new sense of nationalism, which was an idea other composers writing both at the same time as and after Chopin would also incorporate into their compositions. Chopin’s nationalism was a great influence and inspiration for many other composers, especially Eastern Europeans, and he was one of the first composers to clearly express nationalism through his music. Furthermore, he was the first composer to take a national genre of music from his home country and transform it into a genre worthy of the general concert-going public, thereby creating an entirely new genre.

Chopin was the first to write ballades and scherzi as individual pieces. He also took the example of Bach's preludes and fugues, transforming the genre in his own Préludes.

The only known photograph of Frédéric Chopin, taken during the degenerative stages of his tuberculosis

The only known photograph of Frédéric Chopin, taken during the degenerative stages of his tuberculosis

Death and Funeral

By the 1840s Chopin's health was rapidly deteriorating. Chopin died, officially, of tuberculosis in 1849. He had requested that Mozart's Requiem be sung at his funeral, held at the Church of the Madeleine. The Requiem has major parts for female singers but the Madeleine had never permitted female singers in its choir. The funeral was delayed for almost 2 weeks while the matter raged, the church finally relenting and granting Chopin's final wish. Although Chopin is buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, his heart is entombed in a pillar in the Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw.

The grave of Chopin in Paris

The grave of Chopin in Paris

Epilogue

Every year, many inspired tourists visit Chopin’s grave to pay their respects. To this date, his music has been performed and recorded very frequently. The Composer of Poland is known as one of the best composers of the Romantic period; ironically, he did not consider himself of this group. He was the Poet of the Piano, and the intense expression and emotion present in his music is the cause of this common belief. Anyhow, his music has fuelled the inspiration of millions of musicians and will certainly continue to do so for quite some time.

Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.

                                                                                                                                     - Frédéric François Chopin

19 February 2010

Vancouver 2010 stamp from Latvia




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Vancouver 2010

Thanks to Mr EN Limansky, Riga – Latvia

Hi ! Here is a recent beautiful cover received by me from my friend Mr EN Limansky of Riga, Latvia. Thanks Limansky for the beautiful cover. The cover commemorates Vancouver 2010 winter Olympics. The season of philatelic exhibitions is going to start in India in the month of March. Many District level & State level will be held in this month. Kullu is also going to be charged as there is also a proposal of a small exhibition in March. I am pleased to share herewith an article by a budding journalist Manali Mishra of Bareilly. She writes how philately can be taken as a career. This is all in this Post…..….Till Next Post……Have a Great Time !

Club News

District level Stamp Exhibition in Kullu

A District level Philatelic Exhibition will be held in Kullu on 22 & 23rd March 2010 at Dev Sadan, Kullu. There is a proposal of issuing special covers during the exhibition.

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Philately: A Career Option? - Manali Mishra

Philately: A Career Option?

Philately is considered to be the “king of hobbies”. Better known as “stamp collecting” – a mania in the 1940s, today it has grown into one of the world’s most popular hobbies and even as a business activity today.

But not many of us know that philately is practised as a profession also. There are philatelic societies too. The most famous one is – American Philatelic Society (APS). It is the largest non-profit stamp collecting and organisation of philately in the world. It has around 44,000 members in 110 countries (as per the data of 2007). It’s membership is worldwide.

To be a professional philatelist one should know what to collect. As after a certain time, one needs to be specific about a target which one wants to collect – Thematic collecting. Themes can be birds, animals, Red Cross, railways etc. Both mint (unused) and used stamps can be collected.

There are many kinds of philately-

Traditional Philately- study of technical aspects of stamp identification and production like the initial design process, method of printing, study of philatelic fakes and forgeries etc.

Aerophilately- study of airmail.

Postal stationery- study of stationery items like envelopes, aerograms etc.

Postal history- study of postmarks, post offices, postal authorities etc.

Cinderella philately- study of stamps that look like stamps but aren’t stamps.

Revenue philately- study of stamps used to collect taxes, fees.

Philatelic literature- documents the results of philatelic study and includes thousands of books and periodicals

Maximaphily- the study of Maximum Cards. They can be defined as a Picture Post Card with Postage stamp on same theme and a cancellation with a maximum concordance between all the three.

Moreover , a philatelist should be ready to sit for long hours and study the stamps. He should know how to asses his stamps as few stamps are very rare and hence valuable. Stamp Catalogues can be helpful as they enlist stamps with their prices. One can also buy and sell stamps through ebay.com.

How can one collect stamps? There is no type of work that can be done successfully without necessary tools and equipments. The philatelist also requires some tools- A pair of philatelic tweezers as touching stamps with hands can leave marks on them. The second tool is a magnifying glass. Since the stamps are old, the text written on them is not clearly visible. A stock box is used before stamps are mounted on an album. A stamp album is indispensable.

When people are not aware of any profession or if they have not heard much about it, they start doubting it. Same is the case with the philatelists. When people come to know that a person has so many stamps and is engaged in the buying and selling of them, they think it is illegal or forgery.

Professional philatelists are more common in other countries than in India. Though many have done a remarkable job in this field in India too- A two-time Limca book record holder, Prof Arvind Jain of Bhilwara has now achieved a unique feat in the world of philately. Earlier, Limca Book of Records had certified his efforts by including this collection in its 2008 and 2009 editions as the largest collection of stamps issued in honour of a person. He also got his name entered in the 2007 edition of the Limca book for the largest collection of stamps issued worldwide on the theme of Cricket.

It is tough to earn one’s living as a professional philatelist but not impossible. One needs to have a knack for it as philately can not be taught to anyone. It is a passion, if anyone has, he can excel in this field and earn well.

The world of philately will continue to grow and change reflecting mankind’s interests and desires. As long as there are stamps, there will be philatelists who will collect and enjoy them.

http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2010/02/philately-a-career-option/

About the author : Manali Mishra is a young philatelist & at present first year student of Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication, Pune. She hails from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh and is the daughter of noted Philatelist of Bareilly, Mr Satish Mishra. .

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