Date of Issue – 18 October 2010

 

Shimla   November 2010   Issue # 35   Vol. 3

Monthly e-Stamp Bulletin Edited by Jeevan Jyoti for free circulation among philatelists

Readers are requested to send reports of philatelic activities in their area for publication. Short write ups by the readers about their journals, societies, publications and philatelic requirements can be sent for inclusion in this bulletin to j.jyoti9@gmail.com or rainbowstamp2008@gmail.com and by post to –

Mrs. Jeevan Jyoti, c / o Mr. Ajay Srivastav, Director, Great Himalayan National Park, Shamshi, Distt. Kullu. PIN 175126. (H.P.) India

Note- This bulletin is only for circulation among a limited group of philatelists without any commercial purpose. The bulletin will be sent to the readers only on request. Those who wish to receive it regularly please reply giving the name of your city / country with the subject SUBSCRIBE RAINBOW

Dear Reader,

Here is the November issue of Rainbow Stamp News with some new articles and news from the world of stamps. It is also a special Diwali issue with an article from Dr Satyendra Agarwal on Hindu Goddess, Laxmi. Dr Agarwal has written a number of articles on a variety of subjects for Rainbow and I am pleased to present his Interview in this issue. In his interview he discusses various aspects of philately which every philatelist would like to know…It is also the time of philatelic exhibitions as three big philatelic exhibitions are in a row. Joburg 2010 is being held in South Africa. SINE, a National Show to be held in December and a grand World Stamp Exhibition, INDIPEX 2011, scheduled to be held in February 2011 . My best wishes to all the participants and members of organizing teams . Recently Rainbow Stamp News won a Bronze Medal at World Stamp Exhibition, PORTUGAL 2010, held in Lisbon and a Silver Bronze Medal in Joburg 2010. The credit goes to all my esteemed readers & contributors. I express my deepest gratitude to all of them.

It is a festive season..…Wish you all A very Happy & Prosperous Deepawali !

                                                                                                                                                               ….Jeevan Jyoti

  

Happy Deepawali !

This is not an official issue from Malaysia but a corporate stamp for  Diwali Greetings and being sold over counter at all Post Offices in Malaysia. According to Pos Malaysia this is not personalized stamp like one issued earlier, for Temple.

Contents

Recent Indian Issues

In The News

Interview

Beginners’ Section

Specialized Section

New Issues from Other Countries

Reader’s Right

The Lighter Side

Philatelic Clubs and Societies

Blogs & Websites on Philately

Promotional Section

Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletters

Editor’s Mail Box

                       

Recent Indian Issues

1 Aug : Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games, 2 Stamps – Rs 5 each, Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, Talkatora        Stadium

2 Aug : Syed Mohammed Ali Shihab Thangal – Rs 5

14 August Vethathiri - Rs 5

21 August - P.Jeevanandham – Rs 5

25 August - O P Ramaswamy Reddiyar – Rs 5

30 August Govindaswamy V Moopanar, - Rs 5

2 September Dr.Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy – Rs 5

26 September Bridhadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur

3 October XIXth Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010 – MS + 4 Stamps of Rs 5 each

6 October Indian Postage Stamps : Princely States – MS + 4 Stamps

23 October Doon School Dehradun – Rs 5

25 October Sant Shadaram Sahib – Rs 5

27 October Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai

29 October Ktanti Trivedi – Rs 5

See detailed list of India Post Issue Programme 2010 at

http://www.indiapost.gov.in/philatelycalendar2010.htm

Special Cover – Postmark

22 September 2010 - Platinum Jubilee Celebration – All India Marwari Federation

28 Sep 2010 NIT Hamirpur (HP)

28 Sep 2010 Baba Balaknath Temple Hamirpur (HP)

2 Oct Ahinsapex 2010 - Lucknow Special cover with two different cancellations for 2^nd & 3^rd October

2 Oct Gandhipex 2010 - Cuttack

5 Oct 2010 The Valley of Devine Peace, Baru Sahib. Sirmaur (HP)

6 Oct Railways, Mumbai

7 Oct. Raj Kumar College, Raipur

8 Oct Wildlife Week Celebration 2010 - Chandigarh

10 Oct Palindrome Date - 10.10.10 – Bangalore

New Postcards & Booklet on Tagore

A set of five special Post Cards designed by Shri Dipok Dey have been issued by Director, Kolkata GPO on 12 October 2010.

A special Dak Ghar Booklet designed by Shri Dipok Dey was also issued by West Bengal Circle to commemorate 150th Birth Centenary of Rabindranath Tagore.

New Presentation Pack of Baton relay covers of Rajasthan

Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, Department of Posts, Rajasthan Postal Circle issued a Presentation pack on " QUEEN'S BATON RELAY IN RAJASTHAN".  Pack contains 4 Special covers cancelled with both Queen’s Baton Relay stamps at Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner.  Total Printed Quantity : 5000 and Price: 250

New Picture Post Cards

India Post issued 2 picture post cards on October 3, 2010 depicting the miniature sheets 19th Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010 issued on and on June 25, 2010. The cards are priced at Rs 10 each.

Gandhi Stamps Book

India Post has published a book illustrating all commemorative, definitive, and special definitive postage stamps on Mahatma Gandhi. The book priced at Rs 200 is available at the philatelic bureaus.

In The News

Indian Participation in recent International Stamp Exhibitions

Heartiest congratulations to all Winners !!

 

JOBURG 2010

From 27 October 2010 to 31 October 2010 at Johannesburg / Republic of South Africa. Mr Madhukar Jhingan is the National Commissioner for JOBURG 2010. Here are the results of Indian participation.

Vermeil Medal
Markand Dave
Pratisad Neurgaonkar

Silver Medal
Daniel Montero
Naresh Agarwal
Santosh Mani
Rakesh Thapar

Silver Bronze Medal
Krisahn Goyal
Vikas Singh
Vinushree
Prafuul Thakkar
Jeevan Jyoti

Bronze Medal
Mrinal Mathur
Paritri Upadhayay
Akshat Garg
Yogini Jhingan
Chiranjib Chakraborty

Certificate of Participation
Abhai Mishra

One Frame
George Reynolds 75
Ashish Talwart 72
Madhukar Deogawanka 70
Souvik Roy 67
Moloy Sarkar 65
Vikas Singh 60
Vikas Singh 53

List of Indian Participants

Markand Dave: First Asian Air Mail Stamp - India 1929
Daniel Monterio: Waterfowl
Naresh Agrawal : Automobiles
Vikas Singh: Indian Railways
Krishan Goyal: World of Roses - Queen of Flowers
Rakesh Thapar: Mahatma Gandhi - His Life & Ideals
Madhukar Deogawanka : Quetta Earthquake
Souvik Roy: Indian Telegraph - Phonogramme 1947-1966
Rohit Prasad: Bullock Train
Ashish Talwar: The First Flight of Air India International
Vikas Singh: 16th April 1953 - 100 years of India Railways
Vikas Singh: Darjeeling Himalayan Railway - A World Heritage Site
George Reynolds: Leonardo's Vitruvian Man
Moloy Sarkar: Taj Mahal
Mrinal Mathur: From Wheel to Car on Stamps
Paritri Upadhyay: Wild Life on Maxim Cards
Vinushree S: Flowers
S Santosh Mani : The Lord of the Jungle (Elephant)
Yogini Jhingan : Harry Potter & The World of Postage Stamps
Akshat Garg: India's National Children's Day
Chiranjib Chakraborty: Transportation
Vikas Singh: Philatelic Handbook on Indian Railways
Praful Thakkar: Collectors Guide to First Day Covers & Folders of India 1947-1964
Pratisad Neurgaonkar: Postal Stationery of British India
Abhai Mishra: Uttarakhand A Philatelic Journey
Jeevan Jyoti: Rainbow Stamp News

 

POTUGAL 2010

Portugal 2010- World Philatelic Exhibition was held from 1st - 10th October 2010 in Lisbon. Following Indian participants were awarded medals in different categories. Heartiest Congratulations to all participants.

Traditional Class

Dhanajay Desai – Soruth Indian Feudatory States – Large Vermeil

Madhukar Deogawanka - Indian Booklets - Large Vermeil

Postal Stationery Class

Dhananjay Desai - Portuguese India, Postal Stationery - Silver Bronze

Literature Class -

1. Umesh Kakkeri - Postal History of Portuguese India  - Silver
2. Praful Thakkar- Collector´s Guide to First Day Covers & Folders of India 1947-1964  - Silver Bronze
3. Vijay Seth - Indian armed forces through philately – Silver Bronze
4. Vikas Singh - Philatelic Handbook on Indian Railways - Bronze
5. Jeevan Jyoti - Rainbow Stamp News – Bronze

See complete award list of PORTUGAL 2010

World's first ceramic stamps unveiled in east China

The world's first set of ceramic stamps -- 11 pieces of 0.3 mm thick ceramic chips -- was unveiled in Jingdezhen in east China's Jiangxi province on 22 Oct 2010.The company will release only 10,000 limited edition sets of the "World Expo National Ceramic Stamp", made with Chinese traditional craftsmanship and modern techniques, The patterns of the ceramic stamps are based on 11 World Expo-themed stamps released by China since 2007. Different from paper stamps, these stamps, it is claimed, will not fade, corrode or catch fire.

All the ceramic stamps are hand-made. Each 0.3 millimeter ceramic chip uses a combination of patented ceramic technology, traditional craftsmanship and modern techniques."Each of these ceramic stamps is unique in the world. It overcomes the limitation of paper stamps and shows the world the creativity of Jingdezhen as the ceramic capital of China in modern times," said Liu Jingbo, director of the Jingdezhen Municipal Philatelic Corporation. Jingdezhen has a history of producing quality pottery going back 1,700 years.

 

Special card for memorable date 10.10.10 by Malta Post

Malta Post has issued the tenth Card in series on the date when the day, month and year coincide - 10.10.10.

The first Card in this series had been issued on 1 January 2001, with a date stamp carrying the same figures - 01.01.01. The last Card in this popular collectable series is expected to be issued on 12th December of the year 2012, and stamped with the figures12.12.12.

This Philatelic Bureau Card bears the €0.37 stamp from the set ‘Occasions’ which was issued in March 2010. The stamp features an aerial view of Malta, while the Card features the Church Tower also from the Set ‘Occasions’. The Philatelic Bureau Card will be numbered and cancelled with the date impression 10.10.10. More info at : www.maltapost.com

Special Cover on 10.10.10 from Bangalore

A special cover was released at Bangalore yesterday by Prof V.S. Yalvigi to commemorate Palindrome Date 10.10.10 . The cover bears the special date cancellation of 10.10.10 given by Bangalore GPO.Thecovers are available with Prof.V.S.Yalvigi . He may be contacted at email : vsyal2001@yahoo.com

Postal address : Prof V.S. Yalvigi 253,Ramanshreenagar,BGT.Road Bengaluru-560 076.

Largest Stamp by Canada Post

Canada Post issued a $ 10 definitive stamp on 4 October 2010. it carries the highest face value of any Canadian postage stamp. It is about 5 x 2" inches in size and is the largest stamp ever issued by Canada Post. The stamp features a blue whale. Reaching more than 30 metres in length and weighing up to 180 metric tonnes, it is the largest animal known to have existed, outclassing even the dinosaurs.

Due to  high face value of the stamp , several security features are used in the new $10 stamp. The whale's scientific name (Balaenoptera musculus) is written in intaglio micro printing. As well, a large cluster of krill (the whale's food of choice) and a diver are printed in tagging that can only be seen using ultraviolet light.

Audrey Hepburn stamps fetch $606,000 for charity

BERLIN — A rare sheet of 10 stamps depicting Audrey Hepburn fetched €430,000 ($606,000) at a charity auction in Berlin on Saturday, two-thirds of which will go to help educate children in sub-Saharan Africa.

The mint-condition sheet of 10 stamps featuring Hepburn, a coy smile on her face and a long, black cigarette holder dangling from her lips, brought a profitable outcome to a botched stamp series that should have been destroyed years ago — and evokes Hepburn's starring role in the 1963 thriller "Charade," in which the characters chase a set of rare stamps.

Sean Ferrer, 50, Hepburn's son with actor and director Mel Ferrer, and the chair of the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund, said he was thrilled that the sale Saturday brought "focus on children in need," but wished the stamps had sold for a higher price.Two-thirds of money raised will go to the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund, and one-third to UNICEF Germany.

Read More …

Best EUROPA stamp of 2010

PostEurop has announced the winning stamp to be the entry from Magyar Posta (Hungary Post) which featured the storybook illustrations of the Hungarian Kossuth Prize winning graphic designer Karoly Reich. The designs of the stamps, the border and the first day cover captured moments from the infamous story of the little bear much loved by Hungarian readers.

The close first-runner of the EUROPA Stamp competition went to Posta Slovenije, postal operator from Slovenia and finally, the second-runner up of the EUROPA Stamp competition went to Hrvatska posta (Croatia).

Read More…

 

 World record achieved at Joburg 2010 Stamp Show

The Guinness World Record certificate is proudly displayed in front of the towering stamp mosaic.

 New Guinness World Record holder of the largest stamp mosaic unveiled at the Joburg 2010 International Stamp Show on 27 October 2010.The Sandton Convention Centre was a hive of activity today with the opening ceremony of the Joburg 2010 International Stamp Show, which saw the unveiling of the new Guinness World Record holder for the largest stamp mosaic.The mosaic, which towers at 27 meters wide by six metres high, officially holds the Guinness World Record for the largest stamp mosaic. The mosaic was assembled through the collaboration between The South Africa Post Office and Hatfield Tuition College (HTC), and features all proudly South African Stamps. The new record holder features the Tshwane skyline, and was completed in a record four weeks by 115 volunteers. The previous record holder was completed over three years by 300 volunteers.

http://www.artlink.co.za/news_article.htm?contentID=25815

Forthcoming Philatelic Exhibitions

INDIPEX – 2011

The world philatelic exhibition will be held in New Delhi from 12th to 18th Feb. 2011, to commemorate the centenary of world's first airmail. It will be organized by INDIA POST in Collaboration with PCI and under Patronage of FIP and under auspices of FIAP (Federation Inter Asian Philately). The details of INDIPEX 2011 can be found on following websites -

http://www.indipex2011.com/index.php & http://www.filatelista-tematico.net/india2011.html

See final list of exhibitors in INDIPEX 2011

http://www.indipex2011.com/files/Final_List_of_Exhibitors.pdf

PHILANIPPON 2011

World Stamp Exhibitions are held all over the world every year with aims to develop philately, opening world-renowned stamp collections to the public and promote stamps of the member countries of the F edration Internationale de Philatlie (FIP). In Japan, World Stamp Exhibition takes place once every ten years and held in 1971, 1981 and 1991, and 2001, and will also be held in 2011.
The theme of PHILANIPPON 2011 is “Stamps Link the World”. It will be a rare opportunity for the first time in 10 years in Japan to promote philatelic culture in Japan, publicize Japanese stamps overseas and nurture cultural exchange and international friendship through stamp collection.

Date : July 28 – August 2, 2011

Venue : Pacifico Yokohama, Exhibition Hall.1-1-1.1 Minatomirai Nishi-ku,

Yokohama 220-0012, Japan

Patronage : Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP)

Auspices : Federation of Inter-Asian Philately (FIAP) http://www.philanippon.jp/english/

STAMPS OF INDIA NATIONAL EXHIBITION

Stamps of India national exhibition will be held from 10 – 12 December 2010 at NSIC Exhibition Ground, New Delhi. For updates visit : http://stampsofindia.com/ChaloDelhi/sine.html

Stamp Exhibition at KIIT International School, Bhubaneswar

A stamp exhibition was held at the KiiT International School, Bhubaneswar on 09.10.10 to mark the World Post Day Jointly organised by the KiiT International School and Eastern India Philatelists' Association. A new Philatelic Club was formed in the name of "KiiT International School Philatelists' Club (KIPC) affiliated to EIPA. Exhibits of Philatelists namely Anup Kumar Raut, Shanti Swarup Rath, Dr. Bibhudutta Mishra, Mrs. Sasmita Raut, H.B.Ojha, Debashis Mitra, Mrs.Suprava Sahoo, Saroj Kumar Kar, Bibhuti Bhusan Patnaik, Ranjit Dash, Anil Kumar Dhir, Kasinath Sahoo, Bijoy Kumar Biswal, Pradip Kumar Das, Miss Namrata Nanda were displayed in 40 frames. Besides the exhibits of students and teachers were also displayed. The main attarction of the exhibition was the 'Penny Black' and 'Scinde Dawk' of Mr. Shantiswarup Rath.

Stamp & Coin Exhibition - Kannur

Cannanore Philatelic Club, Kannur is going to organise a three day philatelic and numismatic exhibition  at Kannur Muncipal town hall, Kannur from 19th November to 21st November 2010.

Virtual International Philatelic Exhibition

http://www.exponet.info/

1938 - 1948: A turbulent period for Czechoslovak Field Post from Lubor Kunc, Prague, Czechia
Funicular Railway at the Vesuv from Marco Occhipinti, Roma, Italy
Geology from Marco Occhipinti, Roma, Italy

Indian Stamps…At a Glance…

· Complete set of Se-tenants @ Rs.38,500/-

· Complete set of M/S @ Rs.15,000/-

· Complete set of INDIA 1947-2009 @ Rs.2,00,000/- (inclusive of Commemo./Defi/Military/Service)

· Complete set of Sheetlets 2002-2010 @ Rs. 75,000/-

Rates as per : Recent Catlaogue by Philatelia

INTERVIEW

Dr Satyendra Kumar Agarwal needs no introduction to the readers as he has been  writing regularly on a variety of themes for Rainbow Stamp News. He is known for his best collection on Roses in the country and now regarded as one of the experts in the field of Thematic Philately. Dr Agarwal received Ph.D. from Banaras Hindu University and worked as SRF in ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) .He is a well known cartoonist, science and philatelic writer. He earned several trophies and medals at National & International levels including GOLD for his exhibit on “ROSES”. He successfully organized two Thematic Exhibitions in Varanasi, Jalpex -1992 and Jalpex 1994, during which experimental mail delivery by “Pigeons” and “Boat” were performed.

Dr Agarwal has been recently invited by the organizers to attend and display his Rose exhibit during “Flower Stamps Exhibition” in connection with “Taipei Flora Expo 2010” to be held in Taiwan from 5-9 Nov 2010. He has been regularly writing for Specialized Section” “ of Rainbow Stamps News” since March 2008 and has written many articles on Nature, Mythology, History, Religion, Disney, Indian Art etc in a manner to give an idea to form a “One Frame” or “Five Frame” exhibit on that topic with important philatelic & thematic details and vivid illustrations. He authored the book “My Rainbow of Philatelic Articles” published in 2010. His two other books are also in a way to press “The Rose (A-Z of Rose Philately)” and “Indian Mythologies on Stamps”. He is a life member of PCI. It is a great pleasure to publish his interview in this issue. Dr Agarwal answers in detail to my questions ….. Editor

He may be contacted at rosephila@hotmail.com

          

Interview with Dr Satyendra Agarwal

 

Q1 How were you introduced to this hobby?

Ans. Hobby is an activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure or relaxation and relaxation is the best medicine for hypertension. What better option would a person like me, suffering from high blood pressure have, other than stamp collection?

Stamp collection in my view is a good way of spending leisure time. One of the most important aspects of it is that a philatelist makes friends across the globe, with collectors of all races, religion and opinion.

Q2 What are your other collecting interests besides Roses?

Ans. My first love was “Disney Art on Stamps”, as I am a cartoonist. “History of Indian Paintings” was an outcome of me being an artist. I am proud to be a “Banarasi”, hence prepared an exhibit on “Glory of Varanasi”. My collection of Indian stamps and postal stationeries resulted in an exhibit “Bharat ki kahani Dak Tickton ki Zabani”.I feel proud that all of the above collections earned more than 22 medals at State, National and International levels with many special prizes. Also, the local authorities organized three Solo Philatelic Exhibitions of 20 frames each based on my collections:

1. “Disney Art on Stamps”, 15-17 Dec 1995
2. “Swatantrata ki Kahani Dak Tikton ki Zabani” , 10-13 Aug 1998 and
3. “Symbol of Love”, 14-15 Feb-2002

But for “Roses” I never dreamt of, until I got an invitation from Mr. R.D.Binani, Convener, Thematic Chapter of PCI, to take part in National Thematic Exhibition on Agriculture and Horticulture, “Agri-Hortiphilex 1995”, with an exhibit on Flowers. I rushed to my friends Obadullah Tahir and Anwar Jamal who were kind enough to gift their Stock Books full of Rose stamps enough to form an exhibit on “Roses”. This experimental exhibit, prepared within 3 days, earned me “Silver” in the exhibition.

Q3 Why did you choose “Rose" as your theme not any other subject

Ans. My post graduation was in Physics and “Rose” theme belongs to Botany. Here my inter-disciplinary nature of research helped me a lot to take this theme first as a challenge but after deep study I fell in love with the “Queen of Flowers”.

For doctoral degree, I got an opportunity to work with ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) on the topic “Effects of Space Radiations on Materials to be used in Space Technology “, a topic of multi-disciplinary nature , from Ceramic Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering and Nuclear Physics (Van de Graff Accelerator group). This gave me a wide vision and ability to treat any subject differently which I then applied to Rose theme and decided to limit its botanical details and highlight its other characteristics in order to make this collection interesting for every one. The subject study unfolded the secret that there is no flower in the world that has such a memorable past, glorious present and sparkling future as the Rose. It has not only maintained its position as the “Queen of flowers” but it continues to grow in popularity with time. Also I collected references from a lot of philatelic material with world wide origin and era, Classic to Modern, with a variety of Philatelic Elements, able to portray philatelic ally the role of Rose in man’s history, culture, literature and all other art forms including its legendary associations and symbolism.

All these elements necessary for thinking of an exhibit of International standard, and my wish to form one, inspired me ( finalized my decision) to choose “ROSES” as a theme and earned in its first serious display a LV +Governor’s Trophy during UPHILEX 1999 ( this prestigious trophy was given for the First time to any Thematic Exhibit , all earlier recipients were giants of Traditional philately and also the highest award was limited to LV in State level exhibition), Second display during National exhibition INPEX –EMPIREPEX 2001 again received a LV + Empire of India Phi.Soc’s Smt. Subbalaxmi Memorial Award for best Thematic exhibit . My third display was an International approach and during The First World Stamp Championship, “Singapore 2004”, succeeded a Vermeil medal and finally in INPEX 2008 it was honored with a GOLD+ PCI trophy. I have no hesitation in saying that International Gold is not possible for this exhibit without a heavy pocket, not available with me, but has satisfaction that within the limit of my Philatelic and Thematic knowledge and available spare fund I achieved maximum and up to my satisfaction.

Q4 Thematic Philately has emerged as the most dominant class in Philatelic exhibitions. Do you think the competition in this class has become very tough now as compared to the previous years?

Ans. The basis for what is known as “Thematic Philately” was laid when a group of collectors hit upon an idea to make design of a stamp the focus of their collection. Until then, one either had a world collection, or a specialized one. Probably, the journey of “Thematic Philately” started with the display of an exhibit during Int.Phi.Ex, in 1892 in Paris, based on the history, flora& fauna, as well as products of various countries illustrated on stamps and is still continuing and getting refined with the Thematic Philatelists confronting newer challenges while preparing their exhibits for display. Nowadays, stamps are being replaced by Postal Stationeries at higher levels. There is an increased stress on utilization of all types of philatelic elements available on the chosen theme .One can increase the philatelic importance of his exhibit further by including rarity or other unusual characteristics of proofs, essays, varieties and the like if possible. For all these, neither a Standard Catalogue nor much philatelic literature is available. This made Thematic Philately more and more “labor oriented” as well as “Capital oriented” if you are planning for higher awards.

It also became a multidisciplinary exercise that involves a sound knowledge of the entire world’s stamps as well as postal history, having deep understanding of the subject/theme chosen with the knowledge of world history, geography, religion, art etc.

Q5 Please give some tips to the collectors for winning higher awards.

Ans. Development, thorough Philatelic & Thematic knowledge and presentation are the key aspects to be looked upon seriously to make a higher award winning thematic collection. Also following points need to be kept in mind:

1. Before re-structuring your exhibit, even awarded one, try to identify non-philatelic material (which is still found regularly in Thematic collection of highest level), if used, and keep it out mercilessly. This is the first step in showing your philatelic knowledge to any jury.
2. The exhibitor, who reads through his text thoroughly, once more, with an open eye in all the aspects, will undoubtedly see new possibilities. Vice versa, looking at philatelic material may also lead to the conclusion that certain thematic aspects have escaped attention, or at least have not yet been treated.

For more, one may read many articles available on net including mine “Way to Gold” published in Rainbow Stamps News, Jan 2009.

Q 6 Judging is the most controversial part of every philatelic exhibition. The resentment of the exhibitors over the results of the exhibition cannot be overlooked as often some results do not match at all with the quality of the exhibits? Do you think Favoritism is a common practice in philatelic exhibitions?

Ans. Nothing is impossible, but the reason for dissatisfaction of a large number of exhibitors who received award not up to their expectations at National and International level exhibitions is due to favoritism or poor judging is not always acceptable. Before blaming look back at your exhibit, analysis it seriously and try to find out the short comings. In most of the cases jury’s decision will come out true.

A higher award won by the exhibitor at State or lower level exhibitions where new rules and regulations are highly relaxed, making ‘Gold” or “Silver” medals losing their grace is another source of resentment of the exhibitors over the results because such award winning exhibits are bound to fetch poor results when evaluated under quality driven FIP rules.

I have never been a jury but was involved sometimes in informal talks with juries at State or Distt level exhibitions. I came to a conclusion that at these levels sometimes favoritism may work and affect the original judgment at various levels from award to special prizes, due to interference of some Postal authority or friendship of influential person with jury and very often due to non availability of required number of medals in any category.

Q 7 In your opinion what is the best way to obtain fair results at the exhibition. Which method should by adopted by the jury? Is it a good idea to provide soft copy of the exhibits to the jury for best view of the exhibit because it's not possible to go through the exhibits thoroughly standing at glass frames. Don't you think jury can view exhibits well on CD which is quite economical & convenient too.

Ans. Thematic is not only limited to the deep understanding of the subject but it also requires a sound knowledge of all the world’s stamps as well as postal history. Hence to obtain fair results at the exhibition, instead of one, a panel of juries, expert in their respective fields of Thematic, Postal History and Traditional Philately can be given responsibility of judging any Thematic exhibit. Also evaluation time should be more.

Though economical, use of soft copies or CD version of any exhibit for fair evaluation should be avoided for the following two reasons:

1. Every exhibit is an outcome of a deep research and personal approach of an exhibitor. Photocopying or making CD for evaluation will always leave a possibility of its duplication, not in favor of the exhibitor.
2. Naturally, juries after finishing their home work with these facilities at home will not be interested to devote again much time on original display. This may give birth to various frauds able to affect the Marks-Sheet. In this age of computers, one can easily compose few pages of the exhibit with colored scans of important philatelic items not available at his end and also with scans of quality condition materials replacing its poor copy available with him for photocopying or making CD.It is not possible for a jury to tally the original display always with that photocopy and softcopy.

Q 8 The hobby of philately has become more commercial as most of the philatelists turning into professional philatelists. Don't you think real philatelists are disappearing and replaced by professional philatelists & making this hobby a way of business?

Ans. Yes, but there is an obvious reason which one cannot ignore. Our younger generation believes in “Money hai to Honey hai”. Also, free sites on Internet opened up a global market for easy sale of their philatelic spares and stuff. Good business returns against their investment of any budget and need of only spare time for selling also inspires them to become a professional philatelist.

Why our established philatelist attracted towards professionalism is their helplessness’. A successful politician always tries to make a firm ground in politics for his future generation and same is true in other successful professions, e.g. doctor, film actors-directors, government official’s etc ., but what about a senior philatelist? Though few prepare and display exhibit in the name of their children but the truth is far from the reality that most of them have no interest in their parent’s hobby.

The ignorance and large investment in this hobby creates a situation wherein an old age real philatelist turns into a professional one, in order to recover some thing from his investment during his life, otherwise not possible for their children.

Q 9 What is your opinion about stamp issuing policy of India Post? Don't you think limited number of issues should be brought out in order to maintain the quality of stamps?

Ans. Stamps of a country represent its soul and the spirit. It reflects its history, achievements, geography, science, art etc. And one can observe a very low percentage of all these depicted through stamps as compared to other important themes, in the name of secularism, and lack of philatelic awareness of Indian Post.

Limiting the number of issues is not the only solution for maintaining the quality of stamps. More issues are sometimes necessary for maintaining the profit and loss account of any postal administration. The modern revolution in communications and increasing use of SMS, MMS, e-mails, Fax or Telephone and the growing and turbulent competition with private operators and the fight for the most profitable segments of the carriage of correspondence have drastically affected the sale of Postage stamps, which once had monopoly for the prepayment of postage and communications for decades. Use of Franking machines, ATM labels and Computer booking are also discouraging its use on post. India Post might be aware of the fact that the only field left as a bulk consumer of their philatelic products is Philately which increases the revenue by purchasing but in exchange demands no service.

Hence to compensate the loss and stand with the globally available philatelic products of other Postal administrations of the world, attracting a lot of new generation collectors, working with new innovation in printing technology, theme and base material for bringing out their new issues of Stamps and Postal Stationeries, has to be looked upon seriously by India Post.

Q 10 In last few years , private philatelic exhibitions are being organized by philatelic clubs & societies. What do you think about the awards given in the exhibitions? If these awards will be equally recognized in the allotment of frames of the exhibitions organized by India Post? Do you welcome such exhibitions or the exhibitions organized by India Post are better organized?

Ans. We should appreciate Private Philatelic Exhibition at any level keeping the following things in mind:

1. It should not merely be a commercial exercise
2. No compromise in set standard in selection of Exhibits in any class should be there
3. Only accredited juries for at least National exhibitions should be selected and favoritism should be discouraged
4. Evaluation of the exhibit of any class should be under the rules & regulations set for a National Exhibition

In the name of experiment, we may avoid New Classes e.g. “Picture Postcards” and “Freedom Class”. They have nothing to do with philately and will indirectly help Philatelic dealers to pick their hard earn money for their stuff out of the pockets of innocent young collectors.

Q 11 Last but not the least, in your opinion what is the present status of philately in India ?

Ans. The present Indian philately is not in an appreciable status. This can be seen from the absence of a standard Philatelic Magazine, a devoted Philatelic Society of any level and philatelic seminars. Also, there is no place or group where our new generation collectors can contact to seek help for philatelic guidance if needed. If ever they try to contact any senior philatelist, they receive either an inability to answer due to shortage of time or no response at all.

Even I faced this problem when tried to contact a senior philatelist and editor of a magazine regarding some information related to an article published in their magazine. First they tried to avoid but when I contacted on phone he told about his busyness and promised to answer soon. Even after one year I am waiting for his reply.

Now about our poor performance at National or International level Exhibitions, if one goes through the Award List of any International Exhibition, past 10-15 years, only a few exhibits (Thematic) succeeded in receiving “V” while “GOLD” remaining a Golden dream for us, even in the near future.

Do you think it has become a commercial activity rather than a real hobby? People are much interested in buying & selling. The real interest of collectors in philately is declining.

Ans. In my opinion, Philately is slowly becoming a commercial activity. And there are few valid reasons as already discussed answering one of the previous questions.

If it is continued what will be the future of hobby?

Ans. I am always hopeful of a bright future .We are now in a visual world. Technology has brought the world together, what happens in one part of the world is instantly visible in another. Easy availability of Philatelic material of our choice, including Thematic and Philatelic literature on Internet, Technological advances in printing technology and innovation introduced in bringing out new attractive philatelic products, are all capable of drawing the attention of new generation again, towards this “King of Hobbies”.

But it will drastically change the theme, layout and content necessary to form collection based on them and our traditional juries should prepare themselves for accepting these changes. Also, our National and International bodies responsible for forming rules & regulations for evaluation of such exhibit should make them ready for major changes in the existing norms.

-Thank you very much Jeevan Jyoti that you have given me opportunity to Churn the Ocean of my Philatelic thoughts which yielded many things. Now is the time for my fellow philatelists to decide whether they are “Jewel” or only “Halahal (venom)”.

Beginners’ Section

Branches of Philately

Traditional philately is the study of the technical aspects of stamp production and stamp identification, including:

• The initial stamp design process.
• The paper used (wove, laid, etc, and including watermarks).
• The method of printing (engraving, typography, etc).
• The gum.
• The method of separation (perforation, rouletting).
• Any overprints on the stamp.
• Any security markings, underprints or perforated initials 'perfins'.
• The study of philatelic fakes and forgeries.

Thematic philately, also known as topical philately, is the study of what is depicted on the stamps. There are hundreds of popular subjects, such as birds on stamps, and ships, poets, presidents, monarchs, maps, aircraft, space craft, sports and insects on stamps.

Postal history concentrates on the use of stamps on mail. It includes the study of postmarks, post offices, postal authorities, postal rates and regulations and the process by which letters are moved from sender to recipient, including routes and choice of conveyance.

Aerophilately is the branch of Postal history that specializes in the study of airmail. Philatelists have observed the development of mail transport by air from its beginning, and all aspects of airmail services have been extensively studied and documented by specialists.

Postal stationery- In this branch of philately collector studies stationery items, such as envelopes, postcards, aérogrammes and newspaper wrappers which have an imprinted stamp.

Cinderella philately - It is the study of objects that look like stamps but aren't stamps. Examples include Easter and Christmas Seals, propaganda labels, and so forth.

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

Revenue philately is the study of stamps used to collect taxes or fees on such things as, legal documents, court fees, receipts, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, drugs and medicines, playing cards, hunting licenses and newspapers.

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

Do You Know?

The non denominated Breast Cancer Research stamp (Scott B1) is the first United States semi postal stamp. It was issued in 1998 and is still on sale. The stamp originally sold for 40¢ when the postage rate was 32¢. The 8¢ difference was donated to designated breast cancer research facilities at the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health.Today, the stamp sells for 55¢, which breaks down to 44¢ for postage and 11¢ for research. The 11¢ surtax calculates to 25 percent above the normal cost of a first-class stamp.

1. The first postage stamps collector was John Bourke. He was the Receiver-General of Stamp Duties in Ireland in 1774.

2. The world’s largest postage stamps were issued in the 1900’s in China. These postage stamps were used on express mail deliveries.

3. It was only in February 1964 when the first self-adhesive stamps were issued by Sierra Leone.

4. The first individual to be depicted on postage stamps other than royalty figures was playwright William Shakespeare.

5. It was in 1973 when postage stamps that seemed like music records were issued in Bhutan. Interesting enough, if you place the postage stamp on a record player, these would actually play the Bhutanese national anthem.

6. The French Government in 1849 made a law making it illegal to wash or clean used French postage stamps. This odd law was made to counter the practice of re-using the stamps. Almost 15,000 individuals were charged under this law within six years from its implementation.

Members of Philatelic Advisory Committee of India Post

Mr. Ronalds Nelson, G3. No1 Second Avenue,7th Main Road,Sandeswaram Nagar,Velechery,Chennai 600 042. Cell : 09841017154 Email:  sipagold@gmail.com

Mr. J.M. Dhor (Jaipur) 999 Dhor Building, Gopal Ji Ka Rasta, Jaipur - 302003. Ph. 141 -2578900 e - mail : dhorjatanmal@yahoo.com

Mr  Dilip Shah, 799 - GOL BAZAR, JABALPUR - 482002, M.P.  Off : 0761-424456 Fax :0761-312047 e- mail  : rajesh_id2001@yahoo.com

Mr. Manik Jain, M/s Philatelia, One Moti Sil Street, Kolkata 700 013. Telephone: (033) 2228 8549, 2228 7777, Fax: (033) 2228 8888

Mr. Vispi S. Dastur, D.J. Jasavala & Co., Charted Accountants, E/1 Rustom Baug,  Gr. Flr., Byculla, Mumbai- 400 027. Tel:- 23721062 e-mail: xerxes@vsnl.com

Specialized Section

Hindu Goddess Laxmi

© Dr.Satyendra Kumar Agrawal

e-mail - rosephila@hotmail.com

Goddess of beauty and wealth, whether it is material or spiritual, Maha Laxmi represents the beautiful and bountiful aspect of nature.  The word ''Laxmi'' has been derived from the Sanskrit word Lakshay, meaning "aim" or ''goal''. Goddess Laxmi suggests the aim of life, which includes all worldly and spiritual success.

Mahalaxmi

Goddess Lakshmi as the consort of Lord Vishnu resides in Vaikuntha (heaven) and is often depicted as a dedicated wife to him.

Lord Vishnu on Sheshnag with Laxmi and Garuda

According to Hindu mythology, to re-establish the balance between good and evil on earth, Vishnu appeared on earth in various forms. Each time Vishnu descends on earth as an avatar, He is accompanied by an avatar of Lakshmi. She was Padma to his Vamana, Sita to his Rama, Radha and later Rukmini to his Krishna. The love stories of these divine couples are among the most beloved tales in Hinduism.

                    

Ram & Sita                                     Krishna & Radha

Mahalakshmi is the presiding Goddess of the Middle episode of “Devi Mahatmya”. Here, she is depicted as Devi (divine lady) in her universal form as Shakti (power). The manifestation of the Devi to kill Mahisasur is formed by the effulgence’s of all the gods. The Goddess is described as eighteen-armed, bearing a string of beads, battle axe, mace, arrow, thunderbolt, lotus, bow, water pot, cudgel, lance, sword, shield, conch, bell, wine cup, trident, noose and the discus sudarsana. She has a complexion of coral and is seated on a lotus. She is known as Ashta Dasa Bhuja Mahalakshmi.

   

Ashta Dasa Bhuja Mahalakshmi                                              Mahisasur

Goddess Mahalkshmi is also said to exist in several other forms. The most famous amongst them are Bhoodevi, and Sridevi. As Bhoodevi, the earth goddess, she nurtures life and as Shreedevi, the goddess of fortune, she bestows power, pleasure and prosperity on those who deserve her grace.  Goddess Bhoodevi represents immoveable assets while Goddess Sridevi represents moveable assets.

                  

Laxmi as Bhoodevi                                     Laxmi as Shreedevi

The sacred name of Laxmi is ''Shri''. Whether in written or verbal form, ''Shri'' always suggests presence of goddess Laxmi in it and an aura of holiness is established. Sri is associated with the material side of life, just like the word ''Om'' is associated with the spiritual side of life.

    

“Shri”                                             “Om”

''Shri'' is written at the top of most of the important document or business deals to ensure that the divine goddess blesses the work with her presence. It is usually spoken before addressing a god, or any revered individual. The usage of ''Shri'' itself evokes grace, affluence, abundance, authority and auspiciousness.

“Shri” is usually spoken before addressing a god, or any revered individual.

Generally, Lakshmi is portrayed as a beautiful lady with golden complexion, dressed in red color attire and adorned with precious jewels. Lakshmi has four hands representing the four ends of human life, Kama (desires), Artha (wealth), and Moksha (liberation) from the cycle of birth and death. She holds lotus bud in two of her hands, which stands for beauty, purity, spirituality and fertility as the world is continually reborn on a lotus growing out of Vishnu's navel. She sits on a fully blossomed lotus, a seat of divine truth.

Goddess Laxmi

Behind her, sacred elephants who hold up the sky came from the eight quarters of the universe are usually depicted raised their trunks and consecrated her with life sustaining water. They also symbolize the name and fame associated with worldly wealth.

Two standing elephants and Goddess Laxmi

It is only through the grace of Goddess Mahalakshmi that even King of Gods Devandra, gained wealth, when he was cursed by the famous Sage Dhurvasa for disrespecting the garland offered to him.

King of Gods “Indra”

Goddess Laxmi is revered widely across India and often appears in daily prayers. But the holy day associated with Lakshmi Puja is Diwali. Lakshmi was incarnated on the new moon day (amaavasyaa) of the Kartik month during the Churning of the Ocean of Milk (Samudra-manthan), hence the association of Diwali with Laxmi.

Churning of the Ocean of Milk

Also on this very day, Lord Vishnu in his fifth incarnation, Vamanavatara rescued Lakshmi from the prison of King Bali and this is another reason of worshipping Ma Larkshmi on Diwali.

King Vali and Vamanavatar

In his eighth incarnation as Ramavatar, he again returned to Ayodhya with Sita (also with Laxman) after vanquishing Ravana and conquering Lanka on this new moon day of Kartik celebrated as Diwali.

Ram& Sita in Ayodhya

Diwali, the festival of light, is the biggest festival of the Hindus. On this day the goddess Laxmi is invoked with full dedication by singing praises to her and making beautiful rangolis and foot-marks are painted from the door step to the place of worship, as if Goddess has entered the house. Small oil lamps are also put outside their homes to invite the goddess. It is believed that on this night the goddess herself visits the homes and replenishes the inhabitants with wealth.

Hindus worship Laxmi on Deepawali

There goes the saying that Goddess Laxmi travels on owl called Uluka if she travels alone and if with Lord Vishnu then on his carrier Garuda, in her two forms, Bhoodevi & Sridevi both either side of him.

Goddess Laxmi travels on owl called Uluka and with Vishnu on Garuda in her two forms “Shridevi & Bhoodevi” either side.

Now these two different situations signify two different aspects of prosperity. In some regions, Uluka symbolizes wisdom and intelligence because of its ability to foretell events. But in majority of the regions, owl is a bird of ill omen and symbolically represents darkness, disgrace, inauspiciousness and misfortune. If some one is suffering from adversity, he should pray to Shri Mahalaxmi, who controls all ill-omens and with her grace can remove all negative, inauspicious and adverse influences from our lives bringing prosperity. Garuda is a mythological bird and represents the human thoughts which can fly in all directions at incredible speed. Lord Vishnu can help us to control our thoughts. And when she travels with Vishnu, then the person acquires wisdom along with wealth.

THE STORY OF PIGEON POST

- By Naresh Agarwal

PIGEON POST IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF WORLD

THE PIGEON POST OF PARIS (The French Pigeon Post )

In 1870 the longtime border disputes between France and its rival Prussia erupted into the Franco-Prussian War. In 1871, the conflict escalated and the Prussian army’s siege of the capital effectively cut off the mail and other channels of communication between Paris and its surrounding cities during the four-and-a-half months of the siege till the middle of February 1871 when the Prussians relaxed their control of the postal and telegraph services and by September the telegraph services too had been cut off. Although a number of postmen succeeded in passing through the Prussian lines in the earliest days of the siege, others were captured and shot, and there is no proof of any post, certainly after October, reaching Paris from the outside, apart from private letters carried by unofficial individuals.

Under these strained conditions the pigeon fanciers’ society L’Esperance (“Hope”) volunteered carrier pigeons to deliver the mail. Initially, government and postal officials were doubtful about successful utility of carrying messages through pigeon carriers but later due to prolonged siege under compelling circumstances they had to adhere to this way of carriage of mail by air.

These pigeons were carried to the city limits by hot air balloon as they did not fly into Paris directly because balloons seen over Paris were vulnerable to Prussian gunfire. And so it was safer to launch the balloons with their winged passengers outside of the city boundaries.

Cover that contained mail to be sent by pigeon post

Initially, one of the pigeons carried by a balloon were used to be released as soon as the balloon landed so that Paris could be apprised of its safe passage over the Prussian lines. Soon a regular service was in operation, based first at Tours and later at Poitiers .The pigeons were taken to their base after their arrival from Paris after necessary feeding etc. before they started their return journey. Tours lies some 200 km from Paris and Poitiers some 300 km; to reduce the flight distance, the pigeons were taken by train as far forward towards Paris as was safe from Prussian intervention. Before release, they were loaded with their dispatches / mail.

The first despatch was dated 27 September and reached Paris on 1 October, but it was only from 16 October, when an official control was introduced, that a complete record was kept.

Several stations were set up throughout the surrounding French countryside to house the birds and their handlers. These sites also served as relay stations to help the balloons maintain communication with each other. Once a balloon was within safe range of the city, the handler would release the pigeon and the balloon would fly back to safety.

The birds had the difficult task of maneuvering around the dangers / risks of the war-torn city. The pigeons carried also the micro photographed letters inside small, quill containers. The successfully delivered microfilm was enlarged for transcription and reading.

 

Balloons were used for getting messages and people out of Paris. Pigeons were

used to send microfilmed messages to and from Paris. The Prussians

used trained falcons to attack the post pigeons.

The pigeons carried two kinds of dispatches: official and private. The private dispatches were sent only when an official dispatch was being sent, since the latter would have absolute priority. However, the introduction of the Dagron microfilms eased any problems there might have been in claims for transport since their volumetric requirements were very small. For example: one tube sent during January contained 21 microfilms, of which 6 were official dispatches and 15 were private, whilst a later tube contained 16 private dispatches and 2 official ones. In order to improve the chances of the dispatches successfully reaching Paris, the same dispatch was sent by several pigeons, one official dispatch being repeated 35 times and the later private dispatches were repeated on average 22 times. The practice was to send off the dispatches not only by pigeons of the same release but also of successive releases until Paris signaled the arrival of those dispatches. When the pigeon reached its particular loft in Paris, its arrival was announced by a bell in the trap in the loft. Immediately, a watchman relieved it of its tube which was taken to the Central Telegraph Office.

A magic lantern projecting balloon dispatch done in microfilm

There the content was carefully unpacked and placed between two thin sheets of glass. The photographs are said to have been projected by magic lantern on to a screen where the enlargement could be easily read and written down by a team of clerks. This would certainly be true for the microfilms, but the earlier dispatches on photographic paper were read through microscopes. The transcribed messages were written out on forms (telegraph forms for private messages, with or without the special annotation "pigeon") and so delivered

The service was formally terminated on 1st February 1871. The success of the pigeon post, both for official and for private messages, did not pass unnoticed by the military forces of the European powers and in the years that followed the Franco – Prussian War pigeon sections were established in various armies

To be continued……  – Naresh Agarwal email : nareshkumar1992@yahoo.co.in

New Issues from other countries

Australia

5 October : Wildlife caring rescue to release – 6 val + MS

Bangladesh

2 August : Indigenous people in Bangladesh – sheetlet

2 August : Bangkok 2010 - 25th Asian International Stamp Exhibition – MS

France

18 October : Elise Deroche – First woman Pilot

Germany

9 September : 200 Years of Oktoberfest

German Post has issued this stamp to dedicate the funniest holiday of all the Germans Oktoberfest. The tradition of annual celebration of Oktoberfest goes back to 12th of October 1810 when the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig, later King Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen was held in Munich. The official celebrations of the wedding lasted five days. It consisted of National Guard parade, illuminations and music, food and drink, trumpets and drums - a big party took place city center of Munich.

The following year it was decided to repeat the celebration at the same time. Today the Bavarian Oktoberfest is the largest folk festival in the world. Munich beer and hospitality, high tech rides and nostalgic carnival attractions invite everybody to join the celebration.

Gibraltar

20 October 2010 Centenary of Girl Guiding – 4 Val

Jersey

12 October : Jersey Arecheology – 5val

Luxembourg

27 Sep ATM stamps “Roses” -10 val.

27 September : Famous Luxembourgers – 3val

Malaysia

27 September : Llife of Malaysian Aborigines -3 val

The indigenous peoples of Peninsular Malaysia are known as Orang Asli, which literally means "original person", is a catch all term for a variety of ancient peoples. They number about 60,000, and were the first inhabitants of the area. The most numerous of the Orang Asli are called Cerritos and are related to native Papuans in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, and possibly even to aborigines in Australia.

Sri Lanka

7 September : Visit Sri Lanka - Beaches of Sri Lanks – 3 val

7 September : National Parks of Sri Lanka – 4 val

UK

2 November: Christmas – 5 val

UNPA

21 October Indigenous People -18 val

Reader’s Right

Editor’s note- The aim of this stamp newsletter is to provide instant information and facts on philately to the readers and not to hurt anyone’s feelings. Readers may express their views, anguish and resentment through this column on philately. The platform is not used for any vested interest to cause derogatory to philately. When writing your views be sure that it should be related to philately only. It should not be used to express personal feelings between persons or groups in any manner.

Kranti Trivedi Stamp

On 29th Oct 2010 a postage stamp on Kranti Trivedi was released.
As per information available on internet and brochure it does not match anywhere as whether the stamp is released on Birth Anniversary or Death Anniversary.

Information in Brochure
Kranti Trivedi born on 28th Sept 1930 ............................. Actually Born on 28th Sept 1932
Kranti Trivedi died on 26th Oct 2009................................ Actually Deid on 30th Oct 2009.
Stamp release date given on brochure - 25th Oct 2010
Actual Stamp released on 29th Oct 2010.
My Question to Department of Post is as to why do not they release the stamp that matches either birth anniversary or death anniversary.Why are they releasing the stamp on any dates??

- Jigar Desai, Mumbai

10.10.10 Cancellation

On 10.10.10 I asked friends to approach the RMS at Allahabad,Varanasi and Bilaspur for the cancellation. The request startled the RMS personnel at all these places into a curiosity that bordered on suspicion. Declaring that the requested exercise fell outside their assignments,they did oblige,with only one instance of exception. They,however, uniformly refused to hand over articles stamped on request.Yet while the officials at Varanasi and Bilaspur,and at one counter at Allahabad, stamped the cancellation on addressed covers and post-cards produced to them, and retained them for delivery through the regular routine,one counter at Allahabad (at a different hour) refused to entertain anything other than that coming from the post-boxes. For them, the addressed covers had to be dropped into the post-box outside the Railway Station, with only a promise from them of the favour" should the lot be brought to them by those concerned before midnight of that date". Of this last endeavour, out of the four covers addressed to the residence of the friend who took the initiative on my behalf, one was most faintly post-marked ,with the date barely visible; two have the cancellations such that the date is invisible; and the fourth has been delivered un-marked and un-cancelled.

While this episode had a bitter-sweet conclusion for me,I surmise that it would not have been very different for philatelists in similar 'small' places .It would have been a matter of more professional intent and conduct if the philatelic outlets all over the country had been kept open for a pre-declared time-slot on that philatelically historic date to cater to the humble aspirations of the Indian philatelic community.

- Deepak Dube, Jamnipali Korba, Chhattisgarh.

New Blogs & Websites

Join Mobile Philately & Stay Updated - http://mobilephilately.blogspot.com/ It is a blog by Mr Dipak Modi of Jalna, Maharashtra. Mobile Philately is a mobile technology based philatelic community with short messaging service (SMS) that allows the community members to get latest updates related to Indian philately directly into mobile message box.

Se- tenant Stamps of India - http://setenantsofindia.blogspot.com/ It is a specialized Blog on se-tenant stamps.

Flags & Stamps - http://flagstamps.blogspot.com/ - It is a specialized blog on Flag Theme

http://www.stampshopy.com/ - A new site on Indian Stamps and other philatelic items.

http://indiastampsdetails.blogspot.com/ - A new Blog on Indian Stamps by Sundar R. of Salem, Tamilnadu

http://ronlovestamps.blogspot.com/ - A new blog by Ronny Wong of Malaysia. The blog gives updates and discussions on philately related topics

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Stamps-Philately-1610/indexExp_69442.htm - It is a site based on Question & Answeres on Philately. Mr Prashant Pandya replies to queries.

http://bestnetguru.com/tourindia/ - Tour India through Stamps – A nice site by Shobhan Dey.

http://philamirror.info/ - A new site with recent updates from stamps world.

Philatelic Clubs & Societies

Baroda Philatelic Society - http://www.vadophil.org/

Eastern India Philatelists’ Association - http://www.filacapsule.blogspot.com/

Indian Stamp Ghar - http://www.indianstampghar.com/

Indian Thematic Society, Ludhiana - http://indianthematicstamps.webs.com/

Ludhiana Philatelic Club

Mobile Philately - http://www.mobilephilately.webs.com/

Philatelic Society of Rajasthan, Jaipur

Rainbow Stamp Club - http://rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com/

South India Philatelists Association - http://www.sipa.org.in/

Stamps of India - http://www.stampsofindia.com/

The Lighter Side

Joint Account - A Query….

Sir,

     Namaste. I am a teacher working in a rural high school .Recently, I came across a question from a student asking about a bank that used Gandhiji-Kasturba stamp to promote joint accounts. Would you kindly let me know the name of that bank ? I shall be very much thankful to you for the favour.

Thanking you, sir.

Yours sincerely,

xyz

Stamp Jewlery

New Ideas New Designs….

 

See more images at : http://www.dropsofsun.com/postagestampjewelry.html

Promotional section

Philatelic Literature

Famous Stamps: “ The Romance of Rarities”. - By Anil Dhir

Contact address : Amadeus Press 112, Vaishno Villa, Satyanagar, Bhubaneshwar – 751007 email : anildhir123@gmail.com & amadeusbooks@yahoo.co.in

Year Book of Indian Philately 2009

Contact Address : Madan Middha, Saket Vihar, Phalka Bazar,

Gwalior 474001. e mail : madan_middha@yahoo.co.in

Phila India 2011-12 Guide Book 

Latest edition available at  Phila Art, Contact Mr Pradip Jain,Post Box 128, MITHAPUR,

PATNA 800 001 e mail : philapradip@gmail.com 

New Special Covers from HP Circle

See all covers at : http://rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com/2010/10/pride-of-india-collection.html

· Set of 3 new special covers ( Solan & Hamirpur) recently issued by HP Circle are available at cost price. The order may be sent to following address by MO only ( Please give your complete Postal address in capital letters). Cost Rs 65 (inclusive of Postage by Speed Post)

Contact address -

Mr Govind Ram, c/o Conservator of Forests, Great Himalayan National Park, Shamshi, Distt Kullu. PIN 175126 (HP)

Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletters

-Stamp of India Collectors’ Companion - India’s first and most updated weekly e-newsletter edited by Madhukar and Savita Jhingan from Stamps of India, New Delhi. E-mail: mjhingan@yahoo.com Website: www.stampsofindia.com

ITS Stamp News - Quarterly - Editor: Suraj Jaitly Publisher: Indian Thematic Society website - http://itsstampnews.blogspot.com/

Phila News, Editor Rajesh Pahariya and published by Philatelic Society of Rajasthan, Jaipur

VADOPHIL, Editor - Prashant Pandya and published by Baroda Philatelic Society, Vadodara. Website -http://www.vadophil.org/

e ZEP Newsletter http://www.ezep.de/zpj/zpj.html Editor : Dieter Leder

email zpj@arcor.de website www.eZEP.de

SIPA Bulletin Editor - Mr G. Madan Mohan Das and published by South India Philatelists’ Association, Chennai website : http://www.sipa.org.in/

FILA Capsule – Editor : Ajit Dash and  published by EIPA, Bhubaneshwar.

GPA News – Editor- Ilias Patel and published by Gujarat Philatelists’ Association, Ahemadabad.

Kar Phila News published by Karnataka Philatelic Society & edited by by Akshay Borad

E –Mail : akshayborad@hotmail.com

Editor’s Mail Box

-Vijay Deshpande, Mumbai

Great issue as usual.. Highly appreciate your efforts and success!!!

Dr Hemant V Kulkarni, USA

This is quite a presentation of new stamps from India and various other countries. Articles/interview/tribute (Mr Mittal) are fascinating/interesting/informative.

Atul Agarwal, Aligarh

Great job for promotion of philately especially at the time when it has become very expensive hobby.

Ronny Wong, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia

I love your blog and club too. My utmost respect to you and your effort to help promote philately. I’ve seen and know many dedicated and committed philatelists but not many are like u, dedicated to the growth of philately. Hats off to you..

N. Asogan, Singapore

I am truly impressed with your articles.  They are very informative. Will continue to read them. Keep up the good work!

Ravindra Wamanacharya, Nashik

Hearty congratulations on winning Bronze Medal in Portugal 2010 stamp exhibition and best wishes for  forthcoming philatelic exhibitions. I am regular reader of your blog which is very much informative and helpful for all philatelists.

RAINBOW STAMP CLUB

This is a blog of e-stamp Club www.rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com . The idea of this blog is to extend philatelic fraternity in all corners of the world. Readers may write about themselves with their collecting interests and share new ideas with other philatelists. Those who are interested may send following details for publication on blog. If they wish they may also send their photo for publication. New Post on recent issues, news on stamp activities and Contribution by members are published everyday on this blog.

Name…………………………………………

City/Country………………………………..

E-Mail………………………………………..

Postal Address…………………………….

Collecting Interests……………………….

Brief write up about yourself……………

Readers may also express their views on any philatelic matter which will be published under Club News at Rainbow Stamp Cub Blog. Philatelic Clubs and Societies may also send brief write ups. News about new issues of India and abroad and other information related with Philately are regularly posted on this blog. Readers may send reports on new issues, special covers, cancellations & philatelic activities of their area for inclusion in this Blog. - Editor

Courtesy- News and Image Resource to this issue - Stamps of India, Madhukar Jhingan – Johannesberg;  Hemant Kulkarni, Milwaukee USA; Deepak Modi –Mobile Philately ; International Stamp News ; , Shrikant Parikh – Ahemedabad; Sreejesh Krishnan – Trivandum ; Ashwani Dubey – Gorakhpur ; Jagannath Mani – Bangalore ; Anil Gupta – Gorakhpur ; Prof. Kazi Shariful Alam – Dhaka; Vipan Kumar Thakur – Chandigarh; Ajit Dash – Bhubaneshwar; Srinivasan Thevarayan, Klang - Malaysia

All the images of this issue have not been included here. For detailed images related to this issue Please Visit: http://www.rainbowstampnews.blogspot.com/

Address for communication:

Jeevan Jyoti, c / o Mr. Ajay Srivastav, Director, Great Himalayan National Park, Shamshi, Kullu (H.P.) PIN 175126 India

E-mail – j.jyoti9@gmail.com or rainbowstamp2008@gmail.com

Last date for receiving write ups – 25th of every month. Kindly send images in jpg compressed format & text in MS Word only.

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A Request to Readers & Contributors-

Please do not send the text in scan form. Send your write ups in MS Word only.

Kindly specify your contribution such as article/News/ Reader’s Right / Beginners’ Section/ Lighter Side etc.

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Attention -
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Till Next Month …..Happy Collecting…………………………………………………………………

Rainbow Stamp News is edited and published monthly by Jeevan Jyoti, from Kullu (Himachal Pradesh) India.