It’s Festive Time ... Send Greetings to your Dear ones…
Happy Deepawali !!
Shimla November 2013 Vol. VI Issue # 71
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 and by post to –
Ms. Jeevan Jyoti, c / o Mr. Ajay Srivastav, CCF, GHNP , SHAMSHI, Kullu -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,
I am pleased to release November issue of Rainbow Stamp News. One of the biggest philatelic shows BRASILIANA 2013 is going to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 19th to 25th November 2013. There are record number of 46 entries from India in different categories. Best wishes to all the participants. For the first time such a big number of entries from India have been accepted for an International stamp exhibition. The credit goes to the National Commissioner who made efforts to get entry from maximum number of Indian participants.
Now it’s festive time and the festival of lights ‘Deepawali’ has arrived….Greetings to all on this festive occasion. Wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous Deepawali. In this issue read articles on a variety of subjects by distinguished philatelists. Enjoy the issue and have a great festive time !!
This is all for this month…More in next issue…
Happy Collecting !!
-- Jeevan Jyoti
Contents
· From the Desk of Naresh Agarwal
· Recent Indian Issues
· In The News
· Beginners’ Section
· Specialized Section
· New Issues from Other Countries
· The Lighter Side
· Philatelic Clubs and Societies
· Editor’s Mail Box
· Blogs & Websites on Philately
· Promotional Section
· Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletter
Over Priced Presentation Book : Indian Cinema Through Postage stamps
India Post deserves all appreciation for coming out with series of as many as 50 stamps on different iconic personalities of history of Indian Cinema in process of its celebration and commemoration of journey of 100 years of Indian Cinema on May 3rd, 2013. Truly a marvelous effort. One can talk about various if’s and but’s. that why a particular personality was considered or not considered. But for me the selection has been quite satisfactory. All the personalities shown have their strong contribution in developing the art of acting and technology of cinematography in one way or the other to make it popular world over. Followed by this a special presentation book ‘Indian Cinema Through Postage stamps’ was also issued.
Being a philatelist, I genuinely appreciate the thought of presenting the set of stamps in a beautiful presentation pack which has added glamour to the beauty of stamps and honor to the personalities and taste to the commemoration. This presentation pack in form of 16 page book not only preserves some of old stamps issued by India Post prior to issuance of these stamps but also puts light on the various aspects of the 100 years long journey of Indian Cinema. But surprisingly there is no space for these 50 stamps.
While saying all this I feel India Post lacked proper planning in quantity and quality of this book and further the pricing it has kept. As I know, the book has been printed in 600 nos. only and will certainly be a priced possession for any philatelist. But it will be a pain for those who won’t get it and there are a few who will possess more than one for their collection as well as financial interests.
Looking in to the technical aspects of the book one can see that its size, layout printing and paper quality does not seem to be of high standard. The size of the book or booklet is very small 8.5” x 6”. The stamps have been simply inserted in transparent plastic strips of inappropriate size with poor gum prominently visible, where as it would have been better if those were kept in good quality hawid mounts to give batter look and proper safety. Hence, this presentation is not very impressive when one turns the pages and looks at the stamps inside. With time there is every possibility that some of the stamps would stick to the paper which would definitely destroy the original gum of the stamp losing the mint condition. Some of the stamps placed have their perforation damaged at corners and other places which made the stamps unsuitable for collection. The binding too is of poor quality as the same has been stapled only and one has to be very careful as the pages can easily come out of the staples. There are no blank pages with hawids to preserve and display additional stamps.
Looking at the price of the book which contains 44 stamps worth of around Rs.200.00 ; the price fixed for the book at Rs.1000.00 is definitely very high. Further, the price has not been printed on the book giving an impression that the same had been printed for free distribution. Though it is understood that the quantity printed being very low, the price certainly goes high but still an additional price of Rs.800.00 for 16 pages booklet is very high. For me it should not be more than Rs. 300.00 which means the price of the whole presentation pack with stamps should have been Rs. 500.00 maximum.
While talking about this, the Khadi Stamp on Gandhi issued during INPEX2011 comes to my mind which too had been priced very high and had some printing and pricing lacuna too. I feel there is lack in proper thinking and planning by India Post while it comes to designing, printing and pricing. These items are for promotion of philately and should have been kept very low priced and printed in sufficient quantity. India post should have very serious concern about the improvement in quality of such products. Further, the book should have contained additional empty space with display mounts for all these 50 stamps. There is also no space for Miniature sheets and Sheetlets (wherever required) as this would have not only helped preserving the material but have added grace to the display and also justified the price of the book. However, while appreciating this effort, I hope India post will carefully look in to the points discussed above in all its future endeavors.
- Naresh Agarwal : email : nareshkumar1992@yahoo.co.in
Recent Indian Issues
· 3 September 2013 : Wild Flowers of India – 12 stamps 3 MS + 1sheetlet
· 9 September 2013 : Lala Jagat Narayan – Rs 5
· 10 September 2013 : Acharya Gyan Sagar Ji Maharaj – Rs 5
· 21 September 2013 : Gurajada Venkata Apparao – Rs 5
· 24 September 2013 : Pratap Narayan Mishra – Rs 5
· 30 September 2013 : Jumdev Thubrikar – Rs 5
· 12 October 2013 : Philately Day S/S – Rs 20
· 22 October 2013 : Golden Jubilee of Bhakhra Dam – Rs 5
· 24 October 2013 : Ruchi Ran Sahni – Rs 5
Recent Special Covers
· 5 September 2013 : 250th Anniversary of St. John Vestry's Anglo-India Higher Secondary School, Tiruchirapalli.
· 18 September 2013 : Machali (T-16), the royal tigress and pride of Ranthambore National Park
· 28 September 2013 : St Peter’s Church, Bandra, Mumbai
· 6 October 2013 : 50 Years of Celebrations of Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad
· 7 October 2013 : Wildlife Conservation – Bhopal
· 8 October 2013 : Army Cover : Diamond Jubilee of Air Force Station, Begumpete
· 12 October 2013 : Ahimsapex 2013 Lucknow
· 12 October Save the Earth – Philately Day, Mumbai
· 15 October 2013 : 150th anniversary of State Bank of India, Kozhikode Branch
· 20 October 2013 : CGGANDHIPEX2013 (featuring Gandhi ) , Raipur
New special cancellations
New Special Special Cancellations by Gorakhpur Postal Division
· 2 October 2013 : Gandhi Jayanti
· 4 October 2013 : World Animal Day
· 14 October 2013 : Durga Puja – Vijay Dashmi
Revised Stamp Issue PROGRAMME OF INDIA POST FOR NOVEMBER 2013
Nov 05: Boys’ High School & College, Allahabad
Nov 07: 75 Years of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Nov 08: Indian Academy of Pediatrics
Nov 11: Central Bureau of Investigation
Nov 13: Times of India
Nov 14: Children’s Day
Nov 23: Sathya Sai Baba
Nov 25: Railway Workshops - Kanchrapara & Jamalpur
Nov 29: Sashastra Seema Bal
Nov 00: Indian Metal Crafts
In The News
New stamp on Taj Mahal
Japan Post issued a beautiful souvenir sheetlet on 23 October 2013 featuring 5 World Heritage Sites under its Overseas World Heritage series. One of the stamp in this issue features “Taj Mahal”, ‘ The Pride of India.’ These special stamps from the second collection of overseas world heritage from Japan Post depict the Galapagos Islands, the Taj Mahal, Venice and its lagoon, Victoria Falls and Cologne Cathedral.
1931 Russian souvenir sheet to auction for $140,000 at Cherrystone
One of just 25 known stamp souvenir sheets from the 1932 All Soviet Philatelic Exhibition in Russia will see some of the highest bids in Cherrystone Auctions’ November 6-7 auction in New York.
The sheet highlights the Russia section of the sale, and is currently selling at $140,000.
A sheet of four on thick card, it bears the two line overprint “Lutchemu Udarniku”, which translates as “To the best shock worker – All Russia Philatelic Society”. It is in unused condition, without gum as issued, and has “perfect sharp corners”.
The sheet does bear almost imperceptible toning, as is usual on this issue, with slight shading at the bottom. In very fine condition, it is one of the best examples of the 25 known copies in existence, according to Cherrystone.
The sheet will be accompanied by a 2003 Mandrovski certificate.As Russia’s middle-class continues to grow, more and more collectors are joining the stamp collecting hobby and the market is now stronger than ever. At Cherrystone’s July sale, a block of four 18k stamps from the 1925 definitive issue sold for $28,000 to lead the auction.
Rare British Commonwealth Stamp to Be Auctioned at Dutch Auction House NPV
On next Thursday, 31 October the most expensive stamp ever auctioned in the Netherlands will come under the hammer. The postage stamp has a catalogue value of about £120,000 and had a face value of £100 when printed. The 1925 Kenya-Uganda stamp features a portrait of King George V, the colonial ruler of East Africa in the period. The stamp is special because only a few were printed and there are only four unfranked, mint examples in museums and private collections. The face value of the stamp is also unusual: £100 was a fortune at the time.
The stamp is being offered for auction by the heirs of the Dutch stamp collector Aat de Peijper and is part of his remarkable stamp collection. The mounting pages comprising the collection would cover a small tennis court (165 m2).
The Dutch Postage Stamp and Coin Auction Ltd. (De Nederlandsche Postzegel- en Muntenveiling BV or NPV) was established in 1942. Auctioning of coins commenced in 1980 and the NPV grew to become the Dutch leader in the international stamp collections auction market. The NPV’s specialists are experienced in the field of stamps, postal history and numismatics and have access to an extensive collection of numismatic and philatelic works of reference. The NPV holds eight auctions per year.
USPS to Destroy “Just Move” Stamps
According to a report by Linn’s Stamp News that the US Postal Service will destroy the entire press run of a stamp series aimed at getting children to be more active. According to Linn’s reporter Bill McAllister, three of the stamps in the fifteen stamp series raised safety concerns among sports figures on the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition.
The stamps in question depicted children performing a cannonball dive, skateboarding without kneepads, and doing a headstand without a helmet.The unsafe depictions came to light after USPS Marketing chief Nagisa Manabe asked Michelle Obama to take part in a first day ceremony for the stamps. That was apparently the first time the stamps had been reviewed by the Sports Council.
Christmas 2013 3D stamps from Belgium
Once again, the stamp issue by Belgium commemorating the end of 2013 is very special. It takes on the most frequently shown scene of the Christmas period: the crib. 3D illustration on Christmas stamps by bpost is a realization of two former students of the KASK in Ghent.
Christmas is the most emotionally charged time of year. Christmas markets allow people to spend precious moments of conviviality. Cribs are everywhere down the streets.
There are many live installations of the nativity scenes in memory of the birth of Jesus.
That is why b post selected the crib as religious symbol of the coming Christmas. To add some realism to the stamps’ characters, a style similar to the modern 3d animation was chosen by the authors Virginie Suriano and Dries Bastiaensen , graduates of the “animated film” section of the KASK, Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent . This particular technique is very popular with the young audience that, through this vision, can adhere to the ancient story.
Stamp on Harvey Milk by USPS in 2014
The Harvey Milk Foundation confirmed that the U.S. Postal Service would honor gay rights icon Harvey Milk with a stamp in honor of his memory and legacy. Milk, the first openly gay man to hold political office in California, will break new ground once again as the first openly LGBT political official to be featured on a postage stamp, which will be released in 2014.
EUROPA 2014 Theme
Date of Issue : 5 May 2014
The theme for EUROPA 2014 stamps has been declared as “National Music Instruments”.
Europa stamps are special stamps issued by European postal administrations/ enterprises under the aegis of PostEurop in which Europe is the central theme.Each year a new theme is announced.
EUROPA stamps underlines cooperation in the posts domain, taking into account promotion of philately. They also build awareness of the common roots, culture and history of Europe and its common goals.As such, EUROPA stamp issues are among the most collected and most popular stamps in the world.
The Limca Book of Records have recognized three of following collections of noted philatelist and numismatist, Cdr G.Sriramarao of Vishakhapatnam as National Record for 2014 and will be included in their book to be published on 30 June 2014.
1. Musical Post Offices 2. Musical coins 3. Musical currency
They have recognized the three categories separately and issued 3 certificates to Cdr G. Sriramarao.
Musical Post Offices Collection of Shri Ramarao could be viewed at following links :
Many Many Congratulations to Cdr G. Sriramarao on this great achievement !
New Pictorial Cancellation from Germany
On January second 2014 a new pictorial cancellation will be issued in 49163 Bohmte. The cancellation is featuring a Hedgehog together with young hedgehogs. The cancellation honors the Day of the museum of hedgehogs in Bohmte.Interested philatelists may please contact: Wolfgang Beyer,Vice Chairman of the German Philatelic Collector Group ARGE ZOOLOGIE.Mail: Wolfgang.beyer1@aol.de .Postage rates: 0,75 Euro AIRMAIL, 2,80 Euro Registered AIRMAIL
Philatelic Exhibitions
National Commissioner for PHILAKOREA 2014
PHILAKOREA-2014, World Philatelic Exhibition, 7- 12th August, 2014, Samseong 1-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea.
Mr Surendra Kotadia has been appointed the National Commissioner from India. He may be contacted at following address :
Mr. Surendra Kotadia, Dimple Drums and Barrels Pvt. Ltd., 1119, Maker Chambers - V, 221, Jamnalal Bajaj Road, Nariman Point, Mumbai - 400 021.
Email: surendrakotadia@gmail.com
(M) + 919819903789 (O) + 91-22-22024130 / 31 (R) +91-22-23805125 / 3789
Philatelists, interested in participating in above exhibitions may contact Commissioner for more details.
BRASILIANA-2013
Mr. Madhukar Jhingan is the National Commissioner - India for BRAZIL 2013. e mail:
mj@stampsofindia.com Official website: www.brasiliana2013.net.br
Saudi 2013 - New date for exhibition
Saudi 2013 is postponed to 12-17 March 2014. It will be a 6-day General Asian International Stamp exhibition and will includes Traditional, Postal History, Youth, Literature and Modern Philately classes.
Website : http://www.saudi2013.com/
Mr Umesh Kakkeri , the National Commissioner for this exhibition may be contacted at : Email: umesh_kakkeri@hotmail.com (M) +919969571767
India Post Launches ‘Instant Cash’ International Money Transfer Service
India Post (Department of Posts) has signed an agreement with Wall Street Exchange (a company of the Emirates Post Group of UAE) for launch of an International Electronic Money Transfer service through ‘Instant Cash’ product of the Emirates Post Group.
The service was launched recently by Ms. P. Gopinath, Secretary, Department of Posts, by receiving the first payment from United Arab Emirates at a function organized by her Department for signing the tie-up between the Department of Posts and the Emirates Post Group. The service will be rolled out nationally in a phased manner and will be made available at approximately 17,500 post offices across India by next month. The service will be provided through the International Financial System (IFS) of Universal Postal Union. This tie-up offers the Indian diaspora worldwide - especially in the gulf region - a safe, secure and reliable money transfer service for their families back home. This new service has its own significance going by the fact that globally, India is the largest recipient of remittances with over USD70 billion annually, half of which come from the Gulf.
‘Instant Cash’ is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Emirates Post Group, and its services are available in 59 countries through more than 60,000 locations. They provide instant money transfer service so that the money is available to the customers within minutes of completing the transaction.
The salient features of the service are as follows:
• Recipients will be able to receive their payment at any of the identified 17,500 post offices by producing the unique transaction number along with their identity and KYC documents;
• Money will be available for payment immediately;
• Safe and secure transactions through established International Financial System of Universal Postal Union.
India Post is the largest postal network in the world and has completed 158 years of existence. During this long journey it has undergone continuous transformation according to the needs of the citizens. It boasts a network of 1.55 lakh Post Offices in the country, of which more than 1.39 lakh are in the rural area. Besides mail, it also provides various financial services like small savings instruments under Post Office Savings Bank and Money Remittance, both domestic and international.
Beginners’ Section
FISCAL STAMPS OF INDEPENDENT INDIA
Fiscal stamps often look very similar to postage stamps. Fiscal is a French word, the word Fisc- means treasury and stamp- means duty.
Generally, fiscal stamps issued by the Central and State Govt.’s various departments. This is to generate revenue income, from various sources. There rates/values, designs, quantity, etc. can be verified by the concern notifications issued from time to time and depends upon the usages of the different services and varying according to the value of the concern documents, licenses, period, etc.
The first Revenue stamp of India was introduced during British time (Pre India), in June 1860. Prior to these adhesive stamps, the public were allowed to use privately printed money receipts, promissory notes, hundies, foreign bills, etc. and at Govt. treasury office, it was imprinted with oval shaped stamped, either of 1 Anna or 2 Ans. on that particular documents/ receipts, etc. and after Post India also, the various types of fiscal stamps meant to collect revenue, out of various duties, taxes, fees, etc. from different sectors.
The fiscal stamps are broadly classified into two categories, namely; Judicial (Court fee, Copying fee, Agreement, Deed, Affidavit, Notaries, etc. documentations fees) and Non-Judicial (others) type. Here, you can see various types of fiscal stamps listed below, with its few illustrations of each type, to make the subject more comprehensive and interesting.
1. Revenue/Receipt stamps:
2. Custom Revenue stamp:
3. C. Excise rev. stamp:
4. Foreign Bill stamps:
5. Share Transfer fee stamps:
6. Broker’s Note stamp:
7. Insurance Policy fee stamps:
8. Court fee stamps:
9. Copying fee stamps:
10. Small cause Court fee stamps:
11. Special Adhesive stamps:
12. Notary fee stamps:
13. Agreement fee stamps:
14. Radio license fee stamps: In April 1965, a set of eight Broadcast Receiver License (B.R.L) fee stamps of 50 Paisa to Rs. 15/- were introduced to collect fees from Radio users on quarterly, yearly, etc. basis and for additional radio, if any. It is discontinued from April, 1985, because of steady increase in the revenue from comm. advertisements and sponsorship of the programmers.
15. Television license fee stamps: It was introduced in the year 1965 with fees of Rs. 30/- and Rs. 50/- (& in reduced size) as shown below, which was also abolished, from the year April, 1985.
16. ESIC (Employees’ of the State Insurance Corporation) fee stamps:
17. Central Recruitment Board Exam fee stamps (to be pasted on UPSC, etc. exams envelops, just to identify easily & speedily):
18. Passport fee stamps: to be pasted on passport.
19. Civil Aviation Passenger service fee stamps:
20. International Airport Passenger Service fee stamps:
21. Passenger Tax stamps: may be Yatra-vero.
22. Transport Tax stamps: Road tax/wheel tax
23. Entertainment Tax stamps: Taxes on cinema and other programmers.
Here, it is important to make note that we are not referring of any charitable/donation stamp/label/seal stamps like, Tb seal, Leprosy label, War fund, Animal welfare fund, etc. As these may form sub-categories or another branch of the fiscal stamps.
Acknowledgement/References: The source of information mainly taken from ‘Indian Govt. Fiscal & Judicial Stamps & Stamp Papers’ by S.M. Bhatt, A.M. Mullah & D. Keppel and ‘British Commonwealth Revenues’ of J. Barefoot Ltd.(U.K.), etc.
Now, you will realized that there is a great scope for collectors for research, to chase, to study further in this field, rather somewhat unexplored field of Philately. That’s how such various categories of uncommon- Fiscal stamps rather than the common Postage stamps. It is not only interesting but also very challenging to collect such a wide range fiscal stamps, which are not easily available compared to postage stamps with their relevant information i.e. when they begins, where applicable and at what rate, where ends or discontinued and for what reasons, etc. would be very interesting and informative to know. This is something really a unique experience in Philately, just enjoy it.
- V.P. Dhaky, ex-Secretary General, GPA, Ahmedabad.
email : varaddhaky@gmail.com
Specialized Section
Some remarkable Cancellations and Postmarks – 14
Camp and Field Post Offices (Renouf Sub-Type 8)
These are special cancellations marked by two capital letters enclosed in a rectangle. Each of the sides of the rectangle carries two parallel lines to the outside, gradually diminishing in length, bearing a cap at the top. This cancellation resembles Renouf Type 8 in its framework.
1867- 1869 The Abyssinian Field Force
The Abbreviation “F.F.” stands for Abyssinian Field Force
186X Cover from Calcutta to Moorshedabad (Domain Nizamut) bearing QV adhesive Half Anna (SG37) and tied to the cover by “G.G.”, Renouf Type 8 cancellation. “G.G.” stands for “Governor General’s Camp”) and was used during the winters 1862-63 and 1863-64.
This Cancellation of Type 8 contains in the central rectangle the capital letters “H.Q.” they stand for “HEAD QUARTERS”. This cancellation was used by The Army Head Quarters Post Offices in the winters of 1857, 1858, 1858-59 and 1861-62. Covers bearing this cancellation are rare.
1858 (Dec.) EL from Army Head Quarters to Simla, bearing Half Anna QV adhesive clearly cancelled by “H.Q.” Type 8 obliterator. On reverse a legible strike of “ARMY HD. Qs. /P.O.” in RED overstruck by similar strike in BLACK + SIMLA: P.O./10 DEC/1858” (T.80)
1862 (Jan) Reverse of the cover from Col. Keith Young, Judge Advocate General from H.Q. Camp Nowshera to his wife at Delhi. Franked by QV 1 Anna (SG 39), tied by “H.Q.” Type 8 Cancellation. A large strike of “ARMY HDQs. / P.O.” undated mark in RED and round dated transit marks of Lahore and Delhi.
- Dr. Avinash B. Jagtap : e-mail : abjagtap@hotmail.com
Amrita Sher–Gil : the most expensive woman painter of India
Year 2013 may be remembered for Birth Century of Amrita Sher-Gil, one of the most celebrated painters of pre-independence India and among the initiator of Indian modern art, merging European and Hungarian traditions with ancient Indian art. She is credited to be as the youngest and only Asian artist elected as an Associate of the Grand Salon, Paris. She is also the most expensive women painter of India and her work declared as National Art Treasures by Government of India. A major portion of his work is now permanently housed in the national Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi.
Amrita Sher-Gil
The beauty and depth of Amrita Shergil's paintings has led to her being popularly called as India's Frida Kahlo who is also considered representative of progressive art in her country, Mexico and depicted the ethos of her country in a manner very different from her contemporaries. It is interesting that their lineages, their lives and deaths were very similar too.
Amrita Sher-Gil was born in Budapest on 30th January 1913, died suddenly on the 5th of December 1941, at an early age of 28, just days before the opening of her first major solo show in Lahore. She became seriously ill and slipped into a coma, and later died around midnight on 6 December 1941, leaving behind an oeuvre of almost two hundred brilliant paintings displaying her free spirit and artistic prowess completely captured and inspired Indian artist for generations to come.
To mark her Birth centenary many Postal administrations came forward in 2013 with their new issues depicting some of her master pieces of art on Stamps, Souvenir Sheet, First Day Cover and Special cover covering philatelically her whole journey of art from early Nudes and Self portraits to Modern Indian paintings of rural India.
S/S depicting few of her masterpieces
Amrita Sher- Gil spent the formative years of her life in Europe. She dabbled in paint from her early childhood. Her intelligent Hungarian mother, Marie Antoinette, wife of an Indian Umrao Singh Sher-Gil, detected her hidden talent and encouraged her to paint. She took her to Italy and Paris, the hotbeds of artistic activity and the birthplace of many a historic art movement in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Amrita had the good fortune of studying at the best art school at Paris, first at the Grande Chaumiere under Pierre Vaillant and subsequently at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where she was taught by Lucien Simon and other great masters. Besides, living in Paris, she had the added advantage of visiting art galleries, museums, salons, etc. She studied the works of contemporary and ancient master painters in the original. She was deeply stirred by the Post Impressionist Cezanne and Gauguin in particular.
The drawings and watercolors Amrita did between the ages of eleven and fourteen (1924 to 1927) are related to a growing awareness of herself. By 1927 Amrita had been in India for six years, yet the people and landscape in her drawings and paintings are entirely European.
In an effort to perfect her drawing skills of the human body, Amrita created hundreds of sketches, in pencil and charcoal, mostly of male and female nudes. She also began to experiment in painting with oils.
Between 1930 and 1932, Amrita produced more than 60 paintings; self-portraits, portraits, still lifes and landscapes, but mostly portraits and self-portraits all done in oil.
‘Torso’, a 1931 painting, was a provocative painting in which Amrita used her own nude back as the model for the painting. A masterly study of a nude this painting stood out for its skill of drawing and bold modeling. It was exhibited at the 1932 Grand Salon annual art exhibition and attracted more than its share of attention and controversy from the art. ‘Torso’ is depicted on a S/S of Guinea-Bissau, 2013.
‘Torso’, 1931
‘Torso’, 1931, S/S on FDC
Her nude paintings are raw and earthy and conform to the fact that a body in the nude is in its most beautiful state and is God’s most amazing creation.
Sleeping beauty, Sher-Gil's erotically charged ‘Sleep’, which she painted in 1932, depicts her younger sister Indira ‘coincides with this view perfectly. It marked her experiment with ways of representing the non-western body in paintings.
It is depicted on a set of two Souvenir Sheets and FDC of Guinea Bissau, 2013 commemorating Amrita Sher-Gil’s Birth Century .The first S/S is consisting of 4 stamps portraying 4 of her well known Nude paintings including ‘Sleep’, whereas in second S/S it is a part of selvage.
‘Sleep’ 1933
‘The Professional Model’, is another famous painting became part of this Guinea Bissau’s, 2013 Souvenir Sheet, which was painted in 1933 and portrayed an ageing nude model. The painting shows the sadness and how neglected she feels which is depicted by stooped shoulders, sagging breasts, a tired head and a resentful face, but the glitter in her eyes is still alive. The painting’s style was very much influenced by Picasso's blue period painting style.
‘The Professional Model’, 1933
Sher-Gil encountered the paintings of Paul Gauguin during a visit to the National Gallery in London. She admired his depictions of the South Sea Islands and his stylistically simplified, yet symbolically charged Tahitian nudes. Gauguin’s influence became explicit in ‘Self Portrait as Tahitian’, 1934, in which Sher-Gil appears naked to the waist, in a three-quarter profile and looking beyond the frame of the picture. It is likely that she worked from a photograph. This famous Self nude portrait as Tahitian completed in 1934 is also featured on Guinea Bissau’s 2013 issue commemorating Amrita She-Gil’s Birth Century.
‘Self Portrait as Tahitian’, 1934
Irrespective of the excellence of some of her earlier works, done during her stay in Europe till 1934 Sher Gil will be principally remembered for her later work on return to her father’s land, India which is deeply inspired by Indian people and landscape. Despite her training in western art, she had complete awareness of and deep respect for India's artistic traditions. When she set foot on Indian soil for the first time in November 1934, she was haunted by the faces of the unhappy and dejected, poor and starving Indians whom she saw first around Simla, then in the South and finally in Punjab, where she was to spend the last days of her life.
After settling down in Simla in early 1935, she took an important decision of interpreting ‘the life of Indians, particularly the poor, pictorially.’ This, she said, she would do ‘with a new technique, my own technique’ and ‘this technique though not technically Indian, in the traditional sense of the word, will yet be fundamentally Indian in spirit.’ These words suggest that she had a clear idea of what she was to accomplish in the near future.
Her first major painting on returning to India, ‘Three Girls’, sometimes referred to as ‘Group of Three Girls’, painted in 1935, won the Gold Medal at the annual exhibition of the Bombay Art Society in 1937.
It is available on a Special cover released by India Post in 2013 in commemoration of Sher-Gil’s Birth Century and on sheet margin of a S/s released by Guinea Bissau in 2013.
‘Group of Three Girls’, 1935, Special cover and Original Painting
The painting shows three colourfully dressed young women on the threshold of adulthood and marriage, contemplating a destiny they are unable to change. The girls' surrounding is not shown. Their situation is made evident through their facial expressions, their body language, and the skillful use of tones.
With ‘Three Girls’, she began to move away from the academic, realist style of painting in which she was schooled, and towards a flatter, more modern composition.
‘Hill Women’ is another masterpiece of Sher-Gil appeared in 1935 and was featured on one of the four stamps series of ‘Indian Modern Art’ released in 1978, India ,in which she painted the Pahari villagers whom she encountered around her Summer Hill residence in Simla.
'Hill Women’, 1935, Stamp and Original painting
In this painting, the simplified and stylized handling of the figures with their sad expressions and the paintings’ elongated vertical compositions evoke a sense of dignity as well as pathos. She also experimented with the use of shadows to create rounded forms. The white veil worn in the foreground stands out in contrast to the other garments is also breathtaking.
In 1939, Sher-Gil went back to Hungary to marry her cousin Victor Egan. This was also the year that she painted ‘Two Girls’. One of her largest works (129 x 89 cm), it is arguably one of her most enigmatic. Painted in oils, the vertical pictorial space is almost entirely occupied by the figures of two young girls.
The figures appear as symbols of the artist's slippery existence between two cultures. The fair-skinned girl may be seen as representing Sher-Gil's European lineage and her ease in performing the role of a liberated woman. The seated figure could be read as standing in for Sher-Gil's Indian roots. She also used the nude body as a potent site for the representation of the self upon which she poses the complexities of selfhood. She gives visual representation to her own vexed cultural identity in an unabashedly frank and intense manner. This is a radical instance of a woman artist imag (in) ing her body and herself in the early decades of the 20th century. This famous painting is also a part of the commemorative S/S of Guinea Bissau brought out during 2013.
‘Two Girls’, 1939
Irrespective of the excellence of some of her earlier works, Sher Gil will be principally remembered for her later work which is deeply inspired by Indian people and landscape. Mozambique also released a beautiful S/S in 2011 depicting her two famous paintings, one as stamp ‘Camels’ and second ‘The Three Girls’ on margin along with paintings of few notable signatures of Indian Modern Art.
‘Camels’, 1941, S/S and Original Painting
In all above stamps of Guinea Bissau and Mozambique, her Self Portraits/photographs are also a part covering her slip from western outfit into a traditional brocaded sari.
Amongst the most gifted Indian artists of the pre-colonial era, Amrita Sher-Gil’s contribution to Indian art is enormous. Her profound understanding of the Indian subjects, in particular, life of rural India, visualized in her paintings brilliantly. Though her Indian paintings at first sight show a stylist affinity with Gauguin’s style but it is an individual style of her own developed combining Indian art style with that of Post –impressionist style including greater simplification of form and elimination of unimportant details.
She guided her contemporary painters not only by her works but also through lectures and articles in which she urged them not to cling to ‘traditions that were once vital, sincere and splendid and which are now merely empty formulae, nor to imitate fifth rate western art slavishly’. She also told them to ‘break away from both and produce something vital, connected with the soil, something essentially Indian’.
- Dr Satyendra Kumar Agarwal – email : rosephila@hotmail.com
New Issues from other countries
Greece
3 October 2013 : Elements of Nature
The four elements have been an object of fascination for science and philosophy since ancient times, when they were at the heart of Greek thought. According to ancient Greek philosophers and scientists, earth, air, fire and water were the fundamental components of matter : everything was formed from these four elements in different proportions and the whole world was made up of them.
There were conflicting principles and theories regarding which was the primary and most important element in the creation of the world. The ancient Greek philosopher Thalis of Miletus (624-546 BC) believed that material bodies were all based on the fundamental element of water. Anaximenes (585-525 BC) on the other hand thought that air was the most important element, and that earth and water were made of condensed air. For his part, Heraclitus argued that fire was the force that moved the world.
Empedocles ultimately came up with the theory that all four elements are essential and that each one has fundamental properties so that every material thing is composed from all four of them .
Jersey
15 October 2013 : Legacy of a Formula One Champion stamps from Jersey
In celebration of a truly dramatic British sporting icon, Jersey Post issued six stamps and a Souvenir Sheet commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Nigel Mansell CBE being the only driver to simultaneously hold the Formula One World Championship and The IndyCar World Championship. The stamps depict key moments in his motor racing career, including a memorable incident with Brazilian three-time World Champion AyrtonSenna, personally chosen by Mansell himself.
The six stamps include:
45p - Lotus (1980-1984)
55p - Williams Honda (1985-1988)
60p - Ferrari (1989-1990)
68p - Williams Renault (1991-1992)
80p - Newman/Haas Lola Ford (1993)
88p - With Senna at Silverstone (1991)
Nigel Mansell : Born 8 August 1953 in Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire, England, Mansell won 31 Grand Prix making him the most successful British Formula One driver of all time. He was awarded the CBE in 2012 and voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in both 1986 and 1992.
Poland
11 October 2013 : Capital Cities of EU States – Zagreb
South Korea
17 October 2013 Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013
The Conference on Cyberspace is an international conference that comprehensively discusses those diverse cyber-related issues such as the economic and social benefits of cyberspace, cyber crimes, cyber security, international security and the build-up of related capabilities, among others. Established with the first conference in London, UK, it was followed by the 2012 conference in Budapest, Hungary. The 2013 conference is held in Seoul, Korea for two days from October 17 to 18. The 2013 Seoul Conference has attracted around 1,000 participants from 80 countries
Under the theme of “Global Prosperity through an Open and Secure Cyberspace,” the Seoul Conference is a critical forum that seeks out ways to effectively address the negative aspects of cyberspace such as cyber-attacks, leakage of personal information, as well as ways for cyberspace to make a continuing contribution to a nation’s economic and social development.
Anticipating a successful hosting of the Seoul Conference on Cyberspace, a commemorative stamp has been issued by Korea Post, where cyberspace’s convenient functions are expressed with colorful, rainbow colors and the protection of cyberspace from its adverse functions was embodied in a lock design.
The Lighter Side
The unissued stamps of the World…Part 2
This is a series from the collection Hedley Adams Mobb. He had the finest collection of unissued stamps. Some great philatelic enthusaiasts like Franklin D’ Roosevelt, Pope Pius XII and Boswll Sisters donated him their collections. The details have been taken from website : The World of Hedley Adams Mobb
Divine Wind
Kamikaze or 'divine wind' was the Japanese pilots' attempt to crash their aircraft into American and Australian warships in what was called a taiatari, 'body attack' - in planes often laden with explosives, bombs, torpedoes and full fuel tanks.
These suicide attacks started in October 1944 following several critical military defeats for the Japanese. They had long lost aerial dominance due to outdated aircraft and the loss of experienced pilots.
A young airman K. J. Yasukuni featured on the 15c definitive issued in October 1942. In 1945 these stamps were overprinted 'kamikaze' çĽé˘¨ and were for the use of pilots who's missions failed and wished to send a quick postcard to their families. None were ever used.
Bigpu Harbou
Beppu Harbour, Kyushu was the subject of two rather splendid definitives, issued by the Japanese Post Office in 1949. However, no one was quite sure how to render Beppu in
English - so the first effort from engraver Kawasaki Kato was 'BIFFO'!
The mistake was discovered by the design team, Nakamura & Kasori, who insisted that 'BIGPU' was correct!! Eventually 'BEPPU' was agreed upon and face and type face were saved. In the final design note that the radio mast was removed from the top of the hill as it was thought to be a bit too futuristic.
Famous Signals
In 1992 Sweden printed a set of four stamps displaying famous signals from history. The 2.30 Kr depicted Nelson's flag code from the Battle of Copenhagen - not as famous as his "England expects that every man will to do his duty." However, this signal was too long to be used for the stamp design and the shorter Copenhagen signal was used instead. The Swedish postal authorities didn't realise just how rude Nelson's signal the enemy was.Thus the stamps were withdrawn and never issued.
Video on Philately
A good video on Philately for one and all…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGXqpDG-XuA
Editor’s Mail Box
Dr Avinash B. Jagtap – Switzerland
I liked the article by Dr. Satyendra Kumar Agrawal, published in October issue of Rainbow Stamp News.
I have gone through October issue of RSN . The article of Dr.Satyendra Agrawal is very interesting. Excellent presentation from your side.
Blogs & Websites
1. Welcome to the World of Indian Philately - http://www.indianphilately.net/
An exclusive website created by Mr Prashant Pandya dedicated to Indian Philately .The philatelists can register for “ Online Philatelists’ Directory ” on this website.
2.Virtual Stamp Club http://www.virtualstampclub.com/index.html It is website for On Line collectors. Membership is free. Many collectors around the world are its members.
3. Stamp Magazine - http://blog.stampmagazine.co.uk/ This blog is updated by Adrian Keppel every Friday with new Articles on a variety of subjects.
4.Indian Thematics - http://www.indianthematics.blogspot.in/ - A new blog created by noted Thematic Philatelist Mr Dinesh Chandra Sharma. This blog is all about Thematic Philately.
5. Indian Philatelists’ Forum - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/indianphilatelists/
This is an electronic discussion forum dedicated exclusively to Indian Philately that allows members to engage into meaningful discussions on all aspects of Indian Philately. Membership to the forum is open to all philatelists who have interest in Indian Philately. Members can share and discuss their ideas, knowledge, research, collections, events, exhibitions, auctions, publications exclusively related to Indian Philately.
6. The best stamps - http://thebeststamps.blogspot.co.uk/ It’s a beautiful blog created by Julian Fernandes of Pune ( Now living in UK) featuring lovely stamps of birds with the photos of the same birds giving a wonderful look !!
7. Robin Stamps Criticism : http://robin-stamps.blogspot.in/ : This blog is about new issues of postage stamps and the critical study of their design
8.Numismatic & Philatelic Association - http://numismaticphilavellore.site40.net/index.htm - This Numismatic & Philatelic Association is a nonprofit and non-trade motive association that aims to promote the hobbies – Philately (Stamp Collection) and Numismatics (Coin Collection) among children, students, interested individuals among the general public and especially for the budding philatelists and numismatists.
9. How to Collect Stamps - http://www.howtocollectstamps.com/ : The Complete Guide To Stamp Collecting
10.GANDHI Stamps & Philately Study Circle : http://gandhistampsclub.blogspot.in/ - A new Blog by Ketan Patel .…. Saving Gandhi Philately by trying to bring awareness and exposing illegal activities in Gandhi Stamps and Philately.
11. Europa Stamps : http://europa-stamps.blogspot.in/ : A blog on Europa, cept, norden & sepac stamps
12. Phila Mirror : http://philamirror.info/ : The Indian Philately Journal
13. Se- tenant Stamps of India - http://setenantsofindia.blogspot.com/ It is a specialized Blog on se-tenant stamps.
14. Flags & Stamps - http://flagstamps.blogspot.com/ - It is a specialized blog on Flag Theme .
15. Glimpses of Modern Indian Philately : http://modernindianphilately.blogspot.com/ - It is a specialized blog on Modern Philately, created by Mr Prashant Pandya .
16. Join Mobile Philately & Stay Updated - http://mobilephilately.blogspot.com/ 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.
17. Question & Answers on Philately : http://en.allexperts.com/q/Stamps-Philately- 1610/indexExp_69442.htm - It is a site based on Question & Answers on Philately. Mr Prashant Pandya replies to queries.
18. Philatelic Journalists Forum - http://philatelicjournalistsforum.blogspot.in/ “The Philatelic Journalists” is an initiative by a few enthusiast philatelists, who love the hobby to the deepest.
19. The Philatelist - http://o-filatelista.blogspot.in/ - A blog with lot of info about stamps and philatelic activities around the world.
20. Phila India - http://philaindia.info/index.html - Website created by Mahesh Reddiar with lot of info and articles on philately .
Philatelic Clubs & Societies
Baroda Philatelic Society - http://www.vadophil.org/
Deccan Philatelic Society – Pune, Maharashtra
Eastern India Philatelists’ Association - http://www.filacapsule.blogspot.com/
India Study Circle - http://www.indiastudycircle.org/
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/
Numismatic & Philatelic Association of Vellore Fort http://numismaticphilavellore.site40.net/index.htm
Philatelic Society of Rajasthan, Jaipur
Rainbow Stamp Club - http://rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com/
Rajkot Philatelic Society – Rajkot, Gujarat
Gujarat Philatelic Association - Ahmedabad
South India Philatelists Association - http://www.sipa.org.in/
Stamps of India - http://www.stampsofindia.com/
The Army Philatelic Society, Pune
Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletters
Stamp of India Collectors’ Companion - India’s first weekly e-newsletter edited by Madhukar and Savita Jhingan from Stamps of India, New Delhi. E-mail: mjhingan@yahoo.com Website: www.stampsofindia.com
India Post – Quarterly Journal of the India Study Circle publishes original articles submitted by members of ISC.
ITS Stamp News - Quarterly - Editor: Suraj Jaitly Publisher: Indian Thematic Society website - http://itsstampnews.blogspot.com/
VADOPHIL, Editor - Prashant Pandya and published by Baroda Philatelic Society, Vadodara. Website -http://www.vadophil.org/
Journal of the Army Philatelic Society : Editor – Col Jayanta Dutta
SIPA Bulletin Editor - Mr G. Madan Mohan Das and published by South India Philatelists’ Association, Chennai website : http://www.sipa.org.in/
GPA News – Editor - Ilias Patel and published by Gujarat Philatelists’ Association, Ahemadabad.
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. New Post on recent issues, news on stamp activities and Contribution by members are published every day on this blog.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
Promotional Section
New Books on Philately by India Post
‘ India - A Philatelic Journey ’
This coffee table book, ‘India- A Philatelic Journey’, was released by Hon’ble President of India on 3rd September, 2013 at Vigyan Bhawan in the inauguration ceremony of 11th Asian Pacific Postal Union Congress. The book gives a glimpse of our country having chapters on Mahatma Gandhi, freedom struggle, art & culture, wild life, flora & fauna, sports and heritage sites of India. The book has been made in collaboration with the Times of India Group. The designing, printing and editing has been done by the Times of India Group. The packaging of the book is excellent; it is inside a beautifully designed Shrink –wrap box. The most important thing which differentiates it from other coffee table books is that real stamps are used to describe the above mentioned subjects. One side of the page have the text and other side have stamps related to the subject. Approximately 117 stamps issued since 1974 to 2012 have been inserted, in original, in each book. This book is a limited edition and exclusively for niche customers. Only 800 copies are available for sale. The book can be purchased from National Philatelic Museum, Dak Bhawan, New Delhi. This will also be made available to major philatelic bureaux. Interested customers can also place their orders to the nearest bureaux or send an email to Shri V.K.Singh, ADG(Philately) on vksinghs@yahoo.co.in. The price of the book is kept as Rs. 5500.
Art and Culture of India
India Post issued another book on Art and Culture of India. It contains 42 stamps and 1 MS issued on various themes like Greetings, Taj Mahal, paintings, Handicrafts, Textiles, gems and Jewellery, Festivals, Mimiature Paintings Dances , Masks etc. The book is available at all Philatelic Bureaux . Price Rs 2500.
Year Book Of Indian Philately
Dear Friends,
Every edition of the “Year Book of Indian Philately” has deservingly earned its place as an important reference book for every philatelist interested in any aspect of Indian Philately. It has been established as a contemporary guide for the philatelists interested in Indian philately, and a “must” addition to the library of every philatelist interested in any aspect of Philately. The importance of the publication reflects from the fact that it has won a medal at every exhibition / competition it has participated in, so far. The latest being a SilverMedal at the IPhLA 2012 : Germany, a most comprehensive and the only, International Philatelic Literature Exhibition held at Meinz, Germany, early November 2012 and a Silver Bronze at Sharjah 2012, the 28thAsian International Philatelic Exhibition.
As a philatelist friendly endeavor, we have designed an offer for friends who wish to have various editions / issues of the Year Book in their library. The offer is designed in a way that you will not be able to resist this.
We have prepared a limited number of sets of the Year Book, consisting the 2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012 editions. These sets are on offer for the desiring philatelists at a very reasonable and attractive price. Against the combined cover price of Rs 900/- plus packing and postage for the set, we are offering the set @ Rs 650/- per set and as a bonus, registered postage to anywhere in India will be paid by us for this offer.
This is a short time offer and will be executed strictly on “ First Come First Served” basis only for first 25 orders.
Please rush your orders if interested. Remit your amount by Money Order to the following address :
MADAN MIDDHA, Saket Vihar, Phalka Bazar, Gwalior 474 001
The Year Book set will be dispatched to you by registered post, immediately on receipt of your remittance.
Thanx.
Madan Middha, Editor.
Courtesy - News and Image Resource to this issue –Stamps of India, International Stamp News; Indian Philately Digest ; Se-tenant stamps of India ; Mansoor B.- Mangalore; Prashant Pandya – Vadodara; Sreejesh Krishnan – Trivandrum; Ashwani Dubey - Gorakhpur
Address for communication:
Jeevan Jyoti, c / o Mr. Ajay Srivastav, Chief Conservator of Forests, GHNP, Shamshi, Kullu (H.P.) PIN 175126 India
E-mail – j.jyoti9@gmail.com
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A Request to Readers & Contributors -
Kindly specify your contribution such as article/News/ Reader’s Right / Beginners’ Section/ Lighter Side etc.
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…..Happy Collecting…………………………………………………………………
Rainbow Stamp News is edited and published monthly by Jeevan Jyoti, from Kullu (Himachal Pradesh) India.
