Rainbow April 2014

 

Date of Issue : 25 March 2014

Noor Inayat Khan -The woman of Indian origin worked for a secret organisation started by Winston Churchill

Dehradun April 2014 Vol. VII Issue # 76

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, Wildlife Institute of India, Post Bag No. 18, Chandrabani, Dehradun -  248001.

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,

This is the 76^th issue of Rainbow Stamp News . Now it is published from Dehradun, the state capital of Uttarakhand. All 75 issues of this newsletter were published from Himachal Pradesh. From now onwards you will find a new name, Dehradun in the magazine . Mr Abhai Mishra, Sanjeev Jain and Rajesh Verma are distinguished philatelists of this city. This place is philatelically more active than Himachal Pradesh.  It is my pleasure to release this issue from new place and hope to give you regular updates from the world of stamps in the years to come.

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

· Views and Opinion

· Philatelic Clubs and Societies

· Blogs & Websites on Philately

· Promotional Section

· Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletter

 

From the Desk of Naresh Agarwal

MY STAMP : WHAT’S SO GOOD IN IT

On 21^st of March, the MY STAMP facility, brand name of personalized sheets of commemorati -ve postage stamps, an innovation of India Post was launched in Philatelic Bureau, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh and I was one of those whose MY STAMP was printed during inauguration. A matter of pleasure for me. I placed these stamps on face book and received good number of likes and comments of congrats by my friends who were happy to see me on / with postal stamp.

One of the comment was. “Many congrats but I could not understand why?”. Some one said that there should not be any perforation between the stamp and the picture on designated space by the side of stamp. The other comment was “What is the philatelic value of the MY STAMP? True, genuine questions or inquisitiveness. Some one said that the Postal value of my stamp is Rs. 60/- for 12nos. Rs.5/- stamps and philatelic value is Rs. 300/- one spends. i.e. Rs. 240/- for 12nos. stamp size pics. attached to the stamps. The other comment came that just Rs. 240/- for one to be tagged officially with 12 nos. postal stamps. A big deal at very low cost. To get honor to be attached (not the part of ) a postal stamp at such a low cost is commendable, appreciable and highly acceptable.

I recollect the thoughts expressed by my friend Mr. Atul Jain during his speech on dais during inauguration. He said that the my stamp facility had given such a big honor to general public that without being or becoming great personalities or legends on whom the stamps are generally issued ; one can get his face by the side of a stamp and become immortalized. One need not to become Tendulkar to get his stamp printed. MY STAMP is basically personalized stamp so to say. This is a label with ones or ones loved ones picture tagged with the stamp. It is advertising oneself like other saleable commodities publicized adopting the same method.

Nice, it is certainly good to see one tagged with stamp. The dream coming true. Seeing yourself traveling the world at just a meagre cost. Though various mediums have developed now but paper mail has its own charm and impact. People have started using MY STAMPS affixed on Birthday Cards, Marriage Invitations or other Greeting cards to make those immortal. One can have unforgettable moments with family, children, friends and pets tagged to the postal stamps through my stamps to make the event and moments graceful and immortal. Photos that are considered good for these personalized stamps include a portrait, a happy birthday boy or girl, a drawing from your godchild, your baby's first smile, an action shot of a funny incident, a picture of your beloved one or pet, or a shot dealing with your hobbies.

We see the basic purpose of MY STAMP is :

* My stamp i.e. the picture becomes part of detachable regular postage stamp and that could be used for mailing purpose.

* With My Stamp one can express one’s feelings to one’s loved ones with the personal touch.

* My Stamp allows one to print one’s favorite photos. For example about-to-be-weds sending their wedding card invitation with their photos together.

To get best pleasure out of the MY STAMP, one has to have following :

* One should get the used copies of MY STAMP too and should not restrict to procuring and preserving the sheets. By this the basic purpose will be defeated.

* One should place the My sheets in attractive album pages, photo frames, card board frames

* One should get suitable MY STAMP and use on particular occasions like wedding ceremony, birthday etc.

* One should not drop the MY STAMP affixed covers in Letter Box as those will cause heavy killer ink defacing of the stamps. But should get those cancelled in philatelic bureau or post office in ones own presence so the light and careful defacing / cancellations is done.

* One should get my stamps with different pictures covering different events, moments and themes etc.

* One should not think about the cost but the pleasure it gives…the satisfaction it gives…

* One should get pictures with name written on those for identification. There is no restriction as such on doing this.

To put forward the above discussion regarding the value of the stamp, I would conclude that there are different P’s connected to these Personalized Stamps. These are :

Present Value : Rs. 300/- as it costs now.This can also be called Purchase value ( It is understood that there is discount of 20% if more than one sheet is ordered)

Postal Value : Rs. 60/- per sheet of 12nos. Rs. 5/- ach stamps

Philatelic Value : Tremendous as these can give new dimensions to the thematic exhibits by offering a new variety. Both the subject matter of the stamp and the picture tagged to it has importance and can be used as part of the theme.. It also has created a new form /class of collecting giving wider scope in future.

Pleasure Value : Great. The pleasure it gives not only to the one who creates and collects but to the one whose picture is there on MY STAMP. Becomes part of celebration. Becomes mode of expressing one’s feelings.

Personal Value : This is the value which only be valued by the person whose own or some loved one picture is attached to the stamp.

Profit Value : In the first go one may say loss of Rs. 240/- per sheet But what exactly is profitable from MY STAMP , needs to be understood. It is the pleasure, the satisfaction, the honor, which we get and the immortality which we get at such a low cost.

Otherwise also some people say that there is good future of MY STAMP after few years. The Rs. 300/- invested today may turn in to thousands. There is a need of careful formation of these stamps using images of common and philatelic interests for all..

In nut shell, the facility is wonderful and should be availed and enjoyed to the fullest.

- Naresh Agarwal : email : nareshkumar1992@yahoo.co.in

Recent Indian Issues

   

· 14 January 2014 : Food Corporation of India – Rs 5

· 30 January 2014 : International Year of Crystallography – Rs 20

· 2 February 2014 : Indian Museum. Kolkata – s/s Rs 45

· 8 February 2014 : Jagjit Singh – Rs 5 & Rs 20

· 11 February 2014 : Central Vigilance Commission – Rs 5

· 25 February 2014 : Hasrat Mohani – Rs 5

Recent Special Covers

· 22 February 2014 : Gaya Stamp Festival 2014 : Buddha - Gaya

· 9 February 2014 : EIPEX 2014 : Mangalajodi, the bird sanctuary (Orissa)

· 22 February 2014 : Spring Festival – Dehradun

· 24 February 2014 : AJPEX 2014 : Fort of Akbar – Ajmer

· 1 March 2014 : Philatelic Bureau inagurated at Aurangabad

· 1 March 2014 : UDAIPEX 2014 – City Palace – Udaipur

· 1 March 2014 : National launch of ATM service by India Post, New Delhi

· 2 March 2014 : UDAIPEX 2014 : Mahrana Pratap Statue - Udaipur

· 3 March 2014 : 80 years of Kannada Cinema – Bangalore

· 5 March 2014 : BIKAPEX 2014 - Bikaner

· 7 March 2014 : Golden Jubilee Celebration of INS Gomantak, Goa

· 7 March 2014 : UPHILEX 2014 – Chikan Work of Lucknow

· 8 March 2014 : UPHILEX 2014 – Int. Women’s Day - Lucknow

· 9 March 2014 : UPHILEX 2014 - Moradabad’s famous Brass Carving Handart

· 10 March 2014 : Veer Jivaji Mahala, Mumbai.

· 25 March 2014 : SIMPEX 2014 : Tenzin Hospital Panthaghati, Shimla

New Stamp Booklets

6 Stamp Booklets were issued during UPHILEX 2014, Lucknow on Indian Cinema.

In The News

606 Words on a Stamp

The postage stamp released by bpost to celebrate the International Women’s Day held the world record. The stamp with 606 words was recognized “stamp with the largest number of readable words” by Guinness World Records.

The stamp depicts a woman’s face that is composed of integral sentences coming from the “Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women”.

The background of the image entirely consists of text. The stamp designer Ann Bessemans used the Big Vesta font for the text to make it perfectly readable in very small size.

It is the first time bpost is issuing a stamp dedicated to the International Women’s Day. “Bpost already released stamps with women in the lead role, but this is the first one for the International Women’s Day”, said Fred Lens, spokesman for bpost.

As a bonus, the stamp entered the philatelic world history: “We’ve sent our design to Guinness World Records, and it has immediately won in the category “stamp with the largest number of readable words”, says Lens. “The category didn’t exist before, but with 606 words, our record will hopefully just hold out”.

Britain’s Royal Mail issues stamp on Noor Inayat Khan

The woman of Indian origin worked for a secret organisation started by Winston Churchill

Britain’s Royal Mail has issued a postage stamp of Noor Inayat Khan, World War II heroine, who fought fascism and died in the Dachau concentration camp.

The stamp — part of a set of 10 stamps in the ‘Remarkable Lives’ series — honours Noor on her centenary year. Other honoured in the set include actor Sir Alec Guinness and poet Dylan Thomas.

“I am that Royal Mail has commemorated Noor with a stamp,” said Shrabani Basu, author of Spy Princess, The Life of Noor Inayat Khan, and the Chair of the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust. “It will ensure that her sacrifice and bravery will not be forgotten.”

Ms Basu campaigned for a memorial for Noor which was unveiled in November 2012 by Princess Anne.

Noor Inayat Khan was born in Moscow in January 1914 to an Indian father, Hazrat Inayat Khan and an American mother, Ora Ray Baker. The couple had met in the Ramkrishna Mission ashram in America. Hazrat Inayat Khan was a Sufi preacher and musician, and travelled the world taking Sufism to the West.

Noor was brought up in Paris and the family moved to London when Paris was occupied by the Germans in 1940 during WW II. Noor joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and was later recruited for the Special Operations Executive, a secret organisation started by Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

She was the first woman radio operator to be flown undercover to Paris. She worked from there for three months under the code name Madeleine. However she was betrayed, arrested and finally executed in the Dachau concentration camp in Germany.

Though she was tortured and interrogated, she revealed nothing, not even her real name. Her last word as they shot her was “Liberte”! She was only 30.

Noor was awarded the highest honour, the George Cross, by Britain. France awarded her the Croix de Guerre.

In 2006, President Pranab Mukherjee, then the Defence Minister, paid an official visit to Noor’s family house outside Paris and described her bravery and sacrifice as “inspirational”.

Postage stamp as ode to Kuka Movement

The Union government has decided to release a commemorative postage stamp this year on the 19th century Kuka Movement. Communication and IT minister Kapil Sibal in a communique to BJP MP Avninash Rai Khanna - who raised the issue in Rajya Sabha on December 18, 2013 through special mention — has said that Punjab chief minister had already been asked to appoint a nodal officer to coordinate with the Union government on the issue.

Khanna stated that principal secretary S S Channy, who has recently been given the charge of home department, has been appointed as nodal officer by the state government. "Kuka Movement was one of the first freedom movements in India, which started in the 19th century, even when in rest of the country a popular participation was yet to be raised against the British rule. It was the original non-cooperation movement in India that began in Punjab. The postage stamp is only a small gesture to celebrate its importance and originality," said Khanna.

ATM Machines by Deptt. of Posts

The department of post (DoP) is planning to set up 1,000 automated teller machines (ATMs) across six states --Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu -- under its ongoing modernisation plan.
DoP has selected five major technology companies for five of its technology advancement projects. It has issued Letter of Intent to Infosys for two projects which are Rural System and Financial Services Integration, Tata Consultancy Services for Change Management, Sify for Network Integration and Reliance Communications Infrastructure for Data Centre.

13 New Philatelic Bureaux in India approved

As per the Office Memorandum F. No. 1-1/2014-Phil, dated 23rd January 2014, issued by Department of Posts, Philately Division, 13 new philatelic bureaux at Tirupati H.O., Bodhgaya S.O., New Delhi H.P.O., Delhi G.P.O., Krishna Nagar H.P.O., Gurgaon H. O., Dharamsala H.O., Srinagar G.P.O, Leh H. O., Aurangabad H.O., Bareilly H. O., Gorakhpur H.O., and Nainital H.O. has been approved by the competent authority and all 13 new philatelic bureaux will come into effect from 1st March 2014.

A new Philatelic Bureau is inaugurated at Tirupati H. O. on 1st March 2014. On the occasion T. A. V. Sharma, Superintendent of Post Offices (Tirupati Division) informed that his happens to be the second bureau in the Rayalaseema region, the first one was established at Kurnool.
Shri Chandra Prakash, Chief Postmaster General of J & K Circle, inaugurated new Philatelic Bureau at Srinagar General Post Office on 6th March 2014. A special cover was also released during the inauguration of a philatelic bureau in Srinagar on 6th March 2014.
It is reported that New Philatelic Bureau is also opened at Leh H. O. (J & K)

Workshop on Philately at National Postal Academy, Ghaziabad

-Mainak Kathiara, Ahmedabad

India Post is serious on improvement of Quality, Services for Philately and release of Stamps in a better way & with better Quality and Management. With this objective, they organised a Special Three Days Workshop on Philately for Director Level Officers of India Post at Rafi Ahmad Kidwai National Postal Academy (RAKNPA), Ghaziabad from 3rd March 2014 to 5th March 2014, where Mr. Mainak Kathiara (President Emeritus, Gujarat Philatelists' Association) was invited for a Presentation on "Philately from Philatelists' View". Points mentioned in this presentation were presented to all of them during interactive session on 3rd March 2014.

The Workshop on Philately & Marketing was attended by 30 Director Level Officers from all Circles of India. The main Objectives of the Workshop were:

1) Be able to understand the developments taking place around the world in production & promotion of postage stamps & philatelic products.
2) Be able to visualise philately as a business proposition.
3) Be able to understand the stakeholders perspective on philately.
4) Be able to understand the need to involve all stakeholders for the benefit of one another.
5) Be able to work out a branding & marketing strategy for philately.
6) Be able to organise exhibitions & other philatelic events.
7) Position philately appropriately in the market to generate interest amongst all stakeholders making financial sense for one another.

This event can be considered a turning point for future of philately in India. The concern for upgrading philatelic standards, promotion and its long term plan, vision of India post, giving a status to the hobby & above all inviting suggestions from the stakeholders (philatelists) will help to consolidate philately in India. 3 day workshop on Philately & Marketing, involving the Director level officers (DPS) of all postal circles will send good signals to all the philatelic bureaus across the country in near future. Many suggestions offered were noted down with an assurance of action plan. The feeling was very positive as Member HRD/Director Philately took the initiative & was committed to improve the Philately scenario of the country. The Power Point Presentation (PPP) was taken in good spirits, suggestions were noted & discussed. The message & the will to improve upon were clearly seen. After this workshop, we are very hopeful that in near future philately in India will have a more respectable image in near future. GPA thanks the initiative taken by India Post for inviting & understanding 'Philately from Philatelist's view'. To involve the stakeholders (philatelist) is certainly a positive step & initiative from India Post.

Read : Philately ~ An Enthralling & Enduring Hobby

New Website on Philately launched…

http://www.indianphilatelics.com/

Praful Thakkar’s Exotic Gallery of Indian Philately

Mr. Praful Thakkar, President of Gujarat Philatelists’ Association has launched on 25^th February 2014 a dedicated Website, http://www.indianphilatelics.com/ to Philatelic resources of India. It provides wide range of Information on various topics of Indian Philately like Stamps, Covers, FDCs, Se tenants, Cards, Folders, Cancellations etc…The Website is launched with a view to promote the hobby of Philately and serve the interests of Philatelists without any Commercial angle. The object of launching this website is to provide collectors the right information & various Checklists for his or her Themes. It will enable them to prepare and present their Exhibits in proper perspective.

Philatelic Exhibitions

MALAYSIA 2014 - 29th Asian International Stamp Exhibition

and World Youth Malaysia 2014

MALAYSIA 2014, the 29th Asian International Stamp Exhibition and World Youth Malaysia 2014  will be held from 1 to 6 December 2014 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center. Prof. Sahadeva Sahoo is the  Commissioner from India for this exhibition.

Official Website : http://malaysia2014.com.my/

Details of the exhibitions are available at following link :

http://rainbowstampclub.blogspot.in/2014/01/malaysia-2014-29th-asian-international.html

For participation please contact :

Prof. Sahadeva Sahoo

'Saswat', D-3, B. J. B. Nagar,Bhubaneswar 751014

Phone +91674 2432251 Mobile +91 9337103542

email : sahadevas@yahoo.com

 

BIRDPEX 2014 – International stamp exhibition on Birds

BIRDPEX is an international philatelic exhibition on "birds" that takes place every four years. After Christchurch (New Zealand , 1990), Rosenheim (Germany, 1994), London (United Kingdom, 1998), Leek (the Netherlands, 2002), Nørresundby (Denmark, 2006) and Antwerp (Belgium, 2010), the 7th edition will take place in Poitiers (France)

http://philapoitiers2014.online.fr/

For any info contact email : Jean-Francois Duranceau , 2 rue de Berry, 86170 AVANTON (France)  email : jean-francois.duranceau@orange.fr

List of Participants at BIRDPEX 2014, Poitiers

List of participants at BIRDPEX 2014, Poitiers is available at following link .

http://www.mg-o.de/mgobirdpex2014htm

PHILAKOREA-2014

PHILAKOREA 2014 -  World Stamp Exhibition will be held in  COEX Hall A, Seoul from 7-12 August 2014. 

Website : http://www.philakorea.com/

Download Form

Mr Surendra A. Kotadia is the National Commissioner for India. He may be contacted at following address.

SURENDRA A. KOTADIA

DIMPLE DRUMS & BARRELS PVT LTD , 1119 MAKER CHAMBER – V

221 JAMANALAL BAJAJ ROAD , NARIMAN POINT ,MUMBAI 400 021 INDIA

TELEPHONE + 91 22 22024130/31 MOBILE + 91 98199 03789  FAX + 91 22 22843275 E-MAIL - surendrakotadia@gmail.com

Saudi - 2013

The exhibition which was proposed to be held from 12-17 March 2014 has been cancelled by the organizers due to some unavoidable reasons.

Jharpex - 2014, State Level Phialtelic Exhibition at Jamshedpur - 11th - 13th March 2014.

Jharpex - 2014, Second Jharkand State Level Philatelic Exhibition, was inaugurated on 11th March 2014 at Tulsi Bhavan, Jamshedpur. It was inaugurated by Cheif Guest, Padma Bhushan Dr. J.J. Irani and the Chief Postmaster General, Jharkhand Postal Circle.

On this very occasion two Special Covers were released on 11th March 2014. One Cover was issued to commemorate 175 years of the birth of a great visionary, Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata and Second Cover was a Motorcycle Mail Delivery Carried Cover carried by Motor Cycle to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's visit to Jamshedpur in August 1925. My Stamps were also introduced during the Exhibition.

My Stamp in honour of Yuri Gagarin's 80th Birth Anniversary - 9th March 2014.

My Stamp in honour of Yuri Gagarin’s 80th birth anniversary was presented at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture (RCSC) in Trivandrum on 9th March 2014. My Stamp was released by N. Sakthan Nadar, Deputy Speaker, Kerala State Legislative Assembly. On the occasion Shri Nadar said “Russia is a leader in the development of space science technology. The first Indian cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma could enter the outer space thanks to the cooperation between Russia and India. This co-operation in the field of space technology is a model for the entire world. After his space flight Yuri Gagarin was given a red carpet welcome in India. Gagarin’s space flight was considered as a greatest milestone in the space science technology.” The contribution of Yuri Gagarin to space exploration was lauded by numerous representatives of India’s scientific community.

Extension of First Day Cancellation availability from 4 weeks to 8 weeks

Philately Division of India Post has decided to extend the availability of First Day Cancellation from 4 weeks to 8 weeks with effect from 1st April 2014. This change has been notified vide Postal Directorate Office Memorandum, F. No. 38-1/2014-Phil, dated 14.03.2014 issued by Director, Philately. Instructions mentioned in Philatelic Handbook related to first day cancellation are modified in accordance with this order.

Special Cover to mark National launch of ATM Service by India Post - 1st March 2014.

The country’s first Post Office Savings Bank ATM was inaugurated in Chennai on 27th February 2014 by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram. On 1st March 2014 two ATM were launched in New Delhi. The department will open 2,800 more such ATMs by March 2015 which is part of its core banking system (CBS) project. The initiative is part of modernisation project under which around 1.6 lakh post offices will be equipped with core banking system by 2015.

To mark the National launch of ATM service by India Post a Special Cover was released on 1st March 2014 at New Delhi.

Beginners’ Section

Special stamp for Fred, the stamp dinosaur, from Switzerland

For more than three years Fred the dinosaur has been taking Swiss stamp enthusiasts, most of them young, on all kinds of adventures about stamps. Now Fred has been given his own stamp booklet.

The colourfully illustrated stamp booklet contains eight identical stamps portraying Fred as a stamp detective and one large round special stamp – the detailed picture – concealing countless stories.

Specialized Section

- Dr Avinsh B. Jagtap

Some Remarkable Cancellations and Postmarks – 18

Renouf Type 9b Cancellations

Renouf Type 9b is a duplex obliterator of Madras Circle, comprised of the left half with a small circle of 19mm diameter enclosing yet a smaller circle of 12mm diameter. The space in between these circles contains the name of the post-office. The centre of the inner circle shows the date of despatch. The right half of the duplex is a rectangle containing the Post Office Number. The whole is surrounded by a circle. The rectangle is framed by parallel lines with diminishing length which are varying in their numbers.

Bangalore duplex Cancellation

Alleppy Duplex Cancellation

1871 a strip of 5x1 Anna stamps (SG54) cancelled with “ALLEPY / AU 2 / 1871 = 131” Type 9b cancellation. The left duplex shows ONLX OUTER CIRCLE with a diameter of 18mm. The right duplex shows 3 parallel lines with a cap.

Cover from Madras to Calcutta

1865 Folded letter sent from Madras to Calcutta, bearing a Half Anna QV stamp obliterated by clear “MADRAS/JL 28/1865 = 1” Renouf T. 9b with 5 parallel lines of diminishing length ending in a cap. On the back “MADRAS/1865/JL28” despatch-mark and “CALCUTTA/ 1^st / DELIVERY/ JUL.10.65” (Type 57) and “TOO LATE” in a scroll (Type 77a)

Cover from Bangalore to Bombay

1866 Cover from Bangalore to Bombay with Half Anna QV adhesive defaced by Type 9b cancellation “BANGALORE/1866/JA 6” with 6 parallel lines of diminishing lengths, ending in a cap and additional despatch-mark “BANGALORE/1866/JA 5” Plus the arrival mark “R/BOMBAY/9 JA/1866/ 1^st DY”

Renouf classifies the duplex cancellation from Cashmere,as reproduced below, under Type N0. 9d, but to me it is erroneous, as Type 9c cancellations are confined only to Madras Circle. This will be dealt with in a separate article to be published in Rainbow Stamp News of May 2014. Renouf also refers to the cancellation from Cannanore = N0. 85 (as shown in the figure below) as the Reversed Type of 9, where the Post Office Number is in the left and the name of the post office is in the right circle of the duplex cancellations. I have already dealt with these Reversed Duplex Cancellations in my article “Some Remarkable Cancellations and Postmarks N0.9”in Rainbow Stamp News of June 2013, so it will not be discussed again in this article.

Cashmere Cancellation

Renouf’s “Reversed Type 9” Cancellation of Cannanore

- Dr Avinash B Jagtap : email :  abjagtap@hotmail.com

GARUDA in MYTHOLOGY

© Dr.Satyendra Kumar Agrawal

The most important creature of the Himmapan forest is probably the Garuda. The Vedas provide the earliest reference of Garuda, though by the name of Śyena (Sanskrit for Eagle), where this mighty bird is said to have brought Amrit (elixir) to earth from heaven.He is the subject of numerous mythological stories derived from Ramayana , Mahabharata and other Purans. Tripitaka is another source of legends about Garuda written in Pali language.

          Veda                        Tripitaka

Vanita, the wife of Kashyap, the proenitor of gods and men, laid an egg and became the mother of this bird-god. As soon as Garuda was born,his body expanded and touched the sky, his eye were like lighting; the mountains trembled with the spread of his wings.

Garuda

Descriptions of Garuda vary from legend to legend. He is usually represented as having the head, beak, wings, and talons of an eagle with bulging eyes and torso like human. His lower body is covered with feathers and he has the claws of an eagle; he wears a diadem and jewellery. Sometimes, he is described as having eight limbs, with six being human limbs, two are legs with strong eagle like claws. Another text says Garuda has either four or two limbs. When he is shown with two limbs, he will be holding a Naga in each talon. Garuda is the king of birds and also a Hindu God.

Statues of Garuda with 8 and 2 limbs Hindu god Garuda

Mount of Lord Vishnu

He is the carrier of Lord Vishnu and “Garud Purana” narrates in detail on how he became the Vahana of Lord Vishnu.

The legend says that Kasyapa was a powerful sage and had many wives. Vinata and Kadru were sisters and his favorites. Kadru request a blessing from her husband that she should have a large number of children, eventually she gave birth to 1,000 Naga serpents who chosen to live underworld in the ocean depth.

Naga

Where as Vinata requested saga for only two sons and should be more powerful than the children of Kadru. In time, she laid 2 eggs. Vinata waited for 500 years, but the eggs showed no sign of change and impatient Vinata broke one herself from which Arun, the charioteer of the Sun God, Surya came out with a well-developed upper body but has no limbs below his torso. Knowing the cause of his premature birth and the reason of his deformity, he cursed his own mother that she should become a slave of her sister, Kadru, for 500 years.

Arun, the charioteer of the Sun God, Surya

From her second egg finally hatched 500 years later, the gigantic mythical bird Garuda burst forward, "effulgent like a heap of fire" equal to the conflagration that consumes the earth at the end of every cosmic age, and he vowed to liberate his mother from her servitude .It happened in past through a foolish bet, Vinata became enslaved to her sister, and as a result Vinata's son Garuda was required to do the bidding of the snakes. The agreement he reached with her captors was that she would be set free on the condition that Garuda seize the elixir of immortality found during “Churning of the Ocean of Milk”, held by the gods and bring it back to the serpents.

The gods were ready and in full array when Garuda arrived to take the elixir, but such was his might that he defeated them in a ferocious battle, scattering them in all directions. Even the “Vajra” (thunder bolt), the most powerful weapon of Lord Indra, was broken.

 

God Indra with Vajra Garuda

The fights intervened by Lord Vishnu. “You two are very powerful and no one can defeat another”, said Lord Vishnu and requested Garuda for returning the pot containing “amrita” (elixir). Garuda planned a trick by asking Lord Vishnu to follow him secretly and take away the elixir after Nagas have released his mother.

Lord Vishnu Divine pot with Amrit

Lord Vishnu gave Garuda a boon which made Garuda immortal, and promised him a higher seat than his own. In turn, Garuda agreed to become the vehicle of Vishnu.

Garuda as mount of Lord Vishnu

As Vahan or vahicle of Lord Vishnu he can be found in every South Indian temple dedicated to Vishnu and even in the temples of South-East Asia.

Garuda are found in Indian and SE Asian temples

Garuda became the implacable and terrible enemy of the serpents, killing and devouring them at every opportunity due to a continuous enmity has been going on between his mother and Kadru, the mother of serpents.

Garuda is the implacable and terrible enemy of the serpents Naga

In some other text, it’s the boon which Garuda obtained from Lord Indra that makes Nagas the natural food of Garuda.

According to Mahabharata, Garuda had six sons from whome were descended the race of birds. Jatayu is one of them who tried to rescue Sita, when Ravana was fleeing after kidnapping her.

Jatayu

In Arts : Cambodia

In Angkorian art as inspired by Hindu mythology, Garuda is a hulking man-bird most commonly depicted as defeating or devouring serpents of various sizes or serving as a battle steed to the god Vishnu, either in his divine form or in his incarnate form as Krishna.  Impressive Angkorian depictions of Garuda include the haut relief sculptures on the city walls of Preah Khan, and the bas relief murals of Angkor Wat.

Garuda in Khmer art

Indonesia

Garuda appears as bas-relief or statue in many temples of ancient Indonesia .In the East-Javanese period, after the 10th century a sculpture of Vishnu mounting Garuda was found in his sanctuary, the Candi Belahan, now exhibited in the museum of Mojokorto. It shows a ferocious Garuda, trampling the snakes and ready to fight.

Indonesian sculpture Garuda wings on Balinese gates Vishnu Temple Indonesia

After Islam subjugated Java in the 15th Century, Visnuite influences were best preserved in Bali. The commonest is the Garuda figure that decorates the back of the main shrine of any Balinese temple and Garuda wings on Balinese gates.

Thailand

Famous “Emerald Buddha temple” in Bangkok also had 112 figures of garuda holding naga cast in bronze to ornament its base. The Royal Barges are one of Bangkok's most fascinating ornately decorated boats with magnificently carved prows that at one time served a military function, but today are limited to use in State ceremonies and celebrations. On their bows sit a variety of figureheads taken from Thai mythology, Ramakian. One barge features a sacred Garuda

Garuda holding Naga Royal Barge featuring Garuda

India

Statues of Garuda as carrier of Lord Vishnu or as a God is spread out in most of the South Indian Temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Also he as got origin in Hindu mythology but philatelic examples on Indian stamps or postal stationeries are hard to find due to ignorance of Indian Postal Department towards our glorious religious past. Only as a painting of “Garuda” by great Indian artist, Nandlal Bose , is featured on a stamp.

“Garuda” by Nandlal Bose

Garuda as symbol of courage

Despite the Buddhist effort to convert Garuda from a rapacious bird of prey to a compassionate friend of sentient beings, in both the Hindu epics and in the popular culture, Garuda remained the symbol of such attributes as speed, impetuosity, violent force, and martial prowess. 

Symbol of speed power and courage

In the Mahabharata, heroes meting out punishment to their foes or descending upon them for such purpose are frequently compared to Garuda.  The great hero Arjuna, for example, is reported to have leapt onto an opponent's chariot and to have seized him "as Garuda seizes a huge snake after agitating the waters of the ocean."  Likewise, Arjuna's brutish brother Bhima attempted to snatch an opponent off his chariot, "like Garuda snatching away a snake." In “Bhagavad Geeta”, Lord Krishna also explained his omnipresence in the middle of the battle field “Kurukshetra”, saying “Of birds, I am the son of Vinata (Garuda).

Arjuna Lord Krishna in Kurukshetra Bhim

An Indonesian national airline is known as Garuda Indonesia and rightly named after the mystical, giant bird Garuda who is the carrier of Lord Vishnu. It had its beginnings in the Indonesian war of independence against the Dutch in the late 1940s.

Garuda Indonesia

Combining legend with history, the Angkorian Khmer adapted such imagery to flatter their own rulers.  A stele (stone tablet inscribed with writing) found in the area of modern Laos says that the Khmer King Suryavarman II, the builder of Angkor Wat, once jumped onto an opponent's elephant in the heat of battle and killed him, like Garuda seizing a serpent in his talons.

King Suryavarman II

To Jayavarman VII, the Buddhist king of late 12th century Angkor, Garuda's domination of the Nagas was a symbol of his own military power and victories over the invasionary forces of Champa.  In 1191 A.D., Jayavarman dedicated the Buddhist temple of Preah Khan, the center of a considerable city, on the site of such a victory.  He had the outer wall of the city, almost two kilometers around, decorated with 40 huge reliefs of a triumphant Garuda holding the Naga by his hands and his claws.

Outer wall of the city Preah Khan decorated with huge reliefs of a triumphant Garuda holding the Naga

Spiritual Symbolism

In the Vedic literature it is stated that the two wings of the transcendental bird Garuda, who carries the Lord everywhere, are two divisions of the Sama Veda known as brhat and rathantara. These Sama Veda utterances are automatically heard by the devotee when another great devotee of the Lord, Garuda, flaps his wings.

Holy Veda and Garuda

As a carrier, Garuda represents the human thoughts which can fly in all directions at incredible speed and Lord Vishnu can help us to control our thoughts. Also a man who does not deviate from the path of Dharma develops the two wings of devotion and knowledge and the tail that propels him forward is the Karma Yoga. Such an individual rises like an eagle with Lord Vishnu always on top and the Lord helps him in navigating through the tough terrains of earthly existence before merging with the Supreme Soul.

National Emblem

The Garuda is commonly used as an emblem in South and Southeast Asian nations.

In Thai mythology, Garuda is known as the king of birds. With characteristics very much like an eagle, Garuda in the act of tearing Naga in two symbolizes the Thai monarchy. One form of the garuḍa used in Thailand as a sign of the royal family is called Krut Pha, meaning "garuḍa acting as the vehicle (of Vishnu)." Besides serving as the royal insignia, the Garuda is also the official seal of the civil government.

Garuda as Royal seal and National emblem

The use of the Garuda in Indonesia's coat-of-arms invokes the pre-colonial Hindu kingdoms that spanned across the archipelago, from which the present-day Republic of Indonesia is understood to be descended.

As for the coat of arms, the Garuda symbolizes strength and power, while the gold colour symbolizes greatness and glory. However, the modern emblem strongly differs from the traditional Garuda. It is obviously an eagle, and not the anthropomorphic figure of the mythological character as featured in ancient temples in Java, the Balinese Garuda, or the national emblem of Thailand. Its face is stern-looking and harsh, like the German eagle. It looks side-ways, instead of straight-ahead.

The feathers on the Garuda of the Indonesian coat-of-arms are arranged so that they invoke the date of 17 August 1945, the officially recognized Indonesian Day of Independence. There are 17 feathers on each wing, 8 on the tail, 19 on the base of the tail (below the shield), 45 on the neck, corresponding to the "17/8/1945" international date format for Independence.

Indonesian Coat-of-Arms

National Airline of Cambodia, Royal Air Combodge also uses “Garuda” as its emblem.

Emblem of Royal Air Combodge

Garuda and Hanuman are the strongest of the strong powers in the universe. Even Shiva and Vishnu would find it hard to match strength and abilities with them. Both these great beings, Garuda and Hanuman, have dedicated their lives to service instead of using their powers to rule over the cosmos. Hanuman's reward is that he will preside over the next cycle of creation as its Manu, Adam Kadamon, the First Man. Garuda's reward is immortality and a stature that is, literally, always above Vishnu.

- Dr Satyendra Kumar  Agarwal – email : rosephila@hotmail.com

New Issues from other countries

UNPA

On 17 March 2014, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) issued a set of 6 stamps on the theme “International Day of Happiness”.

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 20 March as the International Day of Happiness. It is a movement to promote happiness as a universal goal and aspiration in the lives of human beings around the world.

“The pursuit of happiness lies at the core of human endeavours. People around the world aspire to lead happy and fulfilling lives free from fear and want, and in harmony with nature.”

“Let us reinforce our commitment to inclusive and sustainable human development and renew our pledge to help others. When we contribute to the common good, we ourselves are enriched. Compassion promotes happiness and will help build the future we want.”

Switzerland

125 Years of Swiss Army Post stamp

Whether or not you enjoyed your military service, one thing is always remembered fondly, even decades later: the packages and letters from home. For 125 years, the Army postal service has been making soldiers’ lives sweeter with sumptuous food parcels and passionate love letters. A commemorative stamp was issued by Swiss Post on this occasion.

Each year, the Army postal service delivers two million letters, a quarter of a million parcels and 1.3 million newspapers supplied free of charge by the publishers to their recipients – and postage is free up to five kilos. Every now and then, however, the soldiers are in for a bit of a shock. Thomas Ramseier recalls: “We’ve received fused tin cans, concreted-over car tyres, and even a foul-smelling pig’s head.” Ramseier has also been taken aback by the sheer size of some of the deliveries. One morning, for instance, more than 200 packages were delivered for a tank officer. To put a stop to such excesses, in 2006 the free postage for Army post was limited to five parcels per trip to the post office, per recipient.

Today, as well as conveying letters and parcels to and from every corner of Switzerland, the Army postal service, with its 30 or so military post offices, also serves as the military information office for troop locations and telephone numbers (Office Switzerland).

What’s more: since 2004, it has even operated outside Switzerland. Wherever Swiss Army personnel are serving far from home, the Army postal service organizes their post – be it in Kosovo or Bosnia Herzegovina. So one thing is for certain: the Army will always need a postal service. It’s the Landjager sausages and love letters that keep the army going.

Monaco

Legendary F1 Drivers – Gilles Villeneuve and Ayrton Senna

The new issue by Monaco post is dedicated to the legendary Formula 1 drivers Gilles Villeneuve and Ayrton Senna.

Born in 1950, Gilles Villeneuve was a Canadian car driver, who died during the Belgian Grand Prix qualification tournament in 1982. Despite a poorly developed track record (six Grand Prix victories), his highly spectacular driving style contributed to making him one of the F1 legends. His son Jacques became world F1 champion in 1997.

Born in 1960 in São Paulo and died in 1994 on the Imola Circuit, Ayrton Senna is an authentic idol in Brazil, where his status exceeds that of a simple sports champion. He is considered as one of the greatest drivers in the history of F1, in which he won the title of world champion three times in 1988, 1990 and 1991, after winning 41 Grands Prix and achieving 65 pole positions. He holds the record for Monacvo Grand Prix victories, with 6 triumphs, including 5 consecutive (1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993).Stamps design is by David Maraskin.

Views and Opinion

Tribune 25 march 2014

‘India should issue stamp of WW II hero Noor Inayat’

London, March 25

As Britain's Royal Mail today issued a stamp of Indian-origin World War II heroine Noor Inayat Khan, campaigners called for India to bestow a similar honour on the famous spy in her centenary year.

The stamp - part of a series called 'Remarkable Lives' - honours Noor, a descendant of Tipu Sultan, along with nine others including actor Sir Alec Guinness and poet Dylan Thomas.

"It would be fitting if India too honoured Noor Inayat Khan in her centenary year with a stamp," said Shrabani Basu, chair of the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust and author of "Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan".

"Though she was brought up in Paris, Noor identified strongly with her Indian roots," said Basu who led the campaign to build a memorial for Noor in London which was unveiled by Britain's Princess Anne in November 2012. Her book is now being made into a film.

"Noor believed firmly in Indian independence and frankly told her British officers that after the war was over, she would back India's freedom struggle. Sadly she did not live to see India's independence," said Basu. Noor was born in Moscow in 1914 to an Indian father, Hazrat Inayat Khan and an American mother, Ora Ray Baker.

Her father was a Sufi preacher and musician and left his home town of Baroda to take Sufism to the west. He met Noor's mother at the Ramakrishna Mission while on a lecture tour in California.

Hazrat Inayat Khan was a descendant of Tipu Sultan, the famous 18th-century ruler of the kingdom of Mysore. Noor was brought up in Paris and the family moved to London just before Paris fell to the Germans in 1940 during the Second World War. She was the first woman radio operator to be flown undercover to Paris and worked from there for three months under the code name Madeleine. — PTI

The woman spy

· The stamp - part of a series called 'Remarkable Lives' - honours Indian-origin World War II heroine Noor Inayat Khan, a descendant of Tipu Sultan, along with nine others

· Noor joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in London and was later recruited for the Special Operations Executive, a secret organisation started by British PM Winston Churchill

· She was the first woman radio operator to be flown undercover to Paris and worked from there for three months under the code name Madeleine

· She was betrayed, arrested and executed in the infamous Dachau concentration camp in Nazi Germany

Promotional Section

Presentation Pack of Indian Museum, Kolkata

India Post has made a presentation pack of Indian Museum Kolkata issue which is now available at Philatelic Counters. Approx size of pack is A4 and priced at Rs. 75 ( with Stamps) and Rs. 30 without stamps.

Website on Indian Philately :

Praful Thakkar’s Exotic Gallery of Indian Philately

www.indianphilatelics.com

The new Website launched by Mr Praful Thakkar is dedicated to Indian Philately. This Website is presenting some facets of Indian Philately viewed by him from his window. As a collector of various collectibles, he has faced many difficulties in collecting, understanding and arranging the collection. At the same time he realized that the same may be happening to new collectors and they might be facing similar hurdles too. To overcome such situations and to encourage philatelists and hobbyists, he has made the attempt of designing this Website www.indianphilatelics.com

History of Indian Miniature Paintings Through Philately by Dr Satyendra Kumar Agrawal published by PHILAGOLD Publications, Pages 80,  Price   Rs 1200 / US  $ 25

History of Indian Miniature Paintings Through Philately is a beautiful   Coffee Table Book by renowned philatelist and philatelic author Dr Satyendra Kumar Agrawal. The book is based on deep research of different schools of Indian Art by Dr Agrawal. The study has been narrated through beautiful images of various philatelic items  issued all over the world. The book is divided into 14 chapters with details of paintings from different schools of Indian Art. The most attractive part of the book is its fine and rich printing. The book has been presented by the author in a very aesthetic way that on first sight it captures the attention of the reader.

The book is available with Dr Satyendra Kumar  Agrawal 

email rosephila@hotmail.com

Antarctic Expedition-Philatelist's Guide" by Abhai Mishra

Indian involvement with Antarctic Expeditions dates back to year 1911 when Captain Scott attempted to reach the South Pole. The book traces the history of Indian Antarctic Expeditions through mails and letters carried with the expedition. It documents the Indian Antarctic postal history through cancellations, cachets, labels, envelopes, letter heads, QSL cards, postcards used during the expedition. The book reveals very rare and lesser known facts of Antarctica.

For more details please contact :

Abhai Mishra : email : abhai_mishra@rediffmail.com

 

"PHILATELIST KALEIDOSCOPE" - New book on stamps..

After the success of  Odia book "Dakatikata Sangraha" Dr Bibhudatta Mishra and Mr S.S.Rath once again jointly written a book on Philately. The name of the book is "PHILATELIST KALEIDOSCOPE" a multicolored book, demy size, 160 pages book with two volumes. The first volume of the book is likely to be  released soon .

For more details please contact : Dr Bibhudatta Mishra : email : bhanubibhu68@gmail.com

Year Book of Indian Philately - 2013 by Madan Middha coming soon….

For details contact : Madan Middha   email : madan_middha@yahoo.co.in

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 -

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 http://(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. 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.

17. 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.

18. The Philatelist - http://o-filatelista.blogspot.in/ - A blog with lot of info about stamps and philatelic activities around the world.

19. 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

Courtesy - News and Image Resource to this issue – International Stamp News; Indian Philately Digest ; Mansoor B.- Mangalore; Prashant Pandya – Vadodara; Sreejesh Krishnan – Trivandrum;

Address for communication:

Jeevan Jyoti, c / o Mr. Ajay Srivastav Wildlife Institute of India, Post Box No. 18, Chandrabani, Dehradun – 248001. India

E-mail – j.jyoti9@gmail.com

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

If you liked this issue please forward it to your friends and help in promoting philately.

A Request to Readers & Contributors -

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

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

Please do not send forwarded messages for promotional section if you want to give any information for promotion please write personally with brief write up. As this newsletter is not used for any commercial purpose in any manner.

Attention -
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Any material from this newsletter may be reproduced only with the written permission from the editor.

…..Happy Collecting…………………………………………………………………

Rainbow Stamp News is edited and published monthly by Jeevan Jyoti, from Dehradun (Uttarakhand) India.