Rainbow Stamp News: February 2015

2015 – International Year of Light

Italian Post issued a special stamp celebrating International Year of Light 2015. The United Nations (UN) declared 2015 as the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (IYL 2015)

Dehradun March 2015 Vol. VIII Issue # 87

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, Chandrabani, Dehradun – 248002. 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

Happy Holi !

Dear Reader,

I am pleased to release March 2015 Issue of Rainbow Stamp News. With this issue I wish you all a very Happy Holi . The festival of colors, Holi is enjoyed by one and all. In this issue I have tried to add some philatelic colors with news and articles from distinguished philatelists on a variety of subjects. You will find them interesting. The readers are requested to send their feedback and suggestions for the new columns they like to be introduced in this newsletter.

We find that participation of philatelists in International exhibitions has considerably decreased due to high cost of entry fee and extra expenses charged to send the exhibit in International exhibitions. There is a need of support from sponsors and India Post to promote active participation of philatelists in International exhibitions. India Post should recognize the achievement of International winners. They must be honoured at state and national level philatelic exhibitions. This will certainly give a new direction to the promotion of philately and more people will be attracted to stamp collecting. Many collectors who have lost interest in philately will be encouraged to revive their collection and come forward with active participation in the exhibitions.

This is all for this month. Wishing you all a Very Happy and colorful Holi !!

Happy Collecting !!

-- Jeevan Jyoti

Contents

· From the Desk of Naresh Agrawal

· Recent Indian Issues

· In The News

· Book Review

· Philatelic Travelogue

· Beginners’ Section

· Specialized Section

· Lighter Side

· Reader’s Right

· New Issues from Other Countries

· Promotional Section

· Philatelic Clubs and Society

· Blogs & Websites on Philately

· Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletter

From the Desk of Naresh Agrawal

HELPING DESERVING PARTICIPANTS FINANCIALLY

Of late we have seen that participation in International or World Philatelic Exhibitions by India has reduced. The reason being the decreasing quality of the exhibits or we may say the increasing standards of International exhibits or the stringent marking / assessing criteria by the International Jury. The second being the cost of exhibiting at International shows for Indian participants. It is seen that the total cost is almost double of the exhibit fee taking five frames as common display. The fee too have increased which varies from 60 USD per frame to 100 USD per frame from exhibition to exhibition. Looking in to the common Indian collector, it is not possible to spend so much of money just for participation in one such event.

Looking in to the above, it is difficult to have a good philatelic scenario in India. We agree that philately is mainly collection and study of philatelic material and to enjoy the same. But at the same time exhibiting and appreciation are equally important. The person spending good time and money in accumulation, study and preparation of philatelic exhibit certainly desires and deserves participation at appropriate level. But the increased cost has now given a shock to such aspirants.

Philately in the beginning was known as “King of Hobbies and Hobby of Kings”. And truly looking in to the present scenario there is no hesitation in accepting the fact that this is a hobby of kings…the persons having huge pockets and can spend at will.

My concern is… India post is having a separate philatelic wing which is responsible for promotion of the hobby. But except for issuing stamps with a contention to earn more revenue from it, I do not see any other practically fruitful activity by India post which truly helps promotion of philately. The organizing of Distt. and State Level Shows of course are good one to some extent but what else? My intention is to see how the participation in International or World Level shows can be increased. How the persons / deserving philatelists with small pockets can participate in such shows. We don’t see sponsors, we don’t see any help from DOP, we don’t see any help from any civil administration, we don’t see any social organization who helps such philatelists. Philately, considered as a hobby deserves to be given the status of sport. When all other sports are promoted by various organizations, why not philately and so the philatelists.

One must appreciate that today philately has become very costly. Getting old and good philatelic stuff has of course become easy by the help of internet and net banking but at very high cost not suitable for the small pocket of normal Indian collector. Philately too has come under the shadows of fast and thrilling new generation hobbies/games. Under these circumstances, philately needs to be supported by sponsors, DOP and others.

My suggestion is that our parent body i.e. PCI or other leading organizations / clubs/societies should contact wealthy sponsors to help this cause. Promotion of new philatelists at International and World level shows will help overall development of philately in India. DOP should honor the participants and winners of such shows. Civil administrations too should come forward to honor such philatelists. But first of all, it is DOP which should come forward to give financial support to the eligible and deserving participants. Even there should be some arrangement for their visit to such show abroad. If not the full expenditure, if a good part of it is sponsored such a frame fee or the overheads, the philatelists will think of participating. This may be noted that unless things are put forward, unless the doors are knocked, unless the demands are forcefully placed.. nothing can be achieved. Necessary systems may be formed to help the deserving participants. Hope this opinion of mine will shake minds of some of my friends and force them to think on the above lines.

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

Recent Indian Issues

· 8 January 2015 – 100 years of Mahatma Gandhi’s Return – Rs 5 & Rs 25 stamps + 1 MS

· 22 January 2015 – Beti Bachao – Beti Padhao Abhiyan- Rs 5

· 30 January 2015 – Swach Bharat – MS + 3 Stamps of Rs 5 each

· 14 February 2015 – Project Rukmani – Rs 5

Recent Special Covers

Spring Festival – 2015 – Dehradun - Shankhpushpi (Evolvulus alsinoides) : 28 February 2015

2 February 2015 - Centenary Celebration of Shri Devsagar Singhi Jain Mandir, Sujangarh, Churu District

6 February 2015 - Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribagh

7 February 2015 District Rural Development Society, Hazaribagh

7 February 2015, Soil Conservation Training Centre, Hazaribagh

7 February 2015 – Shreepex 2015 'Nabakalebar , Puri

8 February 2015 – Shreepex 2015 'Patta Chitra' of Raghurajpur, Puri

13 February 2015 - Patpex-2015 – Mahatma Gandhi , Patna

15 February 2015 - 1st Indian Match at Cricket World Cup 2015 - Jaipur

14 February 2015 - Patpex-2015 - National Institute of Fashion Technology , Patna

14th February 2015 - Late Babu Balchand Malaiya -.Sagar

17 February 2015 - Platinum Jubilee of Catholic Diocese of Lucknow

19 February 2015 – Aero India 2015 – two special covers - Bangalore

23 February 2015 - Installation Ceremony of Jain idols at Mithla Tirth , Sitamarhi (Bihar )

28 February 2015 – Spring Festival - Shankhpushpi (Evolvulus alsinoides) , Dehradun

View : Special Covers

In The News

Stamp in a form of a bicycle wheel – an extraordinary issue by Iceland Post

Here is an extraordinary stamp issued by Iceland Post on19th February 2015 celebrating 125 years of bicycles in Iceland. Postphil believes that issuing a special stamp is a nice way to mark the occasion and celebrate this environmentally friendly means of transport. This stamp is a self adhesive stamp.

Kisses instead of stamps – the innovation of Dutch Post for St. Valentine’s Day

A postal company in the Netherlands had launched a sweet deal for St. Valentine's Day

People in the Netherlands who wanted to send a Valentine card to a loved one for February 14 could do so free of charge if they used a lipstick kiss instead of a stamp.

PostNL had promised that all cards within the Netherlands will be delivered on Valentine’s Day if they had a kiss in the corner of the envelope and were posted before 5pm on February 13. The company had arranged its stamp scanning apparatus to recognize lipstick kisses during valentine week to make sure nothing goes wrong.

‘We kissed 500 cards with lipstick to run the tests’, a spokesman said. Some 500,000 Valentine cards are posted in the Netherlands every year. ‘But that is an estimate because they are not all easy to spot’, the spokesman said.

A spokesperson at PostNL told the Dutch news website NU.nl that the aim of the initiative was to encourage more people to send real letters. “We believe a card on the doormat is still the most personal way to let someone know you’re thinking of them.”

“On Valentine’s Day, we want to give everyone the opportunity to be loved and to surprise family and friends.”

This project was successful.

“Independence Day 2015” - Stamp Design Competition by India Post

Department of Posts is holding a “Independence Day 2015 – Stamp Design Competition”. The theme of the competition is Women Empowerment.The Terms and Conditions to participate in the competition are as follows:

i. Entries are invited for ‘Independence Day 2015 – Stamp Design Competition’ . The participants are to make an original design on this subject (should not be copy of picture painted by someone else).

ii. Any citizen of India can participate in this contest. The design could be in ink, water colour, oil colour or any other medium (computer printed/printout will not be allowed). The design submitted should be such that can be depicted on the stamps in a visually appealing manner so as to be of interest to philatelic collectors.

iii. Participants are free to use drawing paper, art paper or any other type of white paper of A4 Size.

iv. The following particulars should be written legibly on the reverse of the design:
1. Name of the participant*
2. Age*
3. Gender*
4. Nationality*
5. Full and complete residential address with Pin code
6. Phone/Mobile Number*
7. E-Mail ID (if available)
* It is compulsory to provide the information.

v. An undertaking stating that ‘The artwork submitted is original and no copyright issues are involved’ should be sent along with the entry. In case of any legal dispute related to copyright issue, Department of Posts will not be liable for the same.

vi. The design should be sent without being folded, through “Speed Post” only, in A4 size envelope. The participants should mention “Independence Day 2015 – Stamp Design Contest” on the envelope in which the drawing is sent.

vii. The prize winning designs will be considered for use on stamps and other philatelic material. The prize money will be as follows:

First prize: Rs. 10,000/-
Second prize: Rs. 6,000/-
Third prize: Rs. 4,000/-

viii. The entries should reach on the following address by 31.03.2015.The entries received after the last date of receipt will not be entertained.

To, ADG (Philately) Room No. 108(B), Dak Bhawan, Parliament Street, New Delhi - 110001.

Book Review

Monograph – The Post Office Mauritius Stamps by Col Jayanta Dutta and Dr Anjali Dutta , Published by The Army Philatelic Society L-335, Tarapore Towers, New Link Road Oshiwara, Andheri ( West), Mumbai 400053. Price Rs 35O - Contact email : doctorjayanta2009@gmail.com

The recent Monograph by Col Jayanta Dutta and Dr Anjali Dutta is a comprehensive work on world famous rarest stamps of the world “ The Post Office Mauritius stamps “. Every stamp collector must have heard about these famous stamps but might not know the whole story behind these stamps. Col J. Dutta and Dr Anjali Dutta have researched on the topic and wrote a wonderful Monograph on these stamps which all stamp lovers would like very much.

The first two postage stamps of Mauritius issued in 1847, the so-called "Post Office" stamps, are of legendary rarity and value. They were the first stamps issued in any part of the British Empire outside of Great Britain. The unique cover bearing both “Post Office” stamps has been called "la pièce de résistance de toute la philatélie" or "the greatest item in all philately". On September 21, 1847, Mauritius issued two stamps, an orange-red one penny (1d) and a deep blue two pence (2d).The words "Post Office" appear in the left panel, but were changed to "Post Paid" in the following issue, and are the source of the stamps' common name. The "Post Office" stamps are among the rarest stamps in the world, and are of legendary status in the world of philately.

The monograph has color pictures of stamps and its rarest covers. The layout, design and printing of the book is excellent. The Monograph gives list of all the stamps and covers of the series with complete details. The historical story of these stamps described in this Monograph would be liked by all stamp lovers and it would be an asset in their collection. This interesting book is recommended to all stamp collectors as well as to the libraries of educational institutions. - Editor

Beginners’ Section

Do you know ?

The legend behind the birth of a postage stamp

Legend has it that Englishman Rowland Hill saw a postman give a young woman a letter from her fiancé. The year was 1840, and at that time postage was paid by the person receiving the letter. The woman handed the unopened envelope back to the postman, and Hill asked her why she didn’t accept the letter. She explained that her fiancé had written some secret symbols on the envelope that told her all she needed to know. As a result, she didn’t have to pay for the expensive letter.

This single event proved to be a catalyst for Rowland’s restructuring of the English postal system. Postage costs would subsequently be paid by the sender. In order to make it easier to receive payment, small paper slips started being produced and acted like a receipt: the stamp.

Airgraph

The airgraph was invented in the 1930s by the Eastman Kodak Company in conjunction with Imperial Airways (now British Airways) and Pan-American Airways as a means of reducing the weight and bulk of mail carried by air. The airgraph forms, upon which the letter was written, were photographed and then sent as negatives on rolls of microfilm. A General Post Office (GPO) poster of the time claimed that 1,600 letters on film weighed just 5oz, while 1,600 ordinary letters weighed 50 lbs. At their destination the negatives were printed on photographic paper and delivered as airgraph letters through the normal Royal Engineers (Postal Section), also known as the Army Postal Services (APS), or systems.

In 1940 the British Minister of Transport, Lieutenant Colonel John Moore-Brabazon, 1st Baron Brabazon of Tara, put forward the idea that airgraphs be used to reduce both the bulk and weight of mail travelling between the Middle East Force (MEF) and the UK. The matter was referred to the APS and the GPO, who jointly investigated the possibility of using airgraphs. This eventually led to a service being instituted between England and Egypt in 1941 when 70,000 airgraphs were sent in the first batch and took three weeks to reach their destination.

Kodak had offices in Cairo that were capable of processing airgraph negatives, but it was not until the appropriate equipment arrived from America that their Cairo office that the APS was able to provide a return service to the UK.

In the theatres of war the whole airgraph operation was coordinated by the APS. Completed airgraph forms were collected by the A/FPOs and forwarded to the Kodak processing plants, which were co-located with the Base APOs.

The use of the airgraph was not rationed and its postage was also set at three pence (3d). Although the airgraph proved to be immediately popular its use was limited because of its size (approx; 2ins × 3ins) and lack of privacy, so when sufficient aircraft capacity became available its use declined in favour of the air letter.

The airgraph service was later extended to: Canada (1941), East Africa (1941), Burma (1942), India (1942), South Africa (1942), Australia (1943), New Zealand (1943) Ceylon (1944) and Italy (1944).

What is V- Mail ?

V-mail, short for Victory Mail, is a hybrid mail process used during the Second World War in America as the primary and secure method to correspond with soldiers stationed abroad. To reduce the logistics of transferring an original letter across the military postal system, a V-mail letter would be censored, copied to film, and printed back to paper upon arrival at its destination. The V-mail process is based on the earlier British Airgraphprocess.

V-mail correspondence was on small letter sheets, 17.8 cm by 23.2 cm (7 by 9 1/8 in.), that would go through mail censors before being photographed and transported as thumbnail-sized image in negative microfilm. Upon arrival to their destination, the negatives would be blown up to 60% their original size 10.7 cm by 13.2 cm (4 ¼ in. by 5 3/16 in.) and printed.

Specialized Section

Some Remarkable Cancellations and Postmarks – 25/5

- Dr. Avinash B. Jagtap

The All India Series of 1873- 84 Cancellations (Renouf Type 17f)

CALCUTTA URBAN CANCELLTIONS

Type 17f is a duplex cancellation. The right duplex shows two letters above with three parallel horizontal bars on either sides, below is a number with two parallel horizontal bars on either sides. The left duplex shows the name of the urban post office.

1878 Postal stationery cover from Hatkhola (Calcutta) to Chooroo, Die obliterated by Renouf Type 17f, duplex cancellation “HATKHOLA/ DEC 2=NW /C-1/9”, arrival mark “CHOOROO/DEC.2” on the front.

Ca. 1878 Postal stationery cover from Wellesly Street (Calcutta) to Umritsur. The Half Anna QV stamp obliterated by Type 17f duplex cancellation “WELLESLY. STREET = SC/C-1/15”, B/S “1DEL/AMRITSAR/ AUG:4”

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

Raja Ravi Verma : the first Indian master of oil painting

At the beginning of 19th century under the influence of the British regime, Indian art displayed a general decline. The craft and techniques of fresco and miniature paintings which were unique in the history of Indian art were nearly lost. In the vacuum thus created in the cultural conflict between the East and the West, European colonial art found its way in India and Raja Ravi Verma(1848 – 1906) appeared as a green patch in the desert of the painting of India whose career became a memorable success.

Raja Ravi Varma:the first Indian to master the technique of oil painting

He is known to be a rationalist among moderns and modern among traditionalists. He was the first Indian to master the technique of oil painting. Varma was patronized by Ayilyam Tirunal, the then Maharajah of Travancore and began formal training thereafter.

In 1868, Theodore Jenson, a famous English painter visited Travancore State and young Ravi Varma was introduced to him. Jenson greatly admired the manner in which the youthful artist manipulated light and shade on the face of his subjects and Jenson opened to young Ravi Varma the immense possibilities in the realm of oil colours.

In fact, he used to learn something from every European artist who came there.

His studies on canvas were very much praiseworthy. Thus, he entered the domain on imagination where his ability found ample scope for winning world-fame as the master painter of portraits.

Portrait of Swati Tirunal Rama Varma, Maharaja of Travancore State

He participated in the exhibition held in Madras in 1873. He won the first prize in that exhibition and form that day his success was assured. His work was acclaimed at the Poona Exhibition of 1880andreceived widespread acclaim after winning award for an exhibition of his paintings at Vienna in 1873. His paintings were also sent to the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893 and he was awarded three gold medals.

His dazzling works depicted scenes from the great Indian epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata and other literature.His paintings based on story of Dushyanta and Shakuntala and that of Nala and Damayanti from Mahabharata aremost popular as well as impressive.

In commemoration of the great poet Kalidas, in 1960, India Post released a set of two stamps on one Raja Ravi Verma’s painting ‘Shakuntala writing letter to Dushyanta’ is depicted.

‘Shakuntala writing letter to Dushyanta’,India 1960

This is also the First Revalued Commemorative Postage stamp of India

Revalued ‘Shakuntala writing letter to Dushyanta’ issue

Another paintingbased on Kalidasa ‘Abhigyan Shakuntalam’ depicting ‘Shakuntala writing love letter to Dushyanta’ is also featured on India Post Picture Post card.

‘Shakuntala writing love letter to Dushyanta’

“Hamsa Damayanti” is one of the most famous paintings of Raja Ravi Verma , depicted on a stamp of India 1960along with his Self-portrait issued in commemoration of his65th Death Anniversary.

“Hamsa Damayanti”, India 1971

This painting was painted in 1899 in oil and it created a sensation when first displayed at the Madras Fine Arts Exhibition.The standing figure of Damayanti and her posture itself is very suggestive of the theme Ravi Verma selected. The painting depicts Damayanti, the most beautiful of Ravi Varma’s women, Indian Art who was portrayed as very shapely and graceful. She is wearing a beautiful red Sari, lovingly listening to messages from her lover, Nala, narrated by the swan (Hamsa). Hamsa talks about Nala and expresses Nala’s love for her. The painting shows the silent love of her heart expressing itself in the sparkle of her eyes and the glow of her cheeks, tender, dignified and lovely that makes her so fascinating.At present it is displayed in Sri Chitra Art Gallery, Trivandrum, India.

This painting was also featured on a special cover commemorating ‘World Postal Day’, 2009.

“Hamsa Damayanti”

Most of all his paintings are his works depicting women beautifully clad in sari. He had portrayed them wonderfully in elegance which also received recognition in the west. His very famous painting , ‘The Maharashtrian Lady with fruits’, now on display in Kowdiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram, India is a beautiful example of it depicted on an issue of Mozambique 2011.

‘The Maharashtrian Ladywith fruits’,

Mozambique 2011

‘Disappointing news’, ‘Young Woman with a Veena’ and ‘Galaxy of Musicians’ are other famous paintings of Raja Ravi Verma portraying beautiful womenclad in South Indian style sari. These are depicted on India Post Picture Post Card, US Postage stamp 2015 and Special cover commemorating KarnatakaSanskrit University, 2014respectively.

‘Disappointing news’

‘Young Woman with a Veena’, Government Museum, Trivandrum, India,US Postage 2015

‘Galaxy of Musicians’,Sri Jayachama Rajendra Art Gallery, Jaganmohan Palace, Mysore, India

He often modelled Hindu Goddesses too on South Indian women, whom he considered beautiful. His painting of Hindu deityKarktikeya or Murugan, titled ‘Sri Shanmukaha Subramania Swami’, is depicted on an issue of US Postage 2015 in which his consorts ‘Devasena’ and ‘Valli’are shown in red South Indian style saries seated both sides on his Vahana peacock.

‘Sri Shanmukaha Subramania Swami’, US Postage 2015

Another famous work of Verma, ‘Goddess Saraswati’ is depicted on a Bazar card of India, 1949 in which she is shown in white South Indian sari.

‘Goddess Saraswati’

His paintings of Indian divinities still survive in many homes and shrines. His works are still visible in prints, calendars, posters, and other popular arts.

Because of an endless demand for his mythological paintings, he set up an oleographic printing press also in Bombay so that people of all income levels could buy copies of his painting. For this he is credited with freeing art from temples and palaces and making it accessible to all.

Artist like Raja Ravi Varma served as a bridge to revive Indian subjects but followed western style which could not become the part of the Indian painting and came to an end after his death.

(Original Paintings are included just to explore the beauty of work of art)

- Dr Satyendra Kumar Agrawal : email : rosephila@hotmail.com

Congress of India Postal Service

by Sandeep Jaiswal

Few know that the Congress of India established a postal system circa 1930. The postal system, at that time, in all except for a handful of Indian Princely States was under the direct control and supervision of the British Raj.

The Postal System generated a huge amount of revenue for the British. An act of defiance, similar to the Dandi Salt March, was the setting up of the Congress Postal Service to provide postal service to Indians at a rate that was significantly lower than the prevailing Imperial postal rates; which were thought to be exorbitant for the average person. The Congress of India issued a postal stationery envelope on white laid paper 121 x 96 mm with two impressions of three pies (¼ anna) stamp. The author is of the opinion that the 3 pies indicium was made for postcards and the rate of 6 pies (½ anna) for envelopes was derived by applying two impressions of the 3 pies indicium on the envelope. The stamp design 30 x 45 mm is an outline map of India with the image of a deity (described as “Bharatmata” by Dr. Satyendra Agarwal) with the words “CONGRESS POSTAGE” on top and “THRE PIES” on the bottom.

The history of the Congress of India postal stationery envelope is a very interesting, some of which is detailed in the letter (fig. 2 & 3) that accompanied this (fig. 1) postal stationery envelope which was handed over by the then police commissioner who was in charge of the raid on the Local Congress of India body; this postal stationery envelope was one of the items that was swooped up during the raid and turned in as evidence.

The enclosed letter (fig 2 & 3) reads "One result of Gandhi's non-cooperation movement, was that local District Congress Committees felt they had a free hand to think up ja… for the annoyance of the government and redirection of revenue. So one example, the Salt Tax, an inno...., but strongly disliked levy, was attacked, large bodies of enthusiasts proceeding to the sea coasts where they evaporated the water of the Bay of Bengal and produced something that neither looked like nor tasted like salt, but merely resembled the filthy concoctions of a school doctor. Ridicule, of course, killed this. In one particular area the local Congress conceived the idea of setting up a Congress Postal Service. This, of course, could not be tolerated, and when the local Congress body were ready to issue their covers, the Police swooped down and seized the whole outfit, + 13 enthusiasts spent a span of their lives in jail. A few covers were allowed to go through, but only sufficient to establish that the Congress Postal Service was something more than an idea.” The reverse side reads "Given to RG... by Police Commissioner McKensie in charge of the police who swooped, whose notes these are. The rebellion was in 1933-35.”

Fig 2 Fig 3

I had no idea, prior to owning this item of Postal Stationery, that the Congress of India started their own postal service. It is interesting to note that their postal rate of ½ anna (3 pies + 3 pies) was a half of the Imperial postal rate of 1 anna for letters in 1933. They certainly tried to undercut the Imperial Government.

-Sandeep Jaiswal – email : sj722@aol.com

Lighter Side

Unique collection of February 29 stamps

An interesting stamp collection that consists only of stamps from 29 of February. Collecting stamps since he was eight years old, David Newell, of Hobart, decided to turn it into a business.

As a collector, Mr. Newell has an impressive array of stamps and coins that would impress the most esteemed stamp aficionado. To set his collection apart from everyone else, Mr. Newell focuses primarily on sourcing stamps from February 29.

“My collection is quite unique because all of the stamps are from February 29,” he said.

“Being a leap year and only coming around once every four years, coming across stamps from that date is quite hard.”

With Mr. Newell building his collection of February 29 stamps, he completes a lot of research on events throughout history based on the dates, allowing him to efficiently source stamps from that date.

“Through researching, I’ve found lots of interesting things about prominent people in Australia’s history,” he said. “One of the quirkiest things I’ve found through my researching and collecting was the Tasmanian premier James Milne Wilson, who was born on February 29, 1812, and died on February 29, 1880,” he said.

Mr. Newell also managed to find a postage stamp that was placed on a letter sent to Morocco, but was later returned to sender due to the February 29, 1960, earthquake in the country.

Throughout the years, Mr. Newell has created an impressive collection sourced from across the globe, but said his most impressive piece is from the first issues of stamps made in Tasmania, or Van Diemens Land as it was known when the stamp was printed.

Special Cake for Solan Post Office

Solan Head Post Office ( Himachal Pradesh) celebrated its birthday on 3^rd February with a special cake !!

Editor’s Mail Box

Sandeep Jaiswal – USA (Editor – India Post )

The beginning of every month has me looking forward to your journal and I must say it’s always a delight reading thru the entire journal – today was no exception. Many many thanks for your contribution to the philately!

Yogesh Kumar - Bareilly

Just gone through your news letter. I enjoyed `baby post' & `village post office'. all the best

Reader’s Right

Dear Mrs. Jeevan Jyoti,

Since I have been writing about the Indian Cancellations as catalogued by Renouf. I get very few reactions from the readers of "Rainbow Stamp News". May be this is because of the fact, nowadays very few Indian philatelists are interested in these fascinating covers, which even after two centuries are still "alive" and raise not only the questions, but also suggest the solutions to our queries.
I have been informed by Mr. Michael Batty from UK for the second time about a cover which was affixed with GB 1d stamp in 1862. This was posted by a British Army Cadet there at the Indian Post Office at Rangoon. The GB postage stamp was defaced by Renouf Type 7 cancellation for Bengal Circle. Recently, this cover was auctioned by M/S Spink for £3.500 .Mr. Michael Batty was kind enough to send me the details as under:

Spink Auction 15030 in London, January 25-26 2015
website: http://www. spink.com/lot-description.aspx?d=15030003212
Auction: 150 -The Philatelic Collector's Series
Lot:3212
Burma
Campaigns and Military Mail
Other Military Mail

1859 (Dec.) envelope "From 3631 Pt. Jonas Bell 68th L.I. at Rangoon to his brother in England, countersigned by Commanding Officer and bearing G.B.1d. "stars" cancelled "B/156". showing framed "INDIA PAID" h.s. and on reverse "Rangoon/Ship Letter"/ Paid" boxed d.s., Calcutta(8.12) and Leeds (22.1)c.d.s. and 1862 (22 Jan.) envelope from Private Bell's brother at Leeds to him at Rangoon, bearing 1d. "stars" cancelled with Leeds duplex and showing London, Calcutta and Rangoon date-stamps on reverse; the first a little soiled, nevertheless a wonderful pair with the former being a remarkable usage of a Great Britain stamp in Burma (Photo).

Note: British G.P.O. Notice of 4 June 1859 confirmed that under the usual conditions "Letters sent by soldiers... may be forwarded by British Packets and letters addressed to a soldier.... brought to the United Kingdom by British Packet without passing through a foreign country are, in like manner, subject no higher charge than 1d. if prepaid"

PROVENANCE: Gerald Davis, March 1990/ Gerald Sattin, June 2008 Subject to 20% VAT on Buyer's Premium / Sold for £ 3.500.-

New issues from other Countries

Czech Republic

4 March 2015 : Easter

Czech Post will release a special stamp to celebrate the upcoming Easter on 4^th March. The stamp depicts Ester Bunny – a bright symbol of this holiday. Easter belongs to the most popular holidays in a large part of the world. It celebrates spring with the awakening of nature, its fertility, hope and love. Different villages boast different Easter customs and traditions that used to spread over the entire six-week Easter period. The aim was to get rid of everything old, to clean the house and cure the body to make them ready for the rebirth of nature.

Easter is a moveable feast that falls on a different date every year – always on the first Sunday after the first Spring Full Moon. If the first Spring Full Moon falls on a Sunday, Easter is celebrated the next Sunday. This means that Easter Monday may fall on any day between 23 March and 26 April.

Finland

2 March 2015 : Student cap as a marker of a common identity

Finnish Post is to release a special stamp to underline the symbolic meaning of student cap. In various European countries, student caps of different types are worn either as a marker of a common identity. The stamp has been already designed and is to be released on the 2d of March.

The Finnish student cap tradition follows the Swedish model, like many other Finnish academic traditions. The Finnish student cap has an appearance similar to the Swedish version, but instead of coloured fabric cockade, it has a metallic, gold-colored cockade depicting the lyre of Apollo, the insignia of the University of Helsinki.

The cap was introduced in its present form in the 1870s. Until the 1950s, the university students usually wore the cap during the whole summer holiday of the university, from Walpurgis Night till the end of September.

Nowadays, the cap is used mostly during 1 May and in academic ceremonies and occasions. The cap is worn by all Finnish high school (lukio) graduates.

Malaysia

25 February 2015 : Giant Panda

Malaysia Post is to release a set of two stamps to support International Cooperative Project On Giant Panda. The issue will be unveiled and put into circulation on the 25^th of February.

Despite their exalted status and relative lack of natural predators, pandas are endangered. Severe threats from humans have left fewer than 1,600 pandas in the wild, according to a 2004 survey. A census of the wild panda population is undertaken every 10 years.

With support from the Chinese government and guidance from national and provincial leaders, the Chengdu Panda Base has launched the “International Long ‒ term Cooperative Project of Giant Panda Breeding”. This collaborative research effort focuses on giant panda breeding, ethology, protection, and education jointly with Japan, the United States, Spain, and France.

15 successfully ‒ bred giant pandas resulted from this work, the largest number of panda cubs produced through international cooperative projects in giant panda breeding to date.

Russia

27 January 2015 : Postcrossing

Postcrossing is an online project that allows its members to send and receive postcards from all over the world. The project’s tag line is “send a postcard and receive a postcard back from a random person somewhere in the world!” Its members, also known as post crossers, send postcards to other members and receive postcards back from other random post crossers. Where the postcards come from is always a surprise.

Post crossing is the union of the words “postcard” and “crossing” and its origin “is loosely-based on the Book crossing site”. Exchanges between the same two members only occur once; although direct swaps between members happen, they are not part of the official happenings on the site.

The project is completely free and anyone with an address can create an account. However, the postcards themselves and postage fees to mail them are the responsibility of each user.

Thailand

9 February 2015 -“Love” –: the Meaningful Feeling of Relationship

Thailand Post has released a very special beautiful stamp featuring Rose to mark St. Valentine’s Day. The item was released on the 9^th of February . The stamp depicts the symbol of love 2015 – a rose named “Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn” with perfumed ink to commemorate 60th Anniversary of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

“The inventive Britain”. : 19 February 2015

Royal Mail issued on the 19^th of February its special series of stamps on the theme “The inventive Britain”. The issue consists of eight items .The UK has a long and rich history as an inventive nation. The Inventive Britain stamp issue celebrates this vital and creative aspect of the national character with eight key inventions of the past century in a range of disciplines and applications, from materials to medicine.

Designed by GBH, each of the eight special stamps depicts key inventions created by British inventors over the last century: Colossus, World Wide Web, Catseyes, Fibre Optics, Stainless Steel, Carbon Fibre, DNA Sequencing, i-limb. The design company created original visual interpretations of the inventions’ key functions for six out of the eight stamps, while two were designed using existing imagery and CGI illustration.

Promotional Section

Recent books issued by Karnataka Postal Circle

1. Collectors Guide to Special Covers of Karnataka (1960-2014) – Rs

2. Mysore Anche (History of Mysore Postal Department)

3. Stamps on Karnataka

Price list of Books and other items released by Karnataka Postal Circle

PICTURE POST CARD PACK	‘‘ BANGALORE HERITAGE” SMALL/OLD	35.00
PICTURE POST CARD PACK	‘‘CINEMA POST CARD”	30.00
PICTURE POST CARD PACK	‘‘ BANGALORE HERITAGE” BIG/ NEW	50.00
PICTURE POST CARD PACK	‘‘ MYSORE HERITAGE”	40.00
PICTURE POST CARD PACK	‘‘BRITISH INDIA ”	100.00
PICTURE POST CARD PACK	‘‘POST INDIA POST CARD”	80.00
PICTURE POST CARD	‘‘ST MARY IS LAND POST CARD”	5.00
PICTURE POST CARD	‘‘KATHALE BASADI IS LAND POST CARD”	5.00
SPECIAL COVER POUCH	10 LEAVES	50.00
SPECIAL COVER POUCH	8 LEAVES	55.00
VARIETIES NOTE PAD	12 VARIETIES EACH 25/-	300.00
BOOK MARKS	6 DESIGNS EACH 3 /-	18.00
SPECIAL COVERS BOOK	“REFERENCE BOOK”	360.00
MYSORE ANCHE BOOK	“REFERENCE BOOK”	75.00
KARNATAKA STAMPS BOOK	“REFERENCE BOOK”	80.00

These books are available at GPO Bangalore Please contact:

Manger, Post Shopee, Bangalore GPO, Bangalore 560001

Phone : Mrs Sushama 080 – 22850042 & 080 - 22850029

Philatelic Gems of the Maharajas Maharanis

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

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

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

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

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

- Sandeep Jaiswal sc APS UPSS GCS= PO Box 8689 Cranston, RI 02920 USA Phone: +1 401 888 9473 From UK: 020 3002 3626 email : sj722@aol.com

Souvenir sheet on World Cup 2015

Souvenir sheet on World Cup 2015 issued by New Zealand Post is available for sale on e-post office and at philately bureaus. The souvenir sheet has 14 cricket ball sized stamps with the national flags and colours of 14 participating nations. Souvenir sheet has been customised as per indian requirements and includes image of World Cup trophy with inscription ICC Cricket World Cup Champion 1983 & 2011 INDIA. The single price of the sheet is rs.400/- but for purchase of four sheets one sheet is free. So it is better to purchase in a group of five and share the price.

Blogs & Websites

1. Forces in Philately - http://gunsinstamps.blogspot.in/ - .A new blog has been created by Commodore Vijay Kapre of New Delhi, featuring philatelic items related with our Armed Forces.

2. Praful Thakkar’s Exotic gallery of Indian Philately - http://www.indianphilatelics.com/ : It is a complete website on Indian Philately created by noted philatelist Mr Praful Thaakkar

3. 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.

4.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. .

5.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.

6. 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.

7. 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 !!

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. 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 .

20. Princess Diana – Queen of Hearts - http://princessdiana-queenofhearts.blogspot.in/ - New Blog by noted philatelist of Orissa Mr Santanu Panigrahi.

21. Stamp Magazine - http://blog.stampmagazine.co.uk/ This blog is updated by Adrian Keppel every Friday with new Articles on a variety of subjects

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 http://www.sipa.org.in/

GPA News – Published by Gujarat Philatelists’ Association, Ahemadabad.

Stamps Today – Stamp & Coin Magazine edited by Vijay Seth

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 ; Prashant Pandya – Vadodara; Sreejesh Krishnan – Trivandrum ; Jagannath Mani – Bangalore; Mansoor B. Mangalore; Sudhir Jain – Satna (MP); Dipok Dey- Kolkata; Yogesh Kumar – Bareilly ; Rajesh Paharia – Jaipur ; Abhai Mishra- Dehradun

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 -
Please send limited number of images in compressed jpg format only with your article. Please send text and images separately. Please do not send text or image for publication in PDF.

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.

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Rainbow Stamp News

Friday, February 27, 2015

Rainbow March 2015

2 February 2015 - Centenary Celebration of Shri Devsagar Singhi Jain Mandir, Sujangarh, Churu District

13 February 2015 - Patpex-2015 – Mahatma Gandhi , Patna

15 February 2015 - 1st Indian Match at Cricket World Cup 2015 - Jaipur

14th February 2015 - Late Babu Balchand Malaiya -.Sagar

17 February 2015 - Platinum Jubilee of Catholic Diocese of Lucknow

Stamp in a form of a bicycle wheel – an extraordinary issue by Iceland Post

Kisses instead of stamps – the innovation of Dutch Post for St. Valentine’s Day

“Independence Day 2015” - Stamp Design Competition by India Post

The legend behind the birth of a postage stamp

Unique collection of February 29 stamps

2 March 2015 : Student cap as a marker of a common identity

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