Rainbow April 2016 Issue No. 100

Celebrating 100^th issue of Rainbow Stamp News

Dehradun       April 2016       Vol. IX     Issue No. 100 Monthly e-Stamp Bulletin from Dehradun 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

Dear Reader

I am pleased to release 100^th issue of Rainbow Stamp News. My sincere thanks to all distinguished Readers and star contributors of Rainbow.  For this very special issue, our guest editor is  Mr Naresh Agarwal who has given a great contribution to Rainbow Stamp News .  Hope you would find this issue interesting!  This issue is dedicated to two senior philatelists of India who introduced me in the world of philately, Late Shri BJ Kumar and renowned philatelist and artist Shri Dipok Dey.

Happy Collecting !!

                                                                                                        ….. Jeevan Jyoti   

This issue is dedicated to Late Shri BJ Kumar and Shri Dipok Dey.

 Contents

§  Guest Editorial

§  Recent Indian Issues

§  In The News

§  Doon Philatelic Diary

§  Beginners’ Section

§  Specialized Section 

§  Lighter Side

§  New Issues from Other Countries

§  Acknowledgement

§  Philatelic Clubs and Society

§  Blogs & Websites on Philately

§  Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletter

Guest Editorial 

100^th Issue of Rainbow…… A Milestone

It  is a great news for us and  a great  achievement for  Rainbow as it has released its 100^th issue completing its  journey  of  hundred months .What a satisfaction one has to have  100^th issue  without any break  with its timely and uninterrupted issuance every month. Rainbow, as is apparent has  cemented its place in the hearts of its readers all around the world. It is so well served that it catered to the  stamp lovers of all ages with is variety of reading stuffs covering various facets of philately, beautifully presented with attractive blend of colors etc.. It has satisfactorily served the philatelic fraternity throughout a span of almost eight and a half years giving them  pleasure, satisfaction, knowledge, companionship, friendship and has built  a strong bond amongst them directly or indirectly.

My heartiest congratulation to Mrs. Jeevan Jyoti,  the editor for the same. This is the result of her hard work, dedication, sincerity and will to serve and promote philately. I must say she alone has done it. Of course there are regular contributors but credit goes to her. I remember long back she started the journey alone  with a strong vision to bring digital philatelic journal  which could reach the hearts of philatelists and stamp lovers. There was digital journal in India prior to Rainbow  but the format was different. Rainbow with its colorful spectrum and versatility, attracted the philatelists and served them with interesting and readable philatelic material . The coverage, the presentation  won the hearts of the readers of all classes and age. It also had the  aim to check the deficiencies / short comings of the print journals.

Well, when I look back at my association with Rainbow, I believe I have been  a Rainbow fan  almost from the beginning. I have always found Rainbow close to my heart .I am thankful to Jyoti Ji for making me a permanent   part of Rainbow by way of allowing me to write articles and regular column. I also wish to place thank on behalf of my philatelic friends who have also been allowed to regularly contribute to Rainbow with their  specialized, well researched, informative, interesting and attractive articles. To name a few Dr. Satyendra Agrawal, Dr. Jagtap, Mr. Prashant Pandya  and many more have  moved with the Rainbow for long.  In fact, we all have been the witness of the inspiring and satisfying  journey of  hundred months of Rainbow.

Rainbow as we know  is now an established journal and has its lovers all over. Its services  and stature has been duly recognized  as It has won various national and International  awards in various exhibitions and competitions. Rainbow being the pioneer of colorful  e-philatelic journals in India has paved way for emergence of various other e-philatelic journals which collectively  have brought revolution in e-philatelic journalism in India. Of course, changing technology in communication systems has its own important part played but credit goes to Rainbow to initiate it and help those-bulletins  to flourish with healthy competitiveness for betterment to serve philately and philatelists. it has helped giving recognition to Indian philatelists in the world and also created a platform to build and strengthen  the bond of brotherhood amongst the philatelists of the whole world.

I feel honored to act as guest editor of this 100^th issue and to have interview of such dedicated person who for me claims to be known as “Charging and changing force of philately in India today”. Her valued interview is published in this issue wherein she has come out with her positive attitude and open thoughts and has placed her views with utmost honesty. I wish Rainbow and Mrs. Jeevan  Jyoti all the best for the future.

Well, before I conclude, I would like to place my heartiest thanks to the Doon Philatelic Club which invited me in its meeting  specially arranged for me  at Mr. Prem Chand  Agrawal’s house during my visit to Dehradun last month. It was memorable experience meeting  good number of active members of the club. It was of course  nice meeting my old veteran  philatelic friends like Mr. Rajesh Verma, his daughter, Smt. Jeevan Jyoti, Sri Ajay Srivastava,Sri Abhai Mishra, Sri Suneet Agarwal and many other veteran and new philatelists. Some of their collections  which they brought were marvelous. I found each and every member to be very enthusiastic, caring and lover of philately. I could sense the strong feeling of friendship and brotherhood. It was pleasure meeting Mr. Agrawal a young old man, president of the club, still an ardent lover of philately having versatile personality. Here I would specially place my thanks and regards to him and his whole family  who bestowed their immense love and affection  and best of the hospitality. Believe me , I truly have no words to express my gratitude.

 Though I feel like writing more on various issues effecting and affecting the philately in India, but here, I shall restrict myself and would  enjoy the  celebration of Century Issue of Rainbow with you all.

Well, my wishes expressed little differently  in few lines :

My Best Wishes To RAINBOW

It was a great philatelic day

When Rainbow spread its ray

So beautiful and so colorful

Red, orange, green and grey

The memory flashes back

When it was  literally alone

Touched hearts of philatelists all over

It has now properly grown

It gave philately a new direction

Taught how to make a collection

Touched every facet of philately

Gave readers due satisfaction

The stamp news and the tales

The articles and the mails

The information it imparted

Was always fresh, not stale

The journey of over eight years

Has been full of pleasure

It has nicely served its readers

Given them philatelic treasure

Mrs. Jyoti the lady behind it

Has worked hard day and night

Her dedication and discipline

Made Rainbow a popular site

Its each and every content

Full of knowledge and passion

Served well  a child to an old

Really needs a special mention

Having hundredth issue in hand

Rainbow now international brand

Philatelists  find it so adorable

The celebrations should be grand

Wish Rainbow to glow with glory

Wish Rainbow to write its story

Wish Rainbow to never depart

Wish rainbow to live long in hearts

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

 Rainbow Stamp News – A retrospect 

Rainbow stamp News was started as an electronic Bulletin in January 2008 and was initially sent to the readers as an attachment by email. Soon its issues were posted on a separate blog http://rainbowstampnews.blogspot.com/ The idea of posting on blog was given by distinguished philatelist of Bhubneshwar Mr BK Sinha and the magazine was posted on blog which  happened to be very successful in later years. The first issue of Rainbow was sent to about 35  friends and philatelists including the editors of  philatelic magazines. Rainbow was first publicized by Stamps of India and it reached many readers all over the world. Today Rainbow Stamp News has  more than 1000 registered subscribers from India and abroad and an average of 2000  online readers per month. Another blog Rainbow Stamp Club with daily updates of the stamp world and news from different philatelic societies (http://rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com/)   was too started with Rainbow Stamp News in March 2008 which gained more popularity than Rainbow Stamp News. Today it has about 5000 to 6000 visitors per month. Now its visitors have crossed the number more than 7 lakhs. The aim of  Rainbow Stamp News and Rainbow Stamp Club Blog is to create fraternity among philatelists living in different parts of the world and  share philatelic information  with each other on a common platform.

Acknowledgements :

Those who gave colors to Rainbow with their specialized articles and expert advice .

   

  

      

Dr Avinash Jagtap - Dr Satyendra Kumar  Agarwal - Naresh Agarwal - Prashant Pandya,Abhai Mishra Anil Dhir – Sekhar Chkrabarti,- Shrikant Parikh - Ilias patel, Col. Jayanta Dutta & Dr Anjali Dutta

Our regular  contributors :

Mansoor B, Mangalore – Ashwani Dubey, Gorakhpur  – Jagannath Mani, Bangalore –Pradip Jain, Patna, R Kasinath – Tanjore, Sreejesh Krishnan,Trinadrum, M. Gulrez – Allahabad, Sandeep Chaurasia – Gorakhpur, Ambrish Kumar – Allahabad, Sudhir Jain – Satna (MP), Liza Padhi –Cuttack, Vipan Kumar Thakur & Rakesh Walia – Chandigarh,Suresh R – Bangalore; Cdr. G Sri Ramarao,I.N,(Retd.), Vishakhapatnam, N. Kalyani – New Delhi, Bhumika Sharma – Solan (Himachal Pradesh), Deepak Modi- Jalna(Maharashtra) Ravindra Wamanacharya – Nagpur, Pradeep Kumar Malik- Patna, Timir Shah Vadodara

Overseas Contributors

Wolfgang Beyer - Germany , Dr Eli Moallem - Israel – Dr Hemat Kulkarni - USA , Kenneth Sequirea - Dubai (UAE) Dr Avinash Jagtap – Switzerland . Terry Mitchelle – UK; Prakash Modi - Canada

Our Reference Sites

Stamps of India , Indian Philately Digest, Se-tenant stamps of India, International stamp News , Europa Stamps – World Stamp News ,  Flags and Stamps;

Idea behind the Rainbow….

A newsletter like Rainbow was  my long time desire since I was I in college when I used to work with late Mr BJ Kumar and at that time I was fascinated towards philatelic journalism and used to imagine if  I could launch my own newsletter ….. But it was just a dream at that time since I was just a teenager and to bring out  a regular independent  newsletter was not an easy job. Moreover, in those days computer was not the part of daily life. One has to do everything manually …like typing news and articles on typewriter and sending to the press with limited images . But today the technology has made the work easier.  So after the launch of Rainbow my dream came true…and its success gave me immense pleasure and satisfaction !! The first name that came to my mind for this bulletin was “Shimla calling” as I had spent most of the time in remote areas of Shimla district and was  going to  publish first issue from Chopal area of Shimla district. But when I discussed it with my friends they suggested to give a global name to the Bulletin…And suddenly Rainbow came in my mind and I named it  Rainbow Stamp News... Thus Rainbow Stamp News was started…

But for me this is not the end of my philatelic journey. I still wish to go ahead with Rainbow which for me is the path to reach the highest glory  of philately and way of my satisfaction. My aim is to serve philatelic fraternity and to have  a big admiring readers and readership. 

This journey would have not been smooth and happy if I had not got the support from my family members. My husband   Ajay Srivastav and sons Prakhar and Shikhar always happily supported me to work for long hours.  What you see on my blog and read in magazine is the joint effort and co-operation of my family members and distinguished philatelists and contributors. In my philatelic journey Shri Dipok Dey has always been a great source of  inspiration. My sincere thanks to all of them..I hope the journey will be continued in the years to come….

  Interview with the Editor by Naresh Agrawal

1. 100 issues - 100 months, almost Eight and a half years of regular, uninterrupted and ever improving publications of this  esteemed philatelic bulletin. How do you find this... is it like achieving something or reaching a milestone or just a nice past time?

Well, It gives me immense pleasure to release 100^th issue of Rainbow Stamp News. 100^th issue   is definitely a pretty good  number  for a philatelic magazine. To me it was a good past time for about eight and half years. In this time got interaction through email and in person with a number of philatelists from different places.

2.    Collecting stamps  and preparing exhibits is not a regular affair though a constant process but a slow one; but publishing a bulletin that of the stature of RAINBOW which requires constant, regular and frequent follow-up, research, study and editing.. why did you opt this where as there is joy in other aspects of philately too.?

Rainbow has not affected my collecting interest. I collect philatelic items and prepare exhibits as I used to do earlier. Yes, publishing a newsletter means one has to be in constant touch with the philatelic world. This is a hobby so it’s not stressing for me but publishing it on a particular date is a bit difficult which I maintained for a long time . But now due to extensive travelling I extended the release date from first of every month to the first week of the month.

3.    Rainbow…a marvelous journey of over hundred months setting milestone having lovers and admirer all over. How do you feel when you think about it. Tell something about your companions in this journey and their contribution.

The journey of 100 months has been very well. In this journey I had an opportunity to receive contributions from  distinguished writers and experts .They actually made this journey colorful with their contributions. My thanks to Dr SK Agrawal. Mr Naresh Agrawal, Dr Avinash Jagtap for writing regular columns and  special thanks to Mr Prashant Pandya for the technical guidance in this whole journey. Wish to mention the name of Mr Bijoy Sinha who gave me the tech idea to put the magazine on Blog.It was a unique idea as there was no online magazine at that time. What is special about it is that all 100 issues are available on line and one can search them any time . The magazine can be viewed at one glance without downloading in one single post.

4.    Rainbow has been appreciated by one and all. It has received many higher awards in various philatelic shows and competitions. We congratulate you for the same. We understand that sometimes most liked and best of the philatelic bulletins are not very highly appreciated at competition levels in philatelic shows as those are not given higher awards. What do you say about it.? How does winning a higher award mean to you?

Yes , The literature class in high level exhibitions like FIP and FIAP Philatelic Exhibitions is not much recognized. The awards are given up to a certain level especially in the category of Newsletters and periodicals.  However, the category of books and catalogues are far better awarded. The reason behind it that there is hardly any jury member from the Philatelic Literature field. Secondly there is a big competition in this category. The  small newsletters do not stand anywhere among the top few philatelic journals of the world which are also there in competition with them. It’s really a matter of pride if one gets above Large Silver  in the newsletter category .

5.    Tell us about your philatelic journey.. i.e during your childhood, at early young age  and now      ... your experiences and  the change you have seen over the years in the philatelic fields such as collection, collecting, exhibiting, judging, competitiveness, role of technology etc.

Yes, like everyone I started collecting stamps when I was in Standard 9 as a general stamp collector who collects everything that fancies. Later, I came in contact with a senior philatelist of Kanpur Late Mr BJ Kumar. He guided me how to pursue this hobby systematically. With him I also learnt how to edit a philatelic magazine. As he was editor  of U-Phil Times and I worked with him as sub-editor when I was in college. I liked this work very much and had in mind that someday I will edit a philatelic magazine. Later, as time passed I moved to Himachal Pradesh. There, I started Rainbow Stamp News in 2008.

A big change has come since the time I was a junior collector and participated in philatelic exhibitions. At that time there many new collectors with a genuine interest in the hobby. Today most of the exhibits are repeated in exhibitions of the same persons. Moreover, in Junior section, most of the exhibits are of senior collectors which they display in the name of their children or relatives. The level of  competitiveness is very low among the exhibitors.

As far as judging is concerned it was more transparent but was never out of controversy. It was controversial too at that time the exhibitors never seem to be disheartened at the results as there were very minor variations.  There was more competitiveness among collectors in presenting their exhibits.

Postal department was more co-operative  with the philatelists at that time in organizing the philatelic show. Today philatelic shows are burden on them. The shows are organized just to spend the government fund in the name of philately and not for actual promotion of this hobby.

6.    Philately creates a  bond of brotherhood amongst individuals and the nations....... how does it mean to you? Have experienced this  bond.

Yes of course, Philately makes a bond among several persons of same interests within the country and outside the country. This bond is very much experienced at the philatelic exhibitions where philatelists from different places gather at one common platform and interact with each other.

7.    We see that there is broad change in the philatelist’s attitude and view towards modes of collecting and exhibiting. Philatelic commercialism and professionalism is now the way it enjoyed? How do you look at future of philately?

As I told earlier, the number of genuine collectors is decreasing year by year. New collectors are not coming forward. The reason is obvious people are more connected to electronic social media they do not have time for such hobbies. But I would say there are some who are enjoying this hobby through Internet and they are promoting the hobby in one way or the other.

When we talk about commercialism, one cannot deny that it has dominated philately very much as most of the collector are very conscious about its value. This is the reason many philatelists have  become professional philatelists. The plus point of Philately is that its International Federations are very strong and  regular exhibitions are organized.

Postal Deptt   organizes exhibitions  every year at district and state level. National shows are also organized with co-operation of philatelic Societies. So some philatelic activities are held time to time. If there is a regular  philatelic activity, The future of philately is very good.

8.Your comments on role  and functioning of  philatelic societies, clubs and organizations? We have seen the such societies are not serving philatelists as these should. Further there is lack of co-ordination among the societies?

Some philatelic societies are doing very well. In fact they are promoting philately in best possible way. Those which are not able to do do are only because of non-cordination among the members. I would like to mention Baroda Philatelic Society, SIPA - Chennai and  EIPA - Bhubaneshwar , KPS – Bangalore. Empire of India Philatelic Society , Mumbai, Rajasthan Philatelic Society, Jaipur  are doing very well. This is only because of unity and good coordination among its members.

Special Thanks to the  distinguished philatelists for their support and contribution to Rainbow over the years

Shri Dhirubhai Mehta - Mumbai,Sekhar Chakraborty – Kolkata, Vispi S. Dastur-Mumbai, Ambesh Upmanyu (Indian Postal Service) – Ahmedabad, Madhukar Deogankar- Kolkata, Sandeep Jaiswal – USA, Mrs Danyanti Pittie – Mumbai, Madhukar and Savita Jhingan – New Delhi, Yogesh Kumar- Bareilly,Umesh Kakkeri – Mumbai .Ajay Mittal - New Delhi, Rajesh Paharia - Jaipur Madan Middha - Gwalior, Dr.S.K.Sondhi – Ludhiana,Vinod Sabharwal – New Delhi, Cdr G. Sriramarao - Vishakhapatnam, Praful Thakkar,Shrikant Parikh, Mainak Kathiara and Dhanjay Desai from Ahmedabad, Sahdev Sahoo, Bhubaneshwar,Dr Hemant Kulkarni. USA, Dinesh Chandra Sharma – Lucknow, Sudhir Jain – Satna (MP), Ajit Dash Bhubaneshwar;  Bijoy Sinha, Anil Dhir, Ajit Kumar Dash from  Bhubaneshwar, Atul Agarwal- Aligarh, Nikhilesh Melkote – Bangalore,  Suraj Jaitly- Ludhiana, Prof VK Gupta- New Delhi, All the members of Doon Philatelic Club, Dehradun, SIPA Chennai, EIPA,Bhubneshwar; Baroda Philatelic Society, Vadodara, Indian Thematic Society, Ludhiana, GPA Ahmedabad,  Ludhiana Philatelic Club, Karnataka Philatelic Society- Bangalore and all those who have been with me but I missed to mention here…..

Thank you All !!

Dear Jeevan Jyoti

Kindly accept on behalf of our organization as well as myself our sincere and heartiest congratulations on your bringing out the 100th Issue of the Rainbow Stamp News. The very fact that the 100th Issue is coming out is a sign of your success more so when infantile mortality is now a days the norm for philatelic publications.

I have found the news very interesting and informative and reading it every month reminds me of the days when I was editing India's Stamp Journal. Heartiest congratulation to all concerned and especially the learned writers

May the Rainbow Stamp News grow from strength to strength from generation to generation for times immemorial and may the Almighty's choicest blessings be on all concerned.

Thanks & regards,

-Vispi S. Dastur

President, Empire of India Philatelic Society

Founder Member and Former President,

Philatelic Congress of India

Congratulations to Rainbow Stamp News (RSN) on its first century! I am a regular reader of RSN and it’s a unique electronic newsletter published by Ms. Jeevan Jyoti. I find it an invaluable publication for keeping abreast of global information and wonderful articles on various topics that appear from time to time. I applaud the publication of your wonderful monthly e-Stamp bulletin which has been a regular source of information on various aspects of philately and Thank you for your great and wonderful work. My best wishes.

-Prashant Pandya

President, Baroda Philatelic Society

Incredible and Commendable! By next issue of Rainbow SN, you are expected to reach a mile stone of scoring 100. It is no mean an achievement at a time when publishing a philatelic news letter is a challenge either in e-form or print form. You have done it without a single miss or clubbing two/three issues at a time. This is worth praising. It is a result of your constant affection, dedication and tireless efforts that enabled you to reach this mile stone. Of course team Rainbow SN also needs to be congratulated, without them it is an impossible task. Throughout this journey you have tried to serve a dish that is delicious and useful to all group of philatelist by incorporating latest topics and news around us related to philately.

I end with heartiest congratulations to you and your team.

Bravo and keep it up till the last drop of energy exhausted from you.

I wish all success to you and Rainbow SN too.

-Ilyas Patel, Ahmedabad

Dear Mrs. Jeevan Jyoti,

To run a philatelic monthly on Internet for continuous 100 issues is not a joke. Above all it is your dedication to the Hobby of philately and is a great boon to Indian philatelists.

I Congratulate you and wish that many readers in the world will get to know about Rainbow Stamp News" from day to day.I wish your "Rainbow Stamp News" a pretty Long life and universal fame!

-Avinash B. Jagtap, Binnengen - Switzerland 

 

Till March 2016, I added 91 colours in this “Rainbow” through my articles of various shades, spread on about 1100 pages with more than 2000 illustrations. It all made possible due to Jeevan Jyoti and love of readers of RSN, who never granted me a single leave from this magazine. My heartiest well wishes for its Century Edition…….

-Dr. Satyendra Agrawal, Bangalore

Dear Jyoti,

I wish to congratulate you on the occasion of bringing out 100^th issue of Rainbow Stamp News monthly e-Stamp Bulletin. What a tremendous achievement! Your journal is a proof that somethings do get better with dedication and love. Each month, I eagerly wait for the next issue of Rainbow. I had thoroughly enjoyed reading all the issues of Rainbow. More specifically, its editorials, interviews with philatelists, specialized section, etc. are very informative. It is the only dedicated stamp bulletin covering various aspects of Indian philately and is a great resource for collectors. It is my conviction that in the years to come, the contribution of this stamp bulletin will be even greater for promotion of philately.

Once again best wishes for achieving this milestone.

-S K Sondhi, San Diego - USA

On the 100^th issue of Rainbow I extend our best wishes to accomplish the most successful journey over the years is commendable work of Mrs Jeevan Jyoti in the philately promotion / development.

The Rainbow Newsletter launched at the time when all importance National Philatelic Magazine closed their publication.

Thus to fill this gap Rainbow contributed significantly to share all the current news, information and also bringing the philatelist and their journey into philately which is highly praiseworthy.

-Pradip Jain, Patna

Congratulations a lot Madam for your this achievement.

Really “Rainbow Stamp News” has given a new horizon to Indian philately and benefitted one and all with the same. Wish you more and more achievements in the years to come.

-Suraj Jaitly, Ludhiana Editor ITS Stamp News

Glad to learn about Centennial issue and thank you for the opportunity offered.

I regret that due to my other preoccupations, I am unable to write an article (or Note).

Rainbow Newsletter has as the name says has served all different strata of the society - young and old; novice and matured; experienced and new; and much more.... .

I have liked your Newsletter and it has very well served the philately community.

In this newsletter, several columnists have contributed and have inspired many new writers with varieties of subjects and topics.

It has encouraged healthy discussions as well as shown vision for the future.

I would love to have more info about Philatelic Advisory Committee and its workings.

Looking forward to 100th issue.

With best wishes and warm regards.

-Prakash Mody, Toronto, Canada

It is a matter of great pride and pleasure to learn about the brilliant century of your dream publication : The RSN ! My sincere and hearty congratulations to you for your solo endeavors in bringing out this most popular and punctual publication which has kept the philatelic world so Vibrant !! Please keep up the excellent project for many more centuries !!

Best wishes

-Shrikant Parikh, Ahmedabad

 

You have created a land mark in philately. Kudos for selfless service. My best wishes for100th issue. Regards,

-Prof. V. K.Gupta, New Delhi

It is immense pleasure to know that Rainbow Stamp News is on its way to complete its 100 issues in April 2016. We, @ SIPA congratulate you for the milestone. Without dedication and passion this would not have happened. Your newsletter is very informative for any collector, he/she has something to take back home. I am a regular reader of your newsletter and I really appreciate that all the different aspect on philately is packed in one go.

We at SIPA are really proud of you for coming forward for doing this service.

Wish you all the best for future too.

-Mahesh Parekh,SIPA, Chennai

Congratulations !!!! On 100th. Issue.
With Best Wishes.

-Arvind Kumar Agarwal, Meerut

 Congratulations on the 100th issue of Rainbow Stamp News. 

Wishing you all the best for years to come.

-Bhaskar CG, Chennai

I am very glad to read that Rainbow stamp news is completing its centenary in April 2016.I sincerely appreciate your efforts and with the bulletin many wishes in coming future.

-Umesh Kakkeri, Mumbai

Congratulations .... 100 is a big milestone.

-Corinne Pegler, New Zealand

It's great pleasure to know that Rainbow's 100th issue is being released. Many many congratulations to Mrs. Jeevan Jyoti for her continuous efforts in bringing out a regular newsletter. It is really great achievement and I wish that this publication touches new height.

- Dinesh Sharma, Lucknow

Dear Jeevan Jyotiji,

Truly standing with the name “Rainbow”, it has spread and also has been very useful to the world of philately.

Congratulation on the successful journey of Rainbow.

-Sapan Jhaveri, Ahmedabad

Congratulations !! All the best wishes for your future and philately promotion!
-Bijoy Sinha, Bhubaneshwar


Recent Indian Issues  

·         24 January 2016 - Income Tax Appellate Tribunal – Rs 5

·         25 January 2016 - Vibrant India Rs 25b + MS

·         6 February 2016 – International Fleet Review – Rs 5

·         4 March 2016 - Vasantrao Srinivassa Sinai - Rs 5

·         8 March 2016 - UN Women He for She – Rs 5 & Rs 25 + MS

·         11 March 2016 - National Archives of India – Rs 5

·         13 March 2016 - Allahabad High Court – Rs 5 & Rs 15 + MS

14th stamp of the current definitive issue of Makers of India featuring Ravi Shankar in Rs 3 denomination !!

Recent Special Covers

5 March 2016 :   Vasantotsav (Spring Festival) 2016,  Dehradun

3 March 2016  : Biju Patnayak - Bhubaneshwar

13 March 2016 : Allahabad High Court,  Allahabad

5 April 2016 : Yogi Baba Gambhirnaath ji. Gorakhpur

View : Special Covers

 In The News

UK’s second most valuable stamp is sold for £495,000 !

The latest auction news! A real rarity, a must have for every philately enthusiasts, one of five used examples known to philatelists – Plate 77 Penny Red stamp – has been bought by unnamed British collector.

An incredibly rare Penny Red has become the UK’s second most valuable stamp after being sold to an unnamed British collector for£495,000.

The sale was arranged by London-based dealers Stanley Gibbons, which said the Plate 77 Penny Red is one of only five used examples known to the world of philately – another of which is held in the British Museum.

Plate 77 Penny Reds , which date from 1863, are viewed by collectors and investors as the holy grail of philately because Plate 77 stamps were not meant to exist. The stamps were created but never sold by post offices after they were not considered to be of good enough quality.

The original printing plate was destroyed, but a tiny handful made their way into circulation. As a result they are highly prized by collectors – far more so than the fabled Penny Black beloved of school children.

Keith Heddle, managing director of investments at Stanley Gibbons, said: “This is one of the most desirable and iconic of British stamps for collectors worldwide, highly sought after for more than 100 years. It is testament to the strength of the market for rare stamps that we have managed to sell not just one, but two Plate 77 Penny Reds in the last four years. With the last one having been sold to a client in Australia, I’m delighted this one has found a home in Britain”.

Heddle said this latest stamp has been bought by an anonymous British buyer, who he said was both a collector and someone who expected an investment return on the item. The previous Plate 77 Penny Red sold in 2012 for £550,000, making it the UK’s most expensive stamp. Heddle said its higher price reflected the fact that it was in significantly better condition.

As an investment, Heddle said, the Penny Red still had some way to go before it troubles the world’s most expensive stamp. This remains the British Guiana 1c Black on Magenta, which was sold in 2014 in New York for $9.48m (£6.7m).

The 1856 stamp is thought to be the only one in the world. It was one of three created by a local postmaster whose expected delivery of stamps had been delayed by storms, forcing him to ask local printers to produce an emergency issue.

Stanley Gibbons said despite the huge volatility seen in financial markets since the turn of the year, the market for rare stamps and coins remained resilient. Last month, the dealer sold one of Britain’s rarest coins, an Edward VI “boy king” gold sovereign of 30 shillings, for £250,000 to an investor in Asia. However, collectors say that prices for mid-range stamps have fallen, hit by a general decline in philately as a hobby.

Sourced by theguardian.com

Chinese Postal Service is 120 years old,,,

This year the Chinese Postal Service (CPS) celebrates its 120^th anniversary. It was officially launched on March 20, 1896 and has been successfully working till today. To commemorate this occasion, Chunghwa Post releases a souvenir sheet containing two original stamps depicting vintage mailbox and bicycle.

This souvenir sheet contains two stamps; one at NT$5 in face value, the other NT$12. They feature a vintage mailbox and bicycle, contrasted by a modern motorcycle and mailbox, and impressed with gold and silver inks, respectively.

The inscriptions are dedicated to celebrating postal service facilities of different eras, putting into focus the past of the mail service, post systems of the modern age, and the vision to stay abreast of the trend. The illustrations are beautifully outlined, and complemented by colors red, green, gold, and silver to acknowledge the legacy and innovation of the postal service.

Recent Stamp Exhibitions

PHILATAIPEI 2016 - World Stamp Championship Exhibition

Mr. Anil Suri is  the National Commissioner for India of PHILATAIPEI 2016 World Stamp Championship Exhibition being held at Taipei, Taiwan from October 21 to 26, 2016. This is fourth World Stamp Championship show which will be the highest level of competition in philately where the best philatelists in the world will compete for awards.  There will be 3 finalists: The World Champion, First Runner Up and Second Runner Up.  The World Champion is therefore recognized as having won the highest award in the world's stamp competitive exhibitions.

Anil Suri : email : anilksuri@email.com 8130827029, 9811176908
Last date for submitting the forms: March 15, 2016

World Stamp Show-NY 2016

World Stamp Show, New York 2016 will be held from 28th May to 4th June 2016 at New York, USA.

Shri Dhananjay Desai of Ahmedabad  is Commissioner  for this exhibition. He may be contacted for participation at email : dhananjay_47@yahoo.co.in

Website of exhibition:  http://www.ny2016.org/

Date :  May 28-June 4, 2016 Venue :  Jacob Javits Convention Center, 655 West

THAILAND 2016, 32nd Asian International Stamp Exhibition

Nonthaburi, Thailand, August 10-15, 2016

Web site : https://sable.godaddy.com/click?id=43076.6253.486de72be313d7128552d9ee79a08029&l=55&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thailand2016.org%2F

National Commissioner: Rajan Jayakar : email : rajanjayakar@yahoo.com 9821072417

Judipex -2016 – Philatelic Exhibition at Allahabad High Court

As part of the Sesquicentennial Celebrations of the High Court of Allahabad, Judipex-2016 philatelic exhibition was organised by Department of Posta in co-operation with Phila Foundation, Allahabad at the premises of the High Court. Exhibits of Hon'ble Justice Pankaj Mittal, Prof. Gopal Krishna Agarwal, Dr. Maneeshi Bansal, M. Gulrej, Manju Rastogi, Anil Rastogi, Umendra Jain, Anil Gupta, Dr. Hari Om Agarwal, Reeshadul Islam, Rahul Ganguli and other philatelists were displayed in 38 frames. A Special Cover was released to mark the occasion.

News from Philatelic Clubs and Societies

Regional meeting of Philatelic Congress of India, Seminar on Thematic Philately and Governing Council meeting at Jaipur - 28th February 2016

Regional Meeting of Philatelic Congress of India was held at Rotary Hall, Opp. St Xavier's College, Church Road, Off M. I. Road, Jaipur on 28th February 2016. The event was hosted by Philatelic Society of Rajasthan. Shri Ajeet Singhee, President, Philatelic Congress of India chaired the meeting. Shri P. M. Bhargava, President, Philatelic Society of Rajasthan welcomed the members. The points and suggestions received from the members were discussed in the regional meeting.

On the occasion of Regional meeting and seminar on thematic philately a Special Cover on Philatelic Seminar, depicting Postage Stamps of the erstwhile Princely States of Rajputana and a Special Cancellation bearing the text "Stamp Collection / Preserve Heritage / Philatelic Seminar" was released by Lt. Col. Sri D. K. S. Chauhan, Chief Postmaster General, Rajasthan Postal Circle.

A Stamp Booklet with the 'My Stamp', bearing logo of the Philatelic Congress of India was released by Sri Ajeet Singhee, President, PCI.

 Courtesy : Indian Philately Digest

Lucknow philatelist SAM Zaidi is no more….

 With utmost grief and sadness, it is to inform about the untimely and sudden demise of  Zaidi Saheb, on 9^th April.. He was a noted philatelist of Lucknow.

A shocking news for the philatelic world. Knowing him since my arrival in Lucknow in 1982 I have never seen him tired working towards the development of philately. We have lost a person who loved philately from the  bottom of his heart. He is no more with us but he left a legacy that philatelists not only from Lucknow but from every part of India would admire this personality.

For me he had always very admiring words, which kept me motivating towards better work. If I win any medal at NY 2016 World Philatelic Exhibition to be held in New York in May, would dedicate to the great philatelic  soul of SAM Zaidi.

To him I always said that SAM stands for Simple but Amazing Management. For philately he did ever since I met him.

At this moment of great grief May God give strength to his wife and all the family members.

May his soul rest in peace.

-Dinesh Sharma, Lucknow

Doon Philatelic Club

From L to R : Ajay Srivastav,Abhai Mishra, Jeevan Jyoti, Naina Verma, Anuj Saxena, Rajesh Verma,Naresh Agrawal Arun Bamri,Gunjan Maithel,Shri PC Agrawal

Meeting of Doon Philatelic Club was held on 22 March 2016 at the residence of President, DPC, Shri PC Agrawal. Noted philatelist Mr Naresh Agrawal of Bilaspur (CG) also attended the meeting. Mr Abhai Mishra, Mr Rajesh Verma,  Ms Jeevan Jyoti, Mr Gunjan Maithel,Mr Anuj Saxena, Mr Neeraj Gupta,Mr Arun Bamri, Mr Ajay Srivastav, Mr Anu Agrawal and family of Mr Naresh Agrawal were present at the meeting. The members discussed Various philatelic topics with Mr Naresh . It was a nice get together with him.

Wedding Bells

Blessings and Best wishes to dear Neha, younger daughter of Mr Suraj Jaitly who is going to get married on 15^th April 2016 with dear Rohit. Heartiest congratulations to Mr and Mrs Jaitly on the auspicious occasion of their daughter’s marriage. May Heaven’s choicest blessings be showered on the young couple.

Doon Philatelic Diary

ARDH KUMBHA-2016 (HARIDWAR)

- Abhai Mishra

The origin of the Kumbha is very old and dates back to the time when Kalasha (pot of nectar of immortality) was recovered from Samudramanthan (during the churning of the primordial sea), for which a tense war between Devtas (Gods) and Asuras (Demons) ensued. To prevent the Amrita Kalasha being forcibly taken into possession by Asuras, who were more powerful than Devtas, its safety was entrusted to the Devtas Brahaspati, Surya, Chandra and Shani. The four Devtas ran away with the Amrita Kalasha to hide it from the Asuras. Learning the conspiracy of Devtas, Asuras turned ferocious and chased the 4 Devtas running with Amrita Kalasha. The chase, lasted 12 days and nights during which the Devtas and Asuras went round the earth and during this chase, Devtas put Amrita Kalasha at Haridwar, Prayag, Ujjain and Nasik. To commemorate this holy event  of  the Amrita  Kalasha  being put at  4 places, Kumbha is celebrated every 12 years according to the position of Jupiter and Sun. When Jupiter is in Aquarius and Sun in Aries, Kumbha is celebrated in Haridwar during the months of Jan-Apr.  In addition Ardh Kumbha is celebrated at Haridwar and Prayag every six years.

Year 2010 witnessed the Maha Kumbha at Haridwar, while in 2016 we are celebrating Ardh Kumbha. Entire mela area was divided in thirty-two sectors administratively viz. Bahadrabad, Jwalapur, Ranipur, Kankhal, Daksheshwar Dweep, Sati Dweep, Bairagi Camp, Mayapur, Belwala, Gaurishankar, Chandidevi, Neeldhara, Cheela, Laljiwala, Rodhi, Haridwar, Mansha Devi, Har ki Pairi, Kangda Dweep, Pant Dweep, Bheemgauda, Motichoor, Bhupatwala, Sapt Sarovar, Raiwala, Shyampur, Rishikesh, Chandrabhaga, Muni Ki Reti, Swargashram, Laxmanjhoola and Neelkanth. Overall forty ghats are used for bathing.

Major bathing events are –

14 January    Thursday       Makar Sankranti

12 February  Friday             Vasant Panchami

22 February  Monday          Magh Purnima

7   March       Monday          Mahashivratri

7   April         Thursday        Chaitra Amavasya

8   April         Friday             Chaitra Shukla Pratipada

14 April        Thursday          Mesha Sankranti

15 April         Friday              Ram Navami

22 April         Friday              Chaitra shukla Purnima

In order to meet the huge mela rush, a camp post office was established in Gaurishankar sector. Though the Kumbha mela started on 14th January 2016, but the post office could be established only on 30th January. It will be operational till 30th April 2016.  The camp post office is provided code number UA-3002. All the postal facilities including speed post and registered post are available here. The pin code assigned to this camp P.O. is 249401. This pin code belongs to three S.O. namely Bhimgoda, Mayapur and Haridwar which in turn comes under Roorkee H.O.

It is interesting to note that during Maha Kumbha of 2010 two camp post offices were opened at Gaurishankar and Neeldhara with code number UA-3001 and UA-3003 respectively. At that time I wondered what happened to UA-3002.

The post office is managed by Sh. Pradeep who is deputed from Jwalapur post office for three months. The post office has an office with computer, residential accommodation for two persons, kitchen and toilet. Daily all the booked articles are sent to the Haridwar S.O. in the evening for onward transmission. It is always unique to visit these camp post offices for posting mails as they operate for short duration and that too once in twelve years.

- Abhai Mishra : email : abhai_mishra@rediffmail.com 

Beginners’ Section

SOCIAL  PHILATELY    

(A NEW FAST GROWING CLASS OF  PHILATELY)

- Naresh Agrawal

Naresh Agrawal, a veteran philatelist has always been trying to develop philately in one way or the other. The latest being his efforts to promote social philately. He started this venture by himself participating in STAMPAMANIA 2009 with his exhibit on “Insurance In India” in social class. As the response was very poor, he felt to introduce the philatelists in general through this article which contains his study on the subject through various sources.

 The said article contains information gathered by him through various net sources and discussions held with different philatelists. The views and opinions given in the article are purely his own and subject to open discussion and change, if so required and found. The article has been written with a motto to encourage social / open class philately which is still unknown or less known. Various suggestion, questions, opinions and views are invited so that a better atmosphere may be created to see that philatelists in India are well introduced to this class which certainly will open new areas of collection and will benefit philatelist and philatelic traders in a big way.- Editor

Contd. From the last…….

SOME  SUITABLE TITLES   :

As this class of philately entertains  titles explaining social history  in particular, it may include titles such as to relate the history of a town, biography of a famous person or impact of an event, the development of a town or country, the impact or the historical background to an important event, the development of an important business or industry or a social convention such as the sending of Valentine’s Day Cards through postal and philatelic items. Some other title may be  :

Letters of war, From Hanover to Windsor, Australian Electoral Office Business, Pre – World War-I Australian Pictorial Envelops, A philatelic window in to the times, the people and the places in British South Africa ( Rhodesia  1900 – 1924 ),  Genesis of commerce in Australia, France during the dark years of the world war – II,  Mission Mail  -  Northern Rhodesia, Australian Scout Jamborees 1934 – 1970 corroborees 1936 – 1966, Hand-Painted envelopes which talented Victorian artists, The Earthquake that devastated Messina (Sicily) in 1908, Telegram services during particular period and place, Insurance in India, Charkha the wheel which lead to freedom  etc. etc.,

Some examples of already displayed exhibits are - ‘Wartime Postal Forgeries’, ‘Promotional Postal Orders’, ‘Mulready Caricatures’, ‘The Post Office Savings Bank’, ‘Images of Industry’, ‘The Sociology of Reading’, ‘Hand-illustrated Letters’, ‘Airmail in India’, ‘The Post Office Story’ ‘Patriotic Mails’, ‘Money Order Services’, ‘The Road towards Indian Independence’, ‘Red Cross – Support the World’, ‘Kolkata - Social Philately’ (One can develop exhibit on any city or town). This may help readers to think about titles and theme of Social Philately Exhibits. One Frame or Multiple frames Exhibit on Social Philately can be developed on any subject or class. It depends on collector’s own imagination, ideas and skill. Research is essential for developing Social Philately Exhibits.

Some other topics related to following can be taken up such as Studies of the effect of the postal system on commerce, society and industry,  Historical, local and/or regional studies,  Studies related to an event or historical landmark . This gives a wide scope for different suitable  titles.

THE MATERIAL   :

In thematic philately only the philatelic material is allowed to be exhibited with allowance of maximum 5 to 10% for other material like fiscals only essentially required and has great importance for the exhibit. In postal History, mainly the postal material is allowed. But in social philately both thematic, postal history and other material is allowed. In other words, it  may include material currently accepted in other philatelic categories, other material linked to the postal system being studied and collateral material relevant to the chosen social theme/subject.

The list of material allowed is very long as it entertains varied types of material various philatelic, postal, ephemera, fiscals, documents, whether  postal linked or non-linked materials such as revenue stamps, insurance stamps, cinema stamp, entertainment stamps, transport and travel stamps, various govt. tax and fee stamps, pamphlets, notices, hand bills, tickets, news paper cuttings, clippings, articles from books and magazines, abstracts from official papers, govt. orders, certificates, licenses, permits, receipts, invoices, brochures, photographs,

                   

        (Guernsey Social Philately )                                                                                                             

A very early letter from a soldier in France to his wife back in Guernsey in which he gives clues as to where he is   
Without actually giving any details although his own details have been censored.                            

documents, maps, drawings, prints, leaflets, brochures, coins, medals, trade cards, picture post cards, badges, tokens, labels, pamphlets, Cinderella like( Christmas seals, charity seals, wildlife conservation stamps, Promotion Stamps, Poster Stamps ), post cards, trade cards, match box labels, tobacco cards, coins, playing cards, packing labels and wrappers, medals, medallions, Bank notes, or any material developed by commerce to use or reflect post office services and products. etc.  i.e. collection of postal articles including philatelic and non-philatelic but related material. Hence, its exhibit may include material currently accepted in other philatelic categories, other material linked to the postal system being studied and collateral material relevant to the chosen social theme.

( Jersey Social Philately )

Pictorial Post Card                                                   National Registration

The post card shows scenes in and around the POW camp were sketched by one of the  inmates which were later used on a set of postcards probably after the armistice. This is one of the most common to be found Card.              

Non-philatelic materials which gives background and other useful information includes : directories, Government or official publications, maps, newspapers, patents, timetables, biographies, Army and Navy lists, travel tickets etc.

Advertising Brochure            Match Box Labels                    Advertising Leaflet

Examples of Historical, social and special studies include Telegram Services, Greeting Cards including Valentines, Illustrated and Pictorial Envelopes (including Patriotic Covers), 

       

Different Ephemera suitable for different themes

Post  Office and Official office stationery (without imprinted stamp),  Philatelic History other than literature (including albums hinges, perforation gauges etc, the impedimenta of philately), Officially issued documents bearing illustrations of postage stamps, PHQ Cards -objects associated with postage stamps and their use,  Aspects of the affect of the postal system on commerce or industry, Locality studies based on postal and social history using the materials of Social Philately, Objects associated with postage stamps and their use (letter weighing balances, stamp boxes, maps, prints, model post office, model letter boxes, model post office equipments etc.  such as mailbags, uniforms, postal tools etc, Illustrated, Pictorial commercial envelopes used in a postal system, This material should be arranged so as to illustrate a balanced plan as a whole or to develop any aspect of Social Philately.

Crystal Palace Comm. Medal 1855     1909 Calendar  Map of the state of California

Non philatelic material must have an intimate/close connection with the operation or the objective of postal system or if not directly related to the postal system then it should have an integral part of social system (for example medals awarded to trade fair participants where the medal was often posted but where the connection is more with the social  story, insurance policy, certificates etc. sent through postal system.

THE EXHIBIT AND ITS PREPARATION   :

As it is concluded that a social philately exhibit is combination of postal history and thematic exhibit allowing usage of certain non postal/non philatelic items too; the exhibit suitable for this class of philately has to be one which tells the social history of some place or some event or some system.

An Exhibit ‘The Sydney Harbor Bridge’ of Maurice Williams of Sydney, a former Chairman of Australia Post is a five-frame exhibit which coincided with the 75th Anniversary of the Opening of the Bridge on 19th March 1932. This is a beautifully presented exhibit combining stamps, postcards, photographs and ephemeral items to tell the story of the construction and impact of Sydney's iconic bridge on the society.

‘Art through the post’ is an exhibit of Hand-Painted envelopes which talented Victorian artists sent through the post to friends and relatives. They were probably inspired to use postal correspondence in this way by William Mulready who designed Britain's first postal stationery and thus pioneered the idea of illustrated envelopes.

The basic preparation requires exhaustive thematic study and research, availability of wide range of material directly related to the operations and products of the postal system either as post office equipment or as material developed by commerce to use or reflect postal services and products as explained above. The philatelic importance and explanation is also a pre requisite.

PREPARATION OF EXHIBIT:

The plan or introductory page and the development of exhibit are the two aspects of an interlinked process, based on the personal study and research by the collector on both the social theme and the material. The  introductory plan should show the scope and development of the exhibit. The title of the exhibit should correspond to the introductory plan. The plan should give general information on the subject and must indicate areas of personal investigation. It should also contain a short list of the important documentary sources (social and philatelic) used. It will help the judges to evaluate the material shown in relation to the aims set forth by the exhibitor. 

Introductory and Plan Page on “ Insurance in India” gives brief  introduction, aim, plan  giving scope and    development of the theme. It contains important items too         

The exhibit must elaborate the theme in depth, and should comply with the introductory page. Creativity, the personal development of new themes and originality, the introduction of new aspects or approaches are key elements of Social Philately exhibits. A thorough knowledge of both the theme and the appropriate material is a pre requisite for the best possible social philatelic development. The social information should provide the main thread of the story. It is necessary to include philatelic information where required so that philatelic knowledge and personal / subject study can be demonstrated. It is advisable  .
     

The author in his one frame social history exhibit have incorporated insurance policies, receipts, stamps, notices etc. Though most of these are not philatelic items but certainly most of them had postal link as either those were sent through mail, or the fee paid is through postal/revenue stamps. For me these are the most suitable items. Even the mail exchanged between the insurers, insured and the agents can be part of the exhibit , if it is so required.

                

Marine and Fire Insurance Policy Documents : Ephemera essentially required to be displayed in Insurance exhibit as they show the nature and type of Insurance policies issued and the coverage given.

The illustrations and other  material printed on the side or back for advertisement purpose can be considered as suitable for the purpose of social philately. Like in case of special or First day covers, the illustration given can of great use to such exhibits to complete the story

In brief, the exhibitor should take care of the following while preparing the exhibit  :

1.  The exhibit must have an introductory page showing the intended scope and development of the exhibit.                                                                                                                                                     

2.  The exhibit represents a study of the development of social systems and products derived    from the operation of postal systems or the development of a social activity or enterprise.          

3.  The theme should be developed using both philatelic and non-philatelic, but related, material.         

4.  The non-philatelic material should comprise up to a maximum of 50% of the items on show.  It should support and enhance the philatelic items in the development of the theme.                    

5.  Rarity is not a judge of value but reflects the relative scarcity of items.                                      
6.  Items should be of as good a quality as is available.                                                                          
 7.  The significance of the items shown should show the impact the items have upon the story/theme being shown.

Double width sheets are normally permitted and count as 2 sheets, provided they are horizontal.  Double vertical height is normally not allowed but can be in special cases.

Though various heavy, voluminous, big items can be part of social philately exhibit such as mail bags, letter boxes, parcel packet cover, stamp pads and seals, badges, belts and other artifacts etc. But only if allowed in particular exhibitions. Broadly the items not more than 5mm thick and easily displayable on the vertical display board  are allowed. So, take utmost care of this aspect.

FIP  RECOGNITION  :

In the development of this class of philately explained above, it is seen that it has been a regular class included in Australian and New Zealand National Exhibitions since 1988.But it got FIP recognition when it was allowed in 1999 in an International stamp exhibition (FIP world Exhibition) in Melbourne ('Australia 99'), as an experimental class of exhibiting. This exhibition had very limited classes.  However, FIP entertained it as an trial of this new class and there was substantial number of entries. However, the FIP did not adopt the new class, in that form and subsequently introduced the Open Class, which allowed even more flexibility in the type and quantities of material shown than did Social, thus attracting many existing Social exhibitors. Thereafter in many National and International shows it has been allowed either as social philately or in  form of Open Class. Of late, JUBURG 2010 International Exhibition includes Experimental Open Class.

FIP REGULATIONS AND RULES  :

After the amendment of social philatelic class in to Postal History Class 2C,it was first introduced in Astralia’99 an FIP International Stamp  and thereafter in IBRA 2009 in Germany and at Bulgaria 2009  under FIP patronage. Following general  views were put forward by the judges regarding guidelines and judging process :     

 According to the Quotations from the SREV and Guidelines (hereafter referred to as the Guidelines) set out in the FIP Commission for Postal History Newsletter of October 2008, were intended to place the reality of judging Class 2C Historical, Social and Special Studies exhibits ,these state that :

1. The historical, social and special studies exhibits show the interaction  of the postal system with society, events, commerce or the historical geography of an area and the effect the postal system has on humanity and humanity on the postal system.

2.  Historical, social and special studies exhibits would include material developed by commerce and society for use in the postal system and may include non-philatelic material where relevant to the subject of the exhibit. The non-philatelic material should be incorporated into the exhibit in a balanced and appropriate manner in such a way that it does not overwhelm the philatelic material.

3. These are, however, not a limitation on the permissible subjects.

4. These also note that exhibits … may be planned chronologically, geographically (e.g. by local/ national districts), by mode of transport/service, or by any other way that the exhibitor may feel appropriate to employ.

 5. They add that exhibits should avoid … large-scale duplication of similar items, large chronological gaps where possible, and the inclusion of expensive items not directly relevant to the subject shown.

6. Furthermore, and as … a general rule a Postal History exhibit should show interesting material (philatelically and, where permitted, non-philatelically) to the best advantage, and not appear to be a manuscript for a monograph.

7. All exhibits under such category must be capable of being exhibited in standard exhibition frames.

8. The plan or concept of all sub-classes of postal history exhibits shall be clearly explained in an introductory statement (ref. GREV, Article 3.3).

In other criteria of judging may be adopted keeping following points in mind it may be said that  :

1.    The Postal History2C (social Philately) must tell the story; other material should be ancillary and supportive.

2. The writing up and interpretation of Postal History items must be from a postal historical point of view.

3. Rates and routes should be described.

4. Mint stamps should be used very sparingly, if at all.

5. Cancelled stamps and stamps postmarked on piece should be used only when entries are not available.

6. Photographic or other illustrative material should be, where possible, contemporary with the material exhibited.

7. Ancillary material should not be greater than 20% of the items shown. i.e. a maximum of 5-6 items per frame, on average.

8. Ancillary material should not dominate the exhibit.

JUDGING AND EVALUATION  :

The Commission’s guidance in judging this class was incomplete since its intention appeared to be enabling and not prescriptive, soothe necessity was felt to establish a framework so that judgment could be made systematically and equitably.

The above Guidelines were very specific in respect of Introductory Pages, and were considerably sharpened later at the Bucharest FIP meeting in 2008  which recommended as under  :

1. The exhibits must contain an introductory statement, showing the scope of the exhibit. The title of the exhibit must correspond to the introductory statement.

2. The title page should possess and reflect the following  :

i )   It should  give relevant general (Postal History) information on the subject being developed in the    exhibit.
ii)   It should include the plan showing structure of the exhibit  i.e. chapters or sections etc., which have postal/social history relevance; and not “frame by frame” or “page by page” description.
iii)  It should include areas of personal investigation.
iv)  It should  include details of important documentary sources and references.

3. The evaluation will be done for the material shown, and the associated text in the exhibit against the information included on the Title Page (Title, Introductory Statement; information relevant to the whole exhibit; the way the exhibit is structured; research and references).

Note  :    A well thought out title page was highly recommended as that would assist both the exhibitor and judges.

NOTES ON JUDGING  :

Those recommendations helped in focusing attention on the distinctive nature of the class which states that the exhibit should require the following  :

i)  The Postal History 2C (social Philately) must tell the story ; other material should be ancillary and supportive.                                                                                                                                                          

  ii)  The writing up and interpretation of Postal History items must be from a postal historical point of view.                                                                                                                                                                      iii)   Rates and routes should be described.                                                                                                         

iv)  Mint stamps should be used very sparingly, if at all.                                                                                

 v)  Cancelled stamps and stamps postmarked on piece should be used only when entries are not available.                                                                                                                                                              

vi)  Photographic or other illustrative material should be, where possible, contemporary with the material exhibited.                                                                                                                                                          

vii)  Ancillary material should not be greater than 20% of the items shown. i.e. a maximum of 5-6 items per frame, on average.  

                                                                                                                                   

 viii) Ancillary material should not dominate the exhibit.

Like other philatelic exhibits Historical, Social and Special Studies evidently need a connected thread running through them, and lessons from other Postal History divisions, Thematic Philately and the Open Class in the use of different fonts, for example could help to distinguish them, but the primary characteristic of the class should be Postal History.

The Guidelines so framed state that :

1.  Colored photographs or reproductions should be at least 25% different in size from the original. Full size reproductions of single cancellations or part of a cover are permitted. All material whether non-postal or non-philatelic material, should preferably be original.

2. Photocopied or scanned Postal History items are not permitted unless they are showing detail or reverse of a Postal History piece included in the exhibition.

3. Ancillary or supportive items should generally not be photocopied or scanned. They should usually be in the possession of the exhibitor.

4. Where items are too large to display they can be reduced but must be accompanied with a statement that the item in question is in the possession of the exhibitor. Where possible the item should be on the reverse of the exhibition page.

5. The relevance, balance and importance of non-philatelic material shown in historical, social and special studies will be evaluated by the judges.

The other criteria for evaluation being recently adopted Internationally is as under  :

NOTE  :  That the information given above is based on the opinion and jury report of Australia’99 followed by amendments made in subsequent meetings. It does not confirm any standard guidelines so far given by FIP, if any, for particular class as there are three classes, so to say Social Philately, Open Class, Postal History Class 2C  which are still being used independently or  as different classes in different exhibitions. Of late, the oncoming International  Exhibition JOBURG 2010 in Johannesburg includes OPEN CLASS.

FINAL  REMARKS  :

Social Philately presents a wonderful but interesting opportunity and challenge for anyone wishing to expand the scope of his collection but of course intensive research, long search and creative imagination is required to develop a social philately exhibit. In India, there is little development in Social Philately and it is hoped that all philatelists in India will now tend to explore this category of philately. Undoubtedly it has much more pleasure and interest as it has very limited restrictions on display of material and given opportunity to tell and display the story completely and in a better way. In the time to come, this class in its present form or little bit changed form  will certainly become a most wanted class of philately as it is attracting  philatelists mainly from Postal History and Thematic classes which have big participation and contribution in philatelic exhibitions.

Specialized Section

Some Remarkable Cancellations and Postmarks - 38

 - Dr. Avinash B. Jagtap

The Delivery Marks (Renouf Type 55) 

Any correspondence is welcome --  Dr Avinash B. Jagtap : email : abjagtap@hotmail.com

“You scream! I scream! We all scream for Ice Cream!”

(Part I)

© Dr.Satyendra Kumar Agrawal

How old and who was the inventor of Ice cream is not known. The History of Ice Cream is just as messy as ice cream itself ! Although no single individual has been credited with the discovery of ice cream, there is documentation of such delectable treats dating back as far as the second century, B.C. Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) enjoyed snow and ice flavoured with honey and nectar. Biblical references show that King Solomon was fond of iced drinks during harvesting. During the Roman Empire, Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar (A.D. 54-86) frequently sent runners into the mountains for snow, which was then flavoured with fruits and juices. In true sense all these were flavoured ices, not true Ice Cream.

Alexander the Great and Claudius both were fond of snow ice flavoured with fruit juices

But the emperors of the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 AD) may be considered first to enjoy a “frozen milk-like confection” made with cow, goat or buffalo milk that was heated with flour. Camphor was added to enhance the texture and flavour before placing the mixture into metal tubes and lowered into an ice pool until frozen.These were edging closer to today's ice cream.

Emperors of the Tang Dynasty are considered first to enjoy a “frozen milk-like confection

England seems to have discovered ice cream during 16th century and   King Charles I of England(17th Century BC) was said to have enjoyed “Cream ice” so much that he paid his chef to keep the recipe a secret from the public. He believed that it was a royal treat, and only for the royal family.

King Charles I believed Ice Cream a royal treat

These early “ice creams” were obviously a luxury indulged in by the rich, and special ‘ice’ treats were kept only for the wealthy and prominent before modern refrigeration, as not everyone had the ability to send servants up the mountains to collect snow for them.

It wasn't until 1660 that ice cream was made available to the general public. The Sicilian Procopio introduced a recipe blending milk, cream, butter and eggs at “Café Procope”, the first café in Paris .However, it was still primarily a treat for the elite and was not yet popular among every class.

The first Ice Cream café in Paris was “Café Procope”

A 1718 cookbook printed in England and called “Mrs. Mary Eales's Recipes”, had the first known printed recipe for ice cream.

First ice cream recipe published in1718 cookbook “Mrs. Mary Eales's Recipes”

The recipe was brought to America with the Colonists by the 1700s and the first official account of ice cream in the New World comes from a letter written by a Scottish colonist who was guest of Maryland Governor William Bladen and dined with a group of VIP’s at his home on May 19, 1744. He described "a Dessert...Among the Rarities of which was Compos’ was some fine Ice Cream which, with the Strawberries and Milk, eat most deliciously."

The first ice cream parlour in the US opened in New York City in 1776 owned by Phillip Lenzi. He had given the first advertisement for ice cream in this country appeared in the New York Gazette on May 12, 1777 and Weekly Mercury.This advertisement announced that ice cream was available "almost every day”on his shop.

First advertisement for ice cream appeared in New York Gazette, 1777

It did remain fairly expensive until the invention of insulated ice houses in 1800. With this invention, ice cream could be stored more easily, making it a far more marketable commodity.

In 1843 in Philadelphia, ice cream making was changed forever when Nancy M. Johnson patented her Artificial Freezer, a contraption much like today's ice cream makers. It had a tub, a paddle, and a crank. The process included beating or churning the ice cream for a nice, creamy, semi-solid texture. Who doesn't remember a hot summer day turning the crank on one of these gadgets--a modern one--to make ice cream the old fashioned way?

Artificial Freezer invented by Nancy M. Johnson, 1843

Artificial Freezer

Seven years after Nancy M. Johnson's invention, in 1851,the first wholesale ice cream business in the United States was opened on June 15, 1851 in Baltimore, Maryland by Jacob Fussell (1819-1912), a milk dealer who was searching for a way to keep a steady demand for his cream. He used the surplus of cream to make ice cream and served it up to his neighbours. It was such a hit he built an ice cream factory at Seven Valleys and began "cranking" out the good stuff, which he loaded on a railroad freezer car and shipped to Baltimore, stifling hot in summer, and ice cream soon became the preferred method of cool-down! 

Jacob Fussell was “Henry Ford of the ice-cream world”

He latter referred to in food lore as the “Henry Ford of the ice-cream world” and In Baltimore, a plaque on Exeter Street placed proclaiming the location “The Birthplace of the American Ice Cream Industry.”

Baltimore-The Birthplace of the American Ice Cream Industry

A London woman, Mrs Agnes Bertha Marshall (1855-1905) was the Queen of Ice Cream. She became a culinary celebrity and authored four cookery books. Her books on ice cream are celebrated. She was particularly known for her work with chilled desserts, and is credited with inventing the first portable, edible ice cream cones which she called "cornets”.

Mrs Agnes Bertha Marshall’ books on ice cream are celebrated

Ice cream received a further boost when, in the 1870s, Carl von Linde of Germany invented industrial refrigeration. This, made ice cream much easier to produce, transport, and store.

Industrial refrigeration

Wide availability of ice cream in the late 19th century led to new creations and more flavours and varieties of ice cream started appearing in the market. In 1874, the American soda fountain shop and the profession of the "soda jerk" emerged with the invention of the ice cream soda. In response to religious criticism for eating "sinfully" rich ice cream sodas on Sundays, ice cream merchants left out the carbonated water and invented the ice cream "Sunday" in the late 1890's. The name was eventually changed to "Sundae" to remove any connection with the Sabbath.

American soda fountain

Despite the various ice cream flavours and different confectionary treats such as Neapolitan bricks, cakes made of ice cream, ice cream bars, popsicles, sundaes, and banana splits, the most popular ice cream flavour remains vanilla!

……………To be Continued

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

A Study of Stamp on Mahavir

Deutsche Demokratische Republik’s/DDR’s 1979 Issue

On Indische iniaturen/Indian Miniature paintings

F.D.C of 1979’s Indian Miniature issue of DDR

Image Courtesy : Sudhir Jain

DDR issued a four stamp on Indian miniature paintings, which has become quite famous among Indian Collectors specially collectors who collect on the theme Jainism, as there is a stamp on “Mahavir”, Deutsche staatsbibliothek-berlin  ( state Library, Berlin).

Mahavir, Stamp from 1979’s Indian Miniature issue of DDR Image courtesy: Dr. Satyendera Agarwal

Though, it is doubtfully stamp of Bhagwan Mahavir (Bhagwan Mahavir was 24^th Thirthankara of Jains). The paintings of Bhagwan Mahavir or the Thirthankara (An omniscient teacher who preaches the dharma and signifies the founder of a tirtha) are never depicted with cloths on (please refer to picture below). The reverend figure on this stamp, depicted with attire of a Shwetamber Saint (Shwetamber and Digamber, are two main sects of Jains).

Bhagwan Mahavir (top left corner of painting) page from same manuscript, Image Courtesy: Deutsche Staatsbibliothek, Berlin

                                                                                                                                                                   

The Original Manuscript Source, of Stamp’s Painting Image Courtesy: Deutsche Staatsbibliothek, Berlin

My enquiry to State Library, Berlin revealed the source of this painting, as a manuscript, of Jain Aagam (revered Script) “Uttaradhyayana Sutra” or Uttarajjhāinani (as called in Ardhamagadhi Prakirt) I then contacted my Guru Gachchadipati Acharya  Shri Vijay Dharmdhurandhar Surishwar Ji ms for further guidance, he on first hand confirmed that this certainly not picture of Bhagwan Mahavir.

Sudharma Swamy preaching Jambu swami, Uttaradhyayana Sutra

The “Uttaradhyayana Sutra” or Uttarajjhāinani (as called in Ardhamagadhi Prakirt) is one of the four mool sutras of Jain Tradition and one among 45 important Agams of Shwetamber Jains. It is divided into 36 chapters and written in Ardhamagadhi Prakirt. Uttaradhyayana Sutra is teaching of Bhagwan Mahavir as told by Sudharma Swami (Bhagwan Mahavir’s 5^th Gandhar (main disciple)) to Jambu Swami. (The first Acharaya (head teacher) of Bhagwan Mahavir’s Sangha after his Nirvana was Gautam Swami Second was Sudharma Swami and third was Jambu Swami and all the three are contemporary).

Cover page of Manuscript source of Painting Image Courtesy: Deutsche Staatsbibliothek, Berlin

Now the question arises, who’s the reverend one depicted in this stamp?

I interacted with many Jain Saints in this regards, though it can’t be established, who’s the reverend one on this painting, it can be Gautam Swami (1^st Gandhar of Bhagwan Mahavir) or Sudharma swami (5^th Gandhar of Bhagwan Mahavir) or someone else. As there’s no description of the Painting on this page of Manuscript. No icons or symbols on this painting establish any identity of reverend one depicted on this painting. The identity of the Saint Depicted on this painting or the stamp remains a big question and matter of further research.

 My research and study makes it certain that Painting is not of Bhagwan Mahavir as mentioned on this stamp.

-       Akshay Borad : email : akshayb@live.in

Lighter Side

Postcrossing as the most up-to-date hobby…

Date of Issue : 25 March 2016

Postcrossing is an interesting and educational hobby that helps find new friends, tell about one‘s native country, get to know culture of other countries, learn foreign languages and collect postcards and stamps. Every year many postal services release interesting philatelic items to popularize it and Rusmarka is not an exception.

The idea of the project belongs to Paulo Magalhães and Ana Campos, programmer students from Portugal. In 2005, they created rules to exchange postcards and made a website with Surprise in your mailbox! motto. As at the start of 2016, more than 600,000 people from 200 countries have registered in the project, and the thirty millionth postcard depicting a skyscraper was received on 2 June 2015. Postcrossing enjoys huge popularity in Russia (more than 60,000 participants), as well as in Taiwan, United States, Germany and China.

Additionally, FSUE PTC “Marka” has manufactured an illustrated cover with a stamp sheet and a first day cover with cancellation (Moscow) inside.

Dutch sights on Postcrossing stamps…

With 36,000 enthusiastic fans, the Netherlands is taking the lead in the world of Postcrossing. Postcrossing is an international network in which people send postcards to random people all over the world with something about themselves, their city or their country. To underline the popularity of this activity PostNL issued a colourful stamp sheet featuring famous Dutch sights.

The ten featured sights are the Delta Works, the Wadden Islands, Hoge Veluwe National Park, the Binnenhof [Inner Court], the Dutch cheese market in Alkmaar, the flower bulb fields, Giethoorn, Marken, Zaanse Schans and The Night Watch. With this stamp sheet, PostNL is supporting the Postcrossing initiative, started over ten years ago.

New issues from other Countries

USA : 18 April 2016 : Legends of Hollywod - Shirley Temple

Shirley Temple was easily the most popular and famous child star of all time. She got her start in the movies at the age of three and soon progressed to super stardom. She becomes the 20th inductee into the US Postal Service‘s Legends of Hollywood series.

As a child she was the most famous film star in the world. As an adult, Shirley Temple Black had a distinguished career in diplomacy, serving as delegate to the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia and U.S. Chief of Protocol. She received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998 and a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2006.

The stamp art for this Forever stamp features a painting by Tim O’Brien based on a 1935 still image from Curly Top, one of her iconic roles in movies. The selvage, or area outside of the stamps, features a publicity photo from the 1933 short film “Managed Money.” Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD, was the art director for the stamp.

Europa 2016

Ecology in Europe – Think Green

Common design issue

Celebrating Europa stamps 60^th anniversary – 1956 - 2016

Bosnia and Herzegovina

  9 May 2016 : Think Green

Every year under the aegis of PostEurop, special stamps with the EUROPA logo are issued that have a unique central theme for all its members. The theme for 2016 is planet Earth and natural environment protection. Considering that this year, the 60th anniversary of EUROPA stamps is being celebrated, all member countries have the same postage stamp design. Croatia Post Mostar also joins this initiative by releasing specially designed stamp that encourages everyone to make their green mark.

Gibraltar

30 March 2016 : Think Green

Jersey 

3 May 2016 : Think Green

Switzerland

12 May 2016 : Think Green

Acknowlegement

Ananthapuri Stamp Bulletin April 2016 Issue

Souvenir UTTARPEX - 2015

Blogs & Websites

·         Philatelic Congress of India

·         Indian Philately Digest

·         Stamps of India

·         Rainbow Stamp News

·         Se-tenant Stamps of India

·         Flags & Stamps

·         Europa stamps

·         Phila Mirror

·         Internatinal Stamp News

Philatelic Clubs & Societies 

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

Chandigarh Philatelic Club

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

Ananthpuri Stamp Bulletin - Monthly e -stamp bulletin of Anathapuri Philatelic Association, Thiruvanthapuram

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 ; Stamps of India ; Europa Stamps,  Prashant Pandya – Vadodara,  Sreejesh Krishnan – Trivandrum; Abhai Mishra – Dehradun; Sandeep Chaurasia & Ashwani Dubey- Gorakhpur

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

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