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Monthly e-Stamp Bulletin edited and published by Jeevan Jyoti from Dehradun.

Monday, December 5, 2016

Rainbow December 2016









Merry Christmas !





Dehradun  December  2016    Vol. IX No. 108

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 December 2016 issue of Rainbow Stamp News. With this issue it completes 9 years of publication. Recently SIPA Diamond 2016, national level exhibition was held in Chennai. The exhibition was very well organized by South India Philatelists’ Association with support from India Post. Heartiest congratulations to all the team members and participants of the show. 

I wish to draw the attention of all readers and philatelists to the fact that One Frame class needs to be suitably recognized in stamp exhibitions.  One frame Class is the future of philately. Now Philately has become a hobby of  very limited number of people. The interest towards this hobby is decreasing day by day...Most of collectors have become passive now.. It is because of other dominant electronic entertainment gadgets in today's life.   Most of the exhibits displayed in the exhibitions  have become quite old. Some  collectors even don't change it and continue to display them as it is since a long time in the philatelic shows. Moreover the philatelists  don't have time to prepare 5-7 frame exhibits. It is time to give proper recognition to One Frame class like T-20 cricket so that number of participation with a variety of subjects could be increased. The present trend of awarding   marks and a certificate in one frame class should be changed and normal souvenir or generic medals at least be given in One Frame Category. This will attract many philatelists to start again who forgot that once they were philatelists and had locked their collections in almirah .

The year 2016 is going…let’s all welcome the New Year 2017. Wishing all Readers of Rainbow a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

This is all for this month……Happy Collecting !

                                                                              -   Jeevan Jyoti


    Contents


§  From the Desk of Naresh Agrawal
§  Recent Indian Issues
§  In The News
§  Doon Philatelic Diary
§  Beginners’ Section
§  Specialized Section 
§  New Issues from Other Countries
§  Promotional Section
§  Philatelic Clubs and Society
§  Blogs & Websites on Philately
§  Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletter








It is pleasing that two noted philatelic societies in India recently conducted  National Level Exhibitions .One by EIPA dedicated to Nature and Environment held at Bhubaneswar  and the other one  at Chennai organized by SIPA. Thanks to societies for  organizing the shows. Both the shows chose excellent venues, good quality frames in good numbers, good overall ambiance, reasonable standard of exhibits and overall very good impact. I personally could not visit the shows but the regular updates on social media and my personal discussions with a few of the visitors / participants gave me   very good impressions about the shows. My heartiest congratulations to the organizers, sponsors and DOP for its support to make the shows great success.

Well, from these shows, I could find out one thing which I would like to discuss. In spite of the fact that the venue is good, spacious, having good facilities; its locational importance can not be ruled out. Every show is considered to have a great success if the same is attended by good number of visitors apart from the participants, organizers, dealers and volunteers. So  the venue should be so chosen that it is easily accessible, general public is attracted and visit of its own, transport is easily and cheaply available. In National Levels shows, the organizers should try to  procure good venue in the heart of the city to mark a event a great success though they may have to bear the extra financial burden.

In these two exhibitions the judging has been more or less satisfactory. The jury was a group of dedicated philatelists who were ready to deliver, share, discuss and even accept the flaws, if left in judging. I feel this is the way jury should act. We accept that not every one can be satisfied but  a few words of conversation can help the participant  in a big way. Here again, the participant needs to be updated with the rules and guide lines such as SREV,GREV  etc. to help them to better understand the exhibiting and judging criterion & so to make better exhibits for the purpose of winning better awards. Organizers need to furnish the guide lines before hand along with the prospectus.

In these exhibitions, I am surprised by the low recognition being given to One Frame Exhibitors. I understand making one frame exhibit is tough as in a framework of 16sheets one has to tell the complete story with best of the most befitting  material displayed. It is said that one frame exhibit suits to the topics which can not be elaborated philatelic-ally. If this is the case, the organizers should not accept the entries on this plea. I feel making one frame exhibit for the topics which are expandable and have lot of philatelic material available, is difficult as the most suitable, selective material should find the place in 16 sheets and complete the story.  However, giving away certificates only is not fare. Generic medals in form of token of appreciation / remembrance should be given at least. There is need to train Indian philatelists to prepare better  One Frame Exhibits. PCI should display some exhibits on its site with detailed comments on judging those so that visitors of the site  might understand the judging and exhibit better. Comparative study of exhibits can be given by displaying more exhibits. Discussion boards may be formed for different classes. What I mean to say is applied solutions of preparing One Frame Exhibit. Detailed discussion of subject to be chosen, material to be selected and displayed, selection of title for the exhibit, presentation criteria & nature, extent and type of write up, balancing the exhibit pages and the frame etc. should be held.Though importance is to given to each class of exhibiting but One frame needs more attention in todays’ scenario.

While discussing with some of my veteran philatelic friends, I could note that every one  appreciated the act of recognizing and honoring veteran philatelists by giving  “Life Time Achievement Award” or some other honor. It was very nice act of SIPA that it recognized the promotional activities of some of the distinguished philatelists.I would suggest here that societies should honor other philatelists living  in other parts of India too as philately is not a localized hobby. It is a National, International even I say universal hobby. Long back Chhattisgarh Philatelic Association and Gujarat Philatelists’ Association had recognized and honored many philatelists of other states too . 

Well, social media is quite active now as every information and updates are handy. Whatsap, Facebook  very active media now. Philatelic material sale /purchase  is quite easy . Discussion groups are quite informative. New philatelic identities have come on the surface. The use of these sites/groups/aps is highly appreciable. These sites have also helped to promote virtual exhibiting.

There is nothing specific for now to discuss. We are all looking forward for  next National Level Exhibition by PSI, Mumbai dates of which are eagerly awaited.

Wishing all the readers, friends a very Happy New Year as my next interaction  with you all on this column will be in January 2017.

Till then happy philately happy life.

Naresh Agrawal
09425530514


Recent Indian Issues   




   





1 November 2016 -  50th Anniversary of Haryana – Rs 5
14 November 2016 – Children’s Day 2 x Rs 15 + MS
19 November 2016  - Third Battalion The Grhwal Rifles – Rs 5
3 December 2016 – AIIMS – Rs 5

Recent Special Covers




21 Nov 2016 Project 15 A StealthDestroyers, Mumbai
25 November 2016 SIPA Diamond 2016 – Chennai
25 November 2016 Luz Church – 500 Years – Chennai
25 November 2016 – Narmadapex 2016 Marble Rocks Bhdaghat, – Jabalpur
26 November 2016 -  Xavier Institute of Development Action & Studies Jabalpur 
26 November 2016 - Maharaja Agrasen, Jabalpur


PERMANENT PICTORIAL CANCELLATION & SPECIAL COVER ON MOODBIDRI


Moodbidri is a famous Jain pilgrimage center situated in South Kannara District of Karnataka. Thousand Pillar Jain Temple named as TribhuvanTilak Chudamani Mandir, ancient Tadpatra manuscripts and old Jain idols of precious stones are main attraction of Moodbidri.




Two permanent pictorial Cancellations have been released on 18th Nov. 2016 in Karnataka on famous Jain pilgrimage centres Moodbidri (thousand pillar temple) and Venur (Bhagwan Bahubali), both in the South Kannada District.

- Sudhir Jain



 In The News


Recent Stamp Exhibitions
CHINA 2016 – 33rd Asian International Stamp Exhibition


CHINA 2016 is being held at Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center, Nanning City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China from December 2 - 6,  2016.




CHINA 2016 (33th Asian International Stamp Exhibition) has been organized under the Patronage of the Federation of Inter-Asian Philately (FIAP) and Recognition of the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP).Mr Surajit Gongvatana is the FIAP Co-ordinator of CHINA 2016.

This exhibition is organized by the All-China Philatelic Federation, jointly with the State Post Bureau of The People’s Republic of China, The People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and China Post Group.

 Mr.Surendra A. Kotadia is National Commissioner for CHINA - 2016 from India.


Heartiest Congratulations to all participants !




Shubrajyoti Behera, Praful Thakkar, Ashwani Dubey, Dinesh Sharma,Surendra Kotadia, Prashant Pandya, Jeevan Jyoti


China 2016 : Awards List : Indian Participants


Name of Exhibitor
Title of Exhibit
Class
No. of Frames
Marks
Award
1
Shubhrajyoti BeheraWonders of Nature - Conserve it or Lose itYouth: 16 -18 Yrs
3
74
Silver
2
Praful ThakkarSpeed Post The Early History of India's Premium Mail ServiceModern Philately
5
73
Silver
3
Ashwani Kumar DubeyWorld Scout MovementThematic - Culture
5
72
Silver
4
Rajesh Bhura Mahatma Gandhi "Man Of Millennium"Thematic - Culture
5
70
Silver
5
Dinesh Chandra SharmaPhilately as a Teaching ToolLiterature
-
70
Silver
6
Ramachandirann KIndia Postal History - Focus on TamilnaduLiterature
-
68
Silver Bronze
7
Meena Mutha Global EducationThematic - Technology
5
66
Silver Bronze
8
Praful Thakkar Collector's Guide to First Day Covers & Folders of India with Set of Stamps, Se-Tenant Stamps & Miniature SheetsLiterature
-
66
Silver Bronze
9
Pramod Kumar SarafFeathered Wonders - A Study according to their classificationThematic - Nature
5
65
Silver Bronze
10
Praful Thakkar Collector's Guide to British India Bazar Post Cards - Edwardian & Georgian PeriodLiterature
-
65
Silver Bronze
11
Baroda Philatelic SocietyVadophilLiterature
-
65
Silver Bronze
12
Surendra KotadiaBooklets of Post IndependenceModern Philately
5
65
Silver Bronze
13
Jeevan JyotiRainbow Stamp NewsLiterature
-
64
Bronze
14
Meena Mutha Jainism and Today's WorldThematic - Culture
5
62
Bronze
15
Aaqib PankiMiniature Sheets on BirdsYouth: 10 -15 Yrs
3
61
Bronze
16
Andalib PankiMagnificent OrchidsThematic - Nature
5
60
Bronze
17
Pawan Kumar JhunjhunwalaA Journey of 2nd Millenium through World PhilatelyThematic - Culture
5
56
CP
One Frame Exhibit
Sr. No.
Name of Exhibitor
Title of Exhibit
No. of Frames
Marks
1
Sridhar K.Philatelic Diplomacy
1
65



SIPA Diamond 2016, Diamond Jubilee Stamp Exhibition 




25th - 27th November 2016


SIPA Diamond 2016 National Level Stamp Exhibition was organised by South India Philatelists’ Association, Chennai with the support of Department of Posts at St. Bede’s Centenary Auditorium, Santhome, Chennai, Tamilnadu from 25th to 27th November 2016.
Shri Balakrishna Das, Sh.Amarchand & Sh. Karunakaran were honoured with "Life Time Achievement Award" for their contribution to philately & SIPA. Mr Mahesh Parekh won the best exhibit award with Gold Medal in the Non- Thematic Category. Mr Saket Bajaj received the Best Exhibit Award with Large Vermeil Medal  in Thematic Category. Mr Anil Reddy won the first prize in One Frame Category and Deepthi Sudharsan got First Prize in Junior Clas)
Mr. Jagannath Mani of Bangalore received special recognition at SIPA DIAMOND 2016 for his efforts for the promotion of Philately on whatsapp through 'STAMP TODAY'.

Star Winners of SIPA Diamond 2016


Mahesh Parekh, Saket Bajaj, Anil Reddy& Deepthi Sudharsan

Lifetime Achievement Award  
1.Sh Balakrishna Das
2.Sh.Amarchand
3.Sh. Karunakaran

 Special Recognition
Jagannath Mani



Sh Balakrishna Das, Sh. Karunakaran
& Sh.Amarchand



Jagannath Mani – special recognition

Jury Members: (1) Shri Sunder Bahirwani, (2) Shri Rajesh Kumar Bagri and (3) Shri Prashant H. Pandya
Apprentice Jury: (1) Shri Ghouse Ali Zameer and (2) Shri G. Natarajan, Director Postal Services, Department of Posts.


Mahesh Parekh, Aditya Asthana, Souvik Roy, Eeshita Roy,Vignesh,Ajay Srivastav,J.Jyoti, Naresh Agrawal,Sandeep Chaurasia, Ajit Kumar Rout,Dr Saumitra, Anup Kumar Ghosh,Dr. M K. Sudhakar & Dr Arun

Award List of SIPA Diamond 2016

Result  - Stamp Design Competition by India Post


Stamp Design Competition on theme "Picnic" Entries of following participants have been selected as prize winning entries.

1st Prize Winner Name- Mr. Gauravdev HB, Mangalore, Karnataka

2nd Prize Winner Name- Ms. Sukanya Behera, Sundargarh, Odisha

3rd Prize Winner Name- Ms. Soujanya Hati, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal


BANDUNG 2017


BANDUNG 2017 Specialised WORLD STAMP EXHIBITION, 3-7 Aug 2017 Exhibition under FIP Patronage

Shri Sahdeva Sahoo has been appointed National Commissioner for this exhibition. Intending participants are requested to contact Shri Sahoo for forms .

Prof. Sahadeva Sahoo
"Saswat", D-3, B. J. B. Nagar
Bhubaneswar 751014 (India)

Phones +91 9337103542 (mobile)
 +91 674 2432251 (land line)

emails : sahadevasahoo@gmail.com
             sahadevas@yahoo.com


Exhibition Name
BANDUNG 2017
Venue
Trans Studio Convention Center, Bandung, INDONESIA
Date
3rd - 7th August 2017
Category
Specialised World
Competitive classes
Traditional Philately
Postal History
Postal Stationery
Thematic Philately
Youth Philately
Philatelic Literature
One-Frame Exhibit
Modern Philately
Total frames
Ca  2 200
Frame fee
US $75
Frame fee for Youth Class (per exhibit)
free
Frame fee for One-Frame exhibit
US $100
Frame fee for Literature Class (per exhibit)
US $ 85
Frame fee for Modern Philately
US $75
Deadline Entries
30 November 2016
Deadline Acceptance
25 January 2017
Deadline Payment
31 March 2017
Website
www.bandung2017.org
Consultant
Mr Michael Ho
General Commissioner
MrTono Dwi Putranto

MELBOURNE 2017

MELBOURNE 2017, 34th FIAP Asian International Stamp Exhibition will be held in Melbourne, Australia from 30 March to 2 April 2017.
Mr. Madhukar Jhingan is the Indian National Commissioner for the MELBOURNE 2017.
MELBOURNE 2017 will have following classes:
FIAP Championship Class, Traditional, Postal History, Postal Stationery, Aerophilately, Astrophilately,  Thematic, Maximaphily, Revenue, Open, Youth, Literature, One Frame and Modern Philately (1980 onwards).
The Entry Fee for One-Frame Exhibit is US$80, and for Literature the Fee is US$55 per exhibit. The participation is free for Youth Class. The Entry Fee for all other classes is US$55 per frame.
The Entry Forms are now available for download http://stampsofindia.com/MELBOURNE2017.htm
Those interested in participating may please contact Mr. Madhukar Jhingan, National Commissioner for India of MELBOURNE 2017.
(M) +919811160965, Email: mj@stampsofindia.com

Two Slovak postage stamps won  first prize at the Stamps Contest


 
The Slovak Post won first place in the categories The Best Printed Stamp and The Best Miniature Sheet of the World in the twelfth year of China’s Annual Best Foreign Stamp Poll contest in Beijing.
The winning stamps were chosen by the public in voting during in September in China. More than 60,000 respondents participated.
The Best Printed Stamp of the World is Umenie: Alfons Mucha, released on 25th November 2015, with a motif of Mucha’s painting called Buď Pozdravený, Požehnaný Prameň Zdravia (Hail, Blessed Source of Health) dedicated to the baths in Piešťany. František Horniak made the picture into a steel engraving. The stamp received the best award in Slovakia as well as abroad.
An issue of stamps released on 26th June 2015 dedicated to 550 anniversary of Academia Istropolitana received another first place award in Beijing in the category The Best Miniature Sheet of the World. Late-gothic documents connected with the intellectuals’ activities working at this first college in the area of today’s Slovakia were used. The author is Dušan Kállay, engraving realised by František Horniak.
“A miniature sheet based on one of the hand-written pages’ decoration of a Bratislava missal middle-age manuscript was definitely interesting to the Chinese public,” said spokeswoman of Slovak post office Iveta Dvorčáková for the TASR newswire.
Slovakia has received awards in the China Annual Best Foreign Stamp Poll contest in the past, in the years 2007 and 2008. Both of them were 1st places – in 2007 for Geological Location Šomoška and Sandberg, in 2008 for Bratislava castle.
Europa 2017 Theme

The theme of Europa 2017 stamps is “Castles”. Europa postage stamps. are special stamps issued by European postal administrations/ enterprises under the aegis of PostEurop in which Europe is the central theme. EUROPA stamps underlines cooperation in the posts domain, taking into account promotion of philately. Since the first issue in 1956, EUROPA stamps have been a tangible symbol of Europe’s desire for closer integration and cooperation and in 1993, PostEurop became responsible for issuing EUROPA stamps. Over the years, EUROPA stamp has gained more interest within the Postal community as well as with philatelist, and reflects the engagement from the members in diligently participating in the competition.



02.01.2017 Denmark - 1 souvenir-sheet (2x 25.- DKK)
12.01.2017 Russia - 1 stamp
20.01.2017 Finland - 1 stamp (domestic value = 1.20 €)




Obituary



Ranjit Singh, very well-known worldwide philatelist and dealer, passed away on November 25, 2016 at New Delhi. He was 87 years old. He worked in Telegraph Office in the Post & Telegraph Department retiring in 1987. From his student days he was interested in correspondence and had friends all over the world and this led to his interest in collecting stamps. Learning languages was also another hobby and he used to correspond with his worldwide contacts in their language. He knew about 30 languages. He authored “Sikh Heritage Through Stamps” in 2012. Above all he was a great human being who encouraged a large number of philatelists. His next two generations are also active in philately. Source - Stamps of India


Tributes to Late Shri Y. Kumar

Although there is an ancient Persian saying that death is a debt we all have to pay, Dinoo and I and our members were deeply distressed to learn of the sad and sudden demise of our President Elect Mr Yogesh Kumar. 

Kindly accept, on behalf of the organizations I represent and my family and myself, our sincere and heartfelt condolences and please convey the same to our members.
            
I knew Yogesh for more than forty years and thought of him as a gentleman philatelist; I was always impressed with his personality, his philatelic and other knowledge, his dedication to the hobby we both loved, his sincerity and courtesy. I also remember him as one of the first few philatelists to be the National Commissioner for India and the excellent work he did at FINLANDIA. It is unfortunate that the Almighty called him so abruptly when he was President Elect of the Philatelic Congress of India (the National Federation of India) and he would have been the President in a short time.

We should all be thankful to the Almighty for having given the opportunity of having known the dear departed for a long period of time.
            
The loss of a dear friend at any age is a great loss and we pray that the Almighty grants you and the organization the strength to bear this irreparable loss! 

May his soul rest in eternal peace!

Yours in bereavement, 

-VISPI  S.  DASTUR


Doon Philatelic Diary

Shri Badrinath Dham






Abhai Mishra


The temple of Badrinath also known as "Badrinarayan" is situated on the banks of river Alakhnanda amidst the two mountains "Nar" and "Narayana". It is one of the major "Char Dhams" and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. As such there is no direct reference about this temple in Hindu mythology but there is mention of the deity "Badri" in the Vedas which is considered as the highest literary source of all the mythological records. Some historians believe that the temple was a Buddhist shrine during the reign of emperor Ashok but was later converted into a Hindu temple and the idol of lord Vishnu was established by Adi Shankaracharya in 8th century AD. The idol of Lord Vishnu "Badri Nath" is made of black stone (Shaligram) and seated in a "Padmasan" posture. The statue is considered by many Hindus to be one of eight swayam vyakta kshetras, or self-manifested statues of Vishnu. Other interesting legends are also associated with the history of this temple.


According to one legend, Lord Vishnu was mesmerized by the beauty of this area and wanted to unseat Lord Shiva who was residing at that time in this area with Devi Parvati. He came in disguise as a small boy, crying loudly and disturbing them. Parvati asked the reason for his crying and he replied that he wanted Badrinath for meditation. Shiva and Parvati found that it was Lord Narayan in disguise. They then left Badrinath and moved to Kedarnath. One other legend associate it with the "Badri", a type of berry found in this region. When Lord Vishnu was meditating here, Devi Laxmi took the form of "Badri" shrub in order to provide him shade. Thus the name "Badri Nath" was associated with this temple.




The temple is primarily divided into three parts, i.e. "Garbha Griha", "Darshan Mandap" and "Sabha Mandap". It is opened to worship for six months from May to November. During winters the idol is carried to Pandukeshwar and is worshipped there. Although Badrinath is located in the far north of India, the head priest, or Rawal, is traditionally a Nambudri Brahmin from the far South India in Kerala. This tradition was begun by Adi Shankaracharya. The Rawal is assisted by the Garhwali Dimri Pundits belonging to the Village Dimmer. The Rawal has been accorded high holiness status by Garwhal Rifles and also the state governments of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. He is also held in high esteem by the Royals of Nepal.


The temple has undergone several major renovations, due to age and damage by avalanche. In the 17th century, the temple was expanded by the Kings of Garhwal. After significant damage in the great 1803 Himalayan earthquake, it was rebuilt by the King of Jaipur.  It is believed that once the Shraddha Karma is performed here, the descendants need not perform the yearly ritual. There is hot sulphur spring outside the temple which is also known as Tapta kund. People take bath in it.  Lord Vishnu is worshipped at five different places called "Panch Badri". These are "Vishal Badri" (Badrinath), "Yog Dhyan Badri", "Bhavishya Badri", "Vridh Badri" and "Adi Badri". At present it is managed by "Shri Badri-Kedar Mandir Samiti". The committee also provide the devotees with the facility of getting prasadam by post. The post office at Badrinath is very beautiful and resembles a temple.

- Abhai Mishra : email : abhai_mishra@rediffmail.com


Beginners’ Section





Journey of Philately in India



-Swamynathan R.


Philately was introduced to India by English officials during the late 1800. Later, after independence the Indian philately community continued the Philatelic activity with C.D.Desai becoming the first Indian President of Philatelic Society of Indic(PSI).

1. Phases of Philately Journey in India

a.    1889-1896(Initial Period)

-- In 1889, the stamp shop "Bombay Philatelic Company" was opened in Bombay and C.F.Larmour in his interview in 1896, mentioned that "About six years ago we began to awake the fact that Philately is the pleasant pursuit possible for idle moment."
("Bombay Philately Company" is the only philately shop in India to survive 100 years, now closed.)
-- First Philately Book-- "The Post Office of India" by A.G.Sen 1875
-- First Philately Journal -- Indian Philatelists, May 1894
-- First Philately Society -- "Bombay Philatelic Society" Jan 1896
-- First Philately Exhibition was held from 20th to 23rd January 1908 in Calcutta.

b. 1897-1957

Philately activities were mainly carried under the leadership of British collectors who stayed in India.

b.    1958-1969

Philately activities and exhibition were carried out by philately societies in India and in  many cases in collaboration with Indo American Society
d. 1970-2001
Philately exhibitions were carried out by active involvement of India Post in Philately and Philately societies in India.
e. 2002- Till Date
Philately exhibitions are carried out by active involvement of Philately societies in India in cooperation with India Post.

2. Important Philately Events

a.    On 8th March 1897, Philatelic Society of India(PSI) was formed headed by Mr.Stewart Wilson. Philatelic Journal was their official magazine.

b.    On 18th December 1941, Empire Philately Society of India(EPIS) was formed under the leader ship of Jal Cooper. "Stamp Journal" was their official magazine.


c.    1941 --Opening of first Philately Bureau in India at Mumbai GPO(21st June 1941)

d.    1954--Stamp Centenary Exhibition


This was the first International Philatelic Exhibition in India(INDEPEX). This exhibition was the first effort in India to Promote Philately by government of India.

e.    1967-- First Philately Conference at New Delhi

A National Philately seminar was organised at Vigyan Bhavan by India Post. A special postal cancellation was prepared.

f. In 1968, The National Philately Museum was inaugurated at New Delhi.
g. 1970--First National Exhibition(INPEX) at Delhi from 23rd December 1970 to 6th January 1971.

This is the first National Philately exhibition organised by India Post. This National Level exhibition was organised on regular intervals at various cities. This National Philately Exhibition encouraged the exhibitions to be held at State and District levels all over India.

h. 1973-- Second INDEPEX
i. 1973-- First Stamp book for children to be published in India titled "Romance of Postage Stamp"
j. 1975 -- Philately Congress of India(PCI) was formed.
k. 1977 -- First Asiana Stamp Exhibition held at Bangalore
l. 1979 -- Introduction of logo(Peacock) for India Philately Museum
m. 1980 -- First INDEPEX under the patronage of FIAP
n. 1989 -- A few important aspects of INDIPEX 1989
-- First Stamp Booklet with Stamp Panes issued
-- Last Air Mail Post Cards(set of 7).

-- "Youth Philately" was formed by Philately Congress of India(PCI) and in collaboration with India Post. "Mayur" was their official magazine which used to be published quarterly(now closed).
m. 2011-- Introduction of MyStamp in INDEPEX
o. 2016 -- 75th Anniversary of  Mumbai Philately Bureau. Seminar was held at Mumbai GPO, conference hall. Concept of "Open Philately" was discussed for the first time.

3. Important Philately Journals published from India

a. Philately Journal of India(since 1897)
b. Stamp Journal
Started in 1940 edited by Jal Cooper, later by P.M.Medhora
c. Ind-dak
Started  from 1st January 1977  and edited by Col. L.G.Shenoy, later by
d. SIGNET
Started in late 1970's when PCI was formed in 1975
All the above journals are out of circulation as of today. SIGNET has been restarted recently after a long gap.

4. Philately Exhibitions held in India

Philately Exhibitions in India has been basically an EVENT to exhibit the collections of the philatelists either in the competitive or non competitive classes.

A.   Exhibitions by PSI and EPIS

-- Exhibition of Postage, Fiscal and Telegraph Stamps(1908)
-- Stamp centenary Exhibition 1954(EPIS)
-- Diamond Jubilee Philatelic Exhibition(DIJUPEX)-1957
-- National Philatelic Exhibition(NAPEX)-1965
-- Silver Jubilee EPIS--1966
-- Platinum Jubilee Exhibition(PLAJUNEX) 1972
-- Philex -1983 (non competitive)
-- Epispex-Stampco 92-1992, Diamond Jubilee of EPIS
-- Philex-1996(non competitive and curtain raiser to PSI 100 years celebrations, CENTIPEX)
-- EMPIREX 2001
-- INPEX 2013
(all the above exhibitions were held at Mumbai)

B. Exhibitions of 1950's
a. Stamp Centenary Philately Exhibition held in Delhi
b. Stamp centenary Exhibition 1954(EPIS) held in Mumbai
c. Diamond Jubilee Philatelic Exhibition(DIJUPEX)-1957 held in Mumbai

C. Exhibitions of 1960's
Exhibitions of 1960's were mainly organised by Indo American Society(Stamp Wing) at Calcutta, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mumbai, Chennai
(The earliest known to me exhibition was in 1960 in Calcutta, 1962 in Bangalore, 1964 in Mumbai and the last is 20th Exhibition in Mumbai)

D. Exhibitions from 1970-2001

Nine National Philatelic Exhibition held since 1970 onwards which includes INPEX(6), CENTIPEX, MILLIPEX, EMPIREPEX. State level PEX also started later. Uttar Pradesh had held its first 8 days display in 1971 as UPPEX and Kerala State had 5 days display at Trivandrum in 1972 as KERAPEX. During 1972 Philatelic Society of India held a 5 days display in Bombay. Other states also started their display, like MAHAPEX, GUJUPEX, RAJPEX, BIPEX, ORPEX, TANAPEX and MAPPEX in 1973. KARNAPEX, APPEX, GOAPEX, then WEBPX, DAKIANA, NORPEX, NEPEX, KASHPEX, SIKKIMPEX, CGPEX etc, started in 1975. Later, India Post introduced District Level and Regional level PEX also. Other Philatelic Associations like SIPA and local Philatelic Clubs are also organizing the Philatelic display. During these exhibitions India Post had released various special covers with Special Postmarks and other Philatelic materials.

-- National Level Exhibitions

01. Indian National Philatelic Exhibition (1970, New Delhi)
First National Philatelic Exhibition’s Conducted in 1970 at New Delhi from 23d December 1970 to 6th January 1971 with 15 special covers with various cancellation pictured on monuments of Delhi.
02. Indian National Philatelic Exhibition (1975, Calcutta25th to 31st Dec 1975)
--logo not sited
03. Indian National Philatelic Exhibition (1977 Bangalore)
04. Indian National Philatelic Exhibition (1982 New Delhi)
05. Indian National Philatelic Exhibition (1986 Jaipur)
06. Indian National Philatelic Exhibition (1993, Calcutta)
07. CENTIPEX in 1997(centenary of Philatelic Society of India 1897 to 1997, held in Mumbai), Stamp issued
Two stamps on the Philately Society of India were issued
08. Millipex 2000 (held in Bhubaneshwar, the land of rising sun on the occasion of new millineum)

Two stamps were issued
09. EMPIREPEX-INPEX in 2001 held at Nashik
Four stamps were issued
10. Indian National Philatelic Exhibition (2002, Bhubaneshwar)
National Philately Exhibition was held at OUAT Convention Centre, Bhubaneshwar. Dates: 26th February 2003 to 3rd March 2003
The exhibition was organised by the Orissa Philatelic Association with the patronage of the Philatelic Congress of India only.

-- Exhibitions from 2002 onwards
After 2001, the first National level Philately Exhibition with support of India Post was INPEX 2013 at Mumbai World Trade Centre organised by PSI and with support of India Post on occasion of 115 years of PSI. In 2009, Stampmania, first one frame philately exhibition was held in Baroda organised by Baroda Philately Society and with support of Indian Post.

E. International Philately Exhibition (INDEPEX)
a. 1954 -- Stamp Centenary
b. 1973 --  NA
c. 1980 -- Post Card Centenary, 125th Anniversary of India Postage Stamp
d. 1989 -- NA
e. 1997 -- 50 Years of India Independence
h. 2011 -- Centenary First Airmail

Conclusion:
Indian Philately had a enthusiastic  journey of more than 125 years and wish a very wonderful future.

-       Swamynathan R. - email :  swamyxyz@yahoo.com

Specialized Section

MAGIC SQUARE IS MORE THAN A PUZZLE GAME (Pt II)











© Dr.Satyendra Kumar Agrawal

The magic square is a simple concept and one that has been around for thousands of years. Mathematicians, artists and mystics have long been fascinated by the mesmerising patterns that they produce.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN’S “Broken Diagonal” Magic Square
Some great mathematicians studied magic squares in the 18th and 19th  century – but the most notable aficionado wasFounding Father of United States, Benjamin Franklin; also athinker, politician, scientist, musician, statesman, author and an inventor who liked to spend his spare time constructing particularly innovative variations. In one evening in his 40s he composed a 16x16 square that he claimed was "the most magically magical of any magic square ever made by any magician".
The conventional magic square has n rows and n columns, and must include every number from 1 to n². So, the 3x3 has every number from one to nine and the 4x4 every number from one to 16. Also the rows, columns and diagonals add up to the same number.
In Franklin’s Magic square, if each number in the square is represented by a line of that length, then it follows that these line segments can be joined head to tail to form a larger line – and this line will have the same length whichever row, column or diagonal you choose.This invention of ‘broken diagonal’ made him, magic square legend.
The 8x8 square in the stamp is not strictly a magic square since the full diagonals do not add up to 260. But the rows, columns and broken diagonals – colour-coded in the stamp – do.


Benjamin Franklin’s “Broken Diagonal” Magic Square

Magic squares have a long history. At various times they have acquired magical or mythical significance, and have appeared as symbols in works of art. In modern times they have been generalized a number of ways, including using extra or different constraints, multiplying instead of adding cells, using alternate shapes or more than two dimensions, and replacing numbers with shapes and addition with geometric operations.
“GEOMAGIC SQUARE” – filled with Geometrical shapes not numbers 
Mathematicians, artists and mystics have long been fascinated by the mesmerising patterns that they produce. 
“Geomagic squares” are an entirely fresh way to appreciate the subtleties of magic squares, and provide beautiful geometric patterns, too. They are filled with geometrical shapes rather than numbers. Instead of every row, column and diagonal having to add up to the same number, the shapes in each row, column and diagonal had to fit together to create the same master-shape.
They were invented byBritish recreational mathematician Lee Sallows in 2001. He found 4,370 squares like this, consisting of the palominos from one to nine, and making the same target shape - many more than he expected.

Here depicted a 3x3 Geomagic square in the middle, and the squares around the periphery show how the polyominoes from the corresponding rows, columns and diagonals can be pieced together to form the same shape
CONSTRUCTION OF MAGIC SQUARES

Through the times several methods for constructing Magic Squares have been created depending on the class and Order.One of the most famous methods is named after Simon de la Loubere, a seventeenth century Frenchmathematician that learned it as ambassador to Siam now Thailand.

Simon de la Loubere
La Loubere method is one of the most popular methods to create Magic Squares of Odd Order. The main characteristic of this method consists in filling the Cells of the Diagonals in sequential order and moving upward and to the right. One starts with a 1 halfway along a side, as the stamp shows, and then progress diagonally (NE) with the rule that if you leave the square on the top, you reappear on the bottom, and if you leave the square on the right you reappear on the left. Each free square you reach you must write down the next number up, and if a square is not free, you place the new number on the square below it.


Loubere Magic Square

Method of Knight’s Tour

Method of Knight’s Tour is used to construct a Magic Square of Order 16 with a Closed Circuit or Reentrant published by the author Joseph S. Madachy, in 1979, in the book Madachy’s Mathematical Recreations.

This method consists, starting in an Initial Cell, to which the number 1 is attributed, to fill numeric and sequentially the Cells, from 1 to n², of a Square of Order n, using the characteristic movements of a Knight Jump, as in the Chess game. Once the Tour is established, between the Initial Starting Cell and the Final Arriving Cell, and if be possible to proceed it, i.e., to “jump” from the Final Arriving Cell to the Initial Starting Cell with a legal Knight movement, the Tour is said Closed or Reentrant and, in this case, the Initial Starting Cell can be anyone and the Rows, Columns, and Main Diagonals add up the same Magic Sum.


Magic Square of order 16 with aMagic Sum 2056 prepared using Knight Jump rule on the game of Chessa Most-Perfect Magic Square

Most-Perfect Magic Squares

It is a Pandiagonal Magic Square of Doubly-Even Order with additional two proprieties as depicted in the stamp below. It was published by Kathleen Timpson Ollerenshaw in her book “Most-Perfect Pan diagonal Magic Squares: Their Construction and Enumeration” in 1998 at the age of 85. She also published a paper in 1980 where she explained one of the first general methods for solving the Rubik Cube Puzzle.



Most-Perfect Magic Square of Order 8 with two additional properties

2(1 + n²) = 2(1 + 82) = 130examples: (59 + 38 + 7 + 26) = (48 + 33 + 18 + 31) = (41 + 4 + 32 + 53) include Wrap-Around = 130
And (1 + n2) = (1 + 82) = 65
Examples: (1 + 64) = (34 + 31) = (25 + 40) = (35 + 30) Broken Diagonal = 65

PATCHWORK Magic Squares
It is an Inlaid Magic Square that contains within it others Magic Squares of other shapes in which the Sum in each Direction is proportional to the number of Cells. The most common Shape is Magic Rectangle, but Diamond, Cross, Elbow and LShapes can also be found.

These Shapes are Magic if the Sum in each Direction is proportional to the number of Cells.UK born David M. Collison (1937-1991) is credited for its creation.





The Patchwork Magic Square of Order 14 containing  Four Magic Squares, 4 × 4, in the Quadrantsone Magic Cross, 6 × 6, in the Centrefour Magic Tees, 6 × 4, on the Centre Sidesand four Magic Elbows, 4 × 4, in the Corners.
All the Shapes sum to a Constant directly proportional to the number of Cells in a Row, Column or Diagonal
IXOHOXI Magic Squares
IXOHOXI Magic Squares are a special series that can not only show common properties like other Magic Squares and still include alternative properties as Symmetries, Rotations and Reflections.

IXOHOXI Universal 88 Magic Square

Two other types of Magic Squares are also available, as cachets and pictorial cancellation for two FDC’s of Macao 2014 and 2015 sets devoted to science and technology. These are John R. Hendricks’s “Inlaid Magic Squares” and “Yang Hui Magic Circles”. 




          “Inlaid Magic Squares”                        “Yang Hui Magic Circles”

“Tiling Schemes” and 12 “Dudeney Patterns” for Magic Squares are also depicted on margins of two Sheetlets issued in Macao 2014 and 2015 science and technology series.




                          “Tiling Schemes”                        12 “Dudeney Patterns”

Practical uses of Magic Squares

Magic squares may seem esoteric, but their cultural impact is evident whenever you open the newspaper or walk into a toy shop. The two most popular puzzles of recent years – Sudoku and the Rubik's Cube – are both consequences of a centuries-long preoccupation with them.
They have found many uses and applications in non-mathematical settings, for example in sporting fixture-lists, cryptography and biological experiments.
In 1782, Euler set the "36 Officers problem", a frivolous puzzle that led to much deep academic work and discoveries. Can you make a 6x6 Greco-Latin made up of six regiments of six officers each of different ranks so that no rank and regiment is repeated in any row or column? Only in 1901 was it proved that this was impossible.




Rubik's Cube
-      Dr Satyendra Kumar Agrawal : email : rosephila@hotmail.com


The Pony Express







-Col J Dutta & Dr Anjali Dutta

The Pony Express was a private mail service delivering messages, newspapers, mail, and small packages from St. Joseph, Missouri, across the Great Plains, over the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada to Sacramento, California, by horseback, using a series of relay stations.

Officially operating as the Leavenworth and Pike's Peak Express Company of 1859, in 1860 it became the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company. This firm was founded by William H. Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddell, all of whom were notable in the freighting business.



William H. Russell, Alexander Majors and William B. Waddell

During its 19 months of operation, it reduced the time for messages to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to about 10 days. From April 3, 1860 to October 1861, it became the West's most direct means of east–west communication before the telegraph was established and was vital for tying the new state of California with the rest of the United States.


Pony Express advertisement, Smithsonian National Postal Museum



Pony Express Postmark, 1860, westbound

The idea of a fast mail route to the Pacific coast was prompted largely by California's newfound prominence and its rapidly growing population. After gold was discovered there in 1848, thousands of prospectors, investors and businessmen made their way to California, at that time a new territory of the U.S.  By 1850, California entered the Union as a free state. By 1860, the population had grown to 380,000. The demand for a faster way to get mail and other communications to and from this westernmost state became even greater as the American Civil War approached.

In the late 1850s, William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William Waddell were the three founders of the Pony Express. They were already in the freighting and drayage business. At the peak of the operations, they employed 6,000 men, owned 75,000 oxen, thousands of wagons and warehouses plus a sawmill, a meat packing plant, a bank and an insurance company.

By utilizing a short route and using mounted riders rather than traditional stagecoaches, they proposed to establish a fast mail service between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, with letters delivered in 10 days, a duration many said was impossible. The initial price was set at $5 per 12 ounce (14 g), then $2.50, and by July 1861 to $1. The founders of the Pony Express hoped to win an exclusive government mail contract, but that did not come about.

Russell, Majors, and Waddell organized and put together the Pony Express in two months in the winter of 1860. The undertaking assembled 120 riders, 184 stations, 400 horses, and several hundred personnel during January and February 1861.
Alexander Majors was a religious man and resolved "by the help of God" to overcome all difficulties. He presented each rider with a special edition Bible and required this oath, which they were also required to sign.

Oath sworn by Pony Express Riders − "I, ..., do hereby swear, before the Great and Living God, that during my engagement, and while I am an employee of Russell, Majors, and Waddell, I will, under no circumstances, use profane language, that I will drink no intoxicating liquors, that I will not quarrel or fight with any other employee of the firm, and that in every respect I will conduct myself honestly, be faithful to my duties, and so direct all my acts as to win the confidence of my employers, so help me God."
The Pony Express demonstrated that a unified transcontinental system of communications could be established and operated year round. When replaced by the telegraph, the Pony Express quickly became romanticized and became part of the lore of the American West.  Many in our generation would have been familiar with the Pony Express comic books! Its reliance on the ability and endurance of individual young, hardy riders and fast horses was seen as evidence of rugged American individualism of the Frontier times.

From 1866 until 1889, the Pony Express logo was used by stagecoach and freight company Wells Fargo, which provided secure mail service. The United States Postal Service (USPS) used "Pony Express" as a trademark for postal services in the US. Freight Link international courier services, based in Russia, adopted the Pony Express trademark and a logo similar to that of the USPS.


In 1860, there were about 157 Pony Express stations that were about 10 miles (16 km) apart along the Pony Express route. This was roughly the distance a horse could travel at a gallop before tiring. At each station stop the express rider would change to a fresh horse, taking only the mail pouch called a mochila (from the Spanish for pouch or backpack) with him.

The employers stressed the importance of the pouch. They often said that, if it came to be, the horse and rider should perish before the mochila did. The mochila was thrown over the saddle and held in place by the weight of the rider sitting on it. Each corner had a cantina, or pocket. Bundles of mail were placed in these cantinas, which were padlocked for safety. The mochila could hold 20 pounds (9 kg) of mail along with the 20 pounds of material carried on the horse. Included in those 20 pounds were a water sack, a Bible, a horn for alerting the relay station master to prepare the next horse, and a revolver.  Eventually, everything except one revolver and a water sack was removed, allowing for a total of 165 pounds (75 kg) on the horse's back. Riders, who could not weigh over 125 pounds (57 kg), changed about every 75 –100 miles (120 –160 km), and rode day and night. In emergencies, a given rider might ride two stages back to back, over 20 hours on a quickly moving horse.

It is unknown if riders tried crossing the Sierra Nevada in winter, but they certainly crossed central Nevada. By 1860 there was a telegraph station in Carson City, Nevada. The riders received $100 a month as pay. A comparable wage for unskilled labor at the time was about $0.43–$1 per day.

Alexander Majors, one of the founders of the Pony Express, had acquired more than 400 horses for the project. He selected horses from around the west, paying an average of $200. These averaged about 1412 hands (4 feet 10 inches or 1.47 meters) high and averaged 900 pounds (410 kg) each; thus, the name pony was appropriate, even if not strictly correct in all cases.

The approximately 1,900-mile-long (3,100 km) route roughly followed the Oregon and California Trails to Fort Bridger in Wyoming, and then the Mormon Trail (known as the Hastings Cutoff) to Salt Lake City, Utah. From there it followed the Central Nevada Route to Carson City, Nevada before passing over the Sierra into Sacramento, California.

There were 184 stations along the long and arduous route used by the Pony Express. The stations and station keepers were essential to the successful, timely and smooth operation of the Pony Express mail system. The stations were often fashioned out of existing structures, several of them located in military forts, while others were built anew in remote areas where living conditions were very basic. The route was divided up into five divisions. To maintain the rigid schedule, 157 relay stations were located from 5 to 25 miles (8 to 40 km) apart as the terrain would allow for. At each swing station, riders would exchange their tired mounts for fresh ones, while ‘home stations’ provided room and board for the riders between runs. This technique allowed the mail to be whisked across the continent in record time. Each rider rode about 75 miles (120 km) per day.
The first Westbound Pony Express trip left St. Joseph on April 3, 1860 and arrived ten days later in San Francisco, California, on April 14. These letters were sent under cover from the East to St. Joseph, and never directly entered the U.S. mail system. Today there is only a single letter known to exist from the inaugural westbound trip from St. Joseph, Missouri to San Francisco, California.The mailing depicted below is on a pre-stamped (embossed) envelope, first issued by the U.S. Post Office in 1855, used five years later here.


The messenger delivering the mochila from New York and Washington, DC, missed a connection in Detroit and arrived in Hannibal, Missouri, two hours late. The railroad cleared the track and dispatched a special locomotive called Missouri with a one-car train to make the 206-mile (332 km) trek across the state in a record 4 hours 51 minutes, an average of 40 miles per hour (64 km/h). It arrived at Olive and 8th Street, a few blocks from the company's new headquarters in a hotel at Patee House at 12th and Penn Street and the company's nearby stables on Penn Street. The first pouch contained 49 letters, five private telegrams, and some papers for San Francisco and intermediate points.

The identity of the first westbound rider to depart St. Joseph has been disputed, but currently most historians have narrowed it down to either Johnny Fry or William Richardson.  Both Expressmen were hired at St. Joseph for A. E. Lewis' Division which ran from St. Joseph to Seneca, Kansas, a distance of 80 miles (130 km) which they covered at an average speed of 12 12 miles per hour (20 km/h), including all stops. Before the mail pouch was delivered to the first rider on April 3, 1860, time was taken out for ceremonies and several speeches. First, Mayor M. Jeff Thompson gave a brief speech on the significance of the event for St. Joseph; then William H. Russell and Alexander spoke.

Majors addressed the gala crowd about how the Pony Express was just a "precursor" to the construction of a transcontinental railroad.  At the conclusion of all the speeches, at approximately 7:15 p.m., Russell turned the mail pouch over to the first rider. A cannon fired, the large assembled crowd cheered, and the rider dashed to the landing at the foot of Jules Street where the ferry boat Denver, under a full head of steam, alerted by the signal cannon, waited to carry the horse and rider across the Missouri River to Elwood, Kansas Territory. The first horse-ridden leg of the Express was only about 12 mile (800 m) from the Express stables/railroad area to the Missouri River ferry at the foot of Jules Street.  (In later rides, the courier crossed the river without a horse and picked up his mount at a stable on the other side.)  Then, on April 12, the mail pouch reached Carson City, Nevada at 2:30 p.m. The riders raced over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, through Placerville, California and on to Sacramento.  The first westbound mochila delivered via the Pony Express reached its destination, San Francisco, on April 14, 1860 at 1:00 a.m.  Bringing with it was a letter of congratulations from President Buchanan to California Governor Downey along with other official government communications, newspapers from New York, Chicago, and St. Louis, and the St. Joseph Gazette, along with other important mail to banks and commercial houses in San Francisco.  In all, 85 pieces of mail were delivered on this first trip.  On April 9 at 6:45 p.m., the first rider from the east reached Salt Lake City, Utah.



As the Pony Express Mail service existed only briefly in 1860 and 1861 there are consequently very few surviving examples of Pony Express mail. Also, contributing to the scarcity of surviving Pony Express mail is that the cost to send a 12-ounce (14 g) letter was $5.00 at the beginning, (about $130.00 to today's standards). By the end period of the Pony Express, the price had dropped to $1.00 per 12 ounce but even that was considered expensive (equivalent to $26 in 2015) just to mail one letter. As this mail service was also a frontier enterprise, removed from the general population in the east, along with the largely unaffordable rates, there are consequently few pieces of surviving Pony Express mail in the hands of collectors and museums. There are only 250 known examples of Pony Express mail.




In 1860, riding for the Pony Express was difficult work − riders had to be tough and lightweight. A famous advertisement allegedly read:
Wanted:  Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over eighteen. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred.


The Pony Express had an estimated 80 riders who were traveling east or west along various points of the route at any given time. In addition, there were also about 400 other employees, including station keepers, stock tenders and route superintendents. Many young men applied for jobs with the Pony Express, all eager to face the dangers and the challenges that sometimes lay along the delivery route. Waddell and Majors could easily have hired them at a much lesser rate, but instead paid them a handsome sum for that time of one hundred dollars a month. Famous American author Mark Twain, who saw the Pony Express in action first hand, described the riders in his travel memoir Roughing It as: "... usually a little bit of a man". Though the riders were small, lightweight, generally teenage boys, their untarnished record proved them to be heroes of the American West for the much needed and dangerous service they provided for the nation.


"Billy" Richardson, Johnny Fry, Charles Cliff

James Randall is credited as the first eastbound rider from the San Francisco Alta telegraph office since he was on the steamship Antelope to go to Sacramento.  Mail for the Pony Express left San Francisco at 4:00 pm, carried by horse and rider to the waterfront, and then on by steamboat to Sacramento where it was picked up by the Pony Express rider. At 2:45 a.m., William (Sam) Hamilton was the first Pony Express rider to begin the journey from Sacramento. He rode all the way to Sportsman Hall Station where he gave his mochila filled with mail to Warren Upson. A California Registered Historical Landmark plaque at the site reads:

This was the site of Sportsman's Hall, also known as the Twelve-Mile House. The hotel was operated in the late 1850's and 1860's by John and James Blair. A stopping place for stages and teams of the Comstock, it became a relay station of the central overland Pony Express.  Here, at 7:40 a.m., April 4, 1860, Pony rider William (Sam) Hamilton, riding in from Placerville, handed the Express mail to Warren Upson who, two minutes later, sped on his way eastward.— Plaque at Sportsman Hall.


Pony Express Monument

Probably more than any other rider in the Pony Express, William Cody (better known as Buffalo Bill) epitomizes the legend and the folklore, be it fact or fiction, of the Pony Express. Numerous stories have been told of young Cody's adventures as a Pony Express rider. At the age of 15 Cody was on his way west to California when he met Pony Express agents along the way and signed on with the company.  Cody helped in the construction of several way-stations. Thereafter, he was employed as a rider and was given a short 45-mile (72 km) delivery run from the township of Julesburg which lay to the west. After some months he was transferred to Slade's Division in Wyoming where he made the longest non-stop ride from Red Buttes Station to Rocky Ridge Station and back when he found that his relief rider had been killed. The distance of 322 miles (518 km) over one of the most dangerous sections of the entire trail was completed in 21 hours and 40 minutes, and 21 horses were required to complete this section.  Cody was present for many significant chapters in early western history, including the gold rush, the building of the railroads and cattle herding on the Great Plains.  A career as a scout for the Army under General Phillip Sheridan following the Civil War earned him his nickname and established his notoriety as a frontiersman.


William Cody, aka Buffalo Bill and Frank E. Webner, Pony Express rider c. 1861
A number of riders did die while in the service of the Pony Express. Only four days after the first run on the Express trail was complete, an employee was killed after being crushed by his horse. In July, another rider died when thrown from his animal at a crossing of the Platte River. Still another lost his way in a December snowstorm and froze.
The Pony Express stations also made for easy targets during the Pyramid Lake War, a series of escalating conflicts with the Paiute that erupted around a raid of the Williams Station in Nevada. The military eventually stepped in to escort riders for a short period, but Russell, Waddell, and Majors lost more than $70,000 over the war.



Stolen Pony Express mail. Notation on cover reads "recovered from a mail stolen by the Indians in 1860" and bears a New York backstamp of May 3, 1862, the date when it was finally delivered in New York. Cover is also franked with U.S. Postage issue of 1857, Washington, 10c black

During its brief time in operation, the Pony Express delivered approximately 35,000 letters between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. Although the Pony Express proved that the central/northern mail route was viable, Russell, Majors and Waddell did not get the contract to deliver mail over the route.  The contract was instead awarded in March 1861 to Jeremy Dehut, who had taken over the southern Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Line favored by Congress.  The so-called 'Stagecoach King', Ben Holladay, acquired the Russell, Majors and Waddell stations for his stagecoaches.

The Pony Express grossed $90,000 and lost $200,000.  In 1866, after the Civil War was over, Holladay sold the Pony Express assets along with the remnants of the Butterfield Stage to Wells Fargo for $1.5 million.


The Mochila

In 1869 the United States Post Office issued the first U.S. Postage stamp to depict an actual historic event, and the subject that was chosen was the Pony Express.

Until then only the faces of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson were found on the face of U.S. Postage. Sometimes mistaken for an actual stamp used by the Pony Express, the 'Pony Express Stamp' issue was released in 1869 (8 years after the Pony Express service had ended) to honor the men who rode the long and sometimes dangerous journeys and to commemorate the service they provided for the nation. In 1940 and 1960 commemorative stamps were also issued for the 80th and 100th anniversaries of the Pony Express respectively.



Pony Express 100th anniversary, issue of 1960
References
1. Majors, Alexander & Cody, William (1873). The Pony Express: Bringing Mail to the American West. The Western Miner and Financier
2. Bradley, Glenn Danford (1913). The story of the Pony Express. A. C. McClurg & Co.
3. Godfrey, Anthony (1994). "Pony Express National Historic Trail Historic Resource Study". National Park Service.

 -      Col Jayanta Dutta & Dr Anjali Dutta - email : doctorjayanta2009@gmail.com


New issues from other Countries

Israel

18 November 2016 : Tourism in Jerusalem




"Everyone has a city, and its name is Jerusalem" wrote poet Natan Yonatan, reflecting the wide range of emotions that this magical city evokes in the hearts of billions of people around the world. For thousands of years this magical city has been at the center of existence for people of different religions and cultures who consider it to be the place where God chose to be revealed and where He will judge mankind at the end of time.




Pilgrims of all religions choose to come to Jerusalem to follow their religious sentiments, to see the places they admire and to walk in the footsteps of the saints who have molded the essence of their faith. Thus for example, Christian believers can walk the alleyways of the Old City along the traditional Via Dolorosa and touch the stones they believe to be holy.
Throughout history, representatives of many different empires ruled Jerusalem, leaving their mark upon the city by erecting magnificent buildings representing their own culture. The Ramparts Promenade, which runs along the top of the Old City walls and was built in the 16th century by Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, provides tourists with a wonderful viewpoint overlooking the roofs of the Old City interspersed with minarets atop mosques, church towers and domed synagogues.

From atop the walls, visitors can also see the new city of Jerusalem, which began to be built in the mid-19th century. During that tumultuous time, the European powers attempted to emphasize their presence in Jerusalem by erecting magnificent large buildings, which continue to adorn the streets of the city to this day. Tourists can stroll along Jaffa Road, one of the main streets of the city, or ride the light railway that was installed in recent years, gazing at buildings such as the Generali Building, which was constructed by representatives of Italy and features a winged lion, the symbol of the city of Venice.

In 1892 the first railway line in Eretz Israel was completed, running between Jerusalem and the Jaffa port. The First Train Station, built at that time, served the city for decades. A new train station was built in the late 20th century in the southern part of the city, and the old building was renovated. It now serves as a tourist attraction, providing visitors with a delightful combination of culinary art, culture and atmosphere on the old train platforms. Visitors can walk or bike along the old train route, which is now a well kept park.
The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo provides an enjoyable break from visiting historical sites. Here tourists can see animals mentioned in the Bible alongside rare and endangered species. Direct contact with the adorable animals in the petting zoo melts the hearts of the young as well as the young at heart.

The peak of the Mount of Olives provides enchanting views of the city of Jerusalem, including those mentioned above and many more. Its abundance of historical sites makes Jerusalem one of the most fascinating cities in the world. And in the words of poet Natan Yonatan, "Everyone has a place in Jerusalem that he calls love."

Malaysia

21 November 2016 : Places of worship




On 21st November, Post Malaysia launched “Places of Worship stamps” showcasing the well-known places of worship of various faiths in Malaysia.  five stamps depict the images of the Kapitan Keling Mosque in Penang, St Francis Xavier Church in Malacca, Sri Kandaswamy Kovil temple and Gurdwara Sahib Shapha in Kuala Lumpur, and Perak Cave Temple in Perak.
   

Promotional Section

Launch of "Philamart" the philatelic market place exclusively for Indian residents 





 We have launched “PHILAMART” the philatelic marketplace on 16th November, 2016. The site name is www.philamart.com  Our main aim is to create a reliable, trustworthy and exclusive marketplace for Philately in India. 

On this website anybody from India can buy or sell stamps. Payment gateway is also integrated for accepting the payments. Various categories are created for Indian Philately including thematic, literature and accessories. The search and advance search is available. 

PHILAMART app is available on Google Play. With the help of app all the features are available and accessible. Buy Now and Auction formats are available for listings.  As an inaugural offer listings are free till 31st December, 2016.

- Pratisad Neurgaonkar - Pune
 

Blogs & Websites

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
Numismatic & Philatelic Association of Vellore Fort  http://numismaticphilavellore.site40.net/index.htm
Philatelic Congress of India - http://www.philateliccongressofindia.com/
Philatelic Society of Rajasthan, Jaipur
Rajkot Philatelic Society – Rajkot, Gujarat
Gujarat Philatelic Association - Ahmedabad
South India Philatelists Association -  http://www.sipa.org.in/
The Army Philatelic Society, Pune
Acknowledgement

Ananthapuri Stamp Bulletin November 2016


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

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

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

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

Journal of the Army Philatelic Society : Editor – Col Jayanta Dutta

SIPA Bulletin http://www.sipa.org.in/

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.

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

Stamps Today  Stamp & Coin Magazine edited by Vijay Seth


Courtesy - News and Image Resource to this issue :    International Stamp News; Indian Philately Digest ,  Stamps of India ;  Prashant Pandya – Vadodara,  Madhukar Jhingan - New Delhi Suresh R – Bangalore, Dr Satish Sondhi, Esheeta Basu Roy- Kolkata,Kasinath R., Jagannath Mani- Bangalore, Sudhir Jain Satna (MP)


Address for communication:

Jeevan Jyoti,  c / o Mr. Ajay Srivastav Wildlife Institute of India, Post Box No. 18, Chandrabani, Dehradun – 248002. 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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Participated in different philatelic exhibitions Wrote for philately column in The Pioneer and worked as sub-editor for U-Phil Times published from United Philatelists, Kanpur.Did Schooling from Kanpur Vidya Mandir and Post Graduation in Botany from A.N.D. College Kanpur.

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