20th Death Anniversary of Lady Diana
Date of Issue : 31 August 2017
Dehradun September 2017 Vol. X No. 117
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 the editor: j.jyoti9@gmail.com
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Dear Reader
I am pleased to release September 2017 issue of Rainbow Stamp
News. The date of next National Philatelic Exhibition has been announced. 2017
National Philatelic Exhibition will be held from 30th November to 4th December
at World Trade Center, Mumbai. The exhibition is being organized by India Post
in collaboration with Philatelic Society of India. The prospectus and other
details of the exhibition are awaited. Once again the venue of the exhibition
is chosen at Mumbai. The place could have been changed and New Delhi was a
better option. In this national show, the philatelists from different parts of
the country will get together and interact with each other at a common
platform. This time something new is expected from the organizers.
It is observed that there are always few visitors at the
exhibition hall and most of the crowd could be seen at the stalls busy in
buying and selling philatelic items. If the part of main exhibition hall is
used for philatelic activities like public voting for exhibits of certain
classes of the exhibition, all five days discussion and analysis on exhibits,
Quiz and seminars etc, more gathering could be seen in the exhibition
hall. It is always quite disappointing to see very little presence of visitors
in the main exhibition hall. In fact any exhibition without visitors seems to
be of no value. It appears that people come and visit for business purpose. To
overcome this poor situation and draw a crowd of visitors from all walks of
life, the proper publicity of the exhibition through different media must be
done one or two months before the exhibition. A team of philatelist volunteers
should be present in exhibition hall during exhibition hours to guide the
visitors and explain them about important exhibits. These volunteers could be
selected on the basis of their specialized field like Traditional, Postal
History, Thematics, Maximaphily, Social Philately, Philatelic literature etc.
These specialized volunteers can better explain the exhibits to the visitors.
This will promote not only philately but create a lively philatelic environment
in the exhibition. In this way a common visitor can have a better view of the
exhibition as well as better understanding of philately and its pleasure. The
joy of a philatelic exhibition is doubled if explained by a philatelist. So the
organizers must do something innovative in this exhibition to make it successful
and full of visitors.
This is all for this month….More in next issue.
Happy Collecting!.
Contents
§ From the Desk of Naresh Agrawal
§ Recent Indian Issues
§ In The News
§ Doon Philatelic Diary
§ Beginners’ Section
§ Specialized Section
§ Reader’s Right
§ New Issues from Other Countries
§ Philatelic Clubs and Society
§ Blogs & Websites on Philately
§ Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletter
INDIA POST : A SERVICE OR A BUSINESS ORGANIZATION
There is still confusion as to whether India Post is a service organization or a business organization. Selling postal and philatelic products to the philatelists is appreciable but exploiting them can never be appreciated. It was expected that India Post will produce and sell such products even at subsidized price but the story is different. There are several reasons which clearly states the unsupportive nature of India Post. I may be wrong but what I could feel, I have quoted. To state one example here is the selling of some of the sheet lets issued in 2016 through e-post and not through counter/window or bureau. Some
of the sheet lets out of Sheet lets like Yoga,Rio Olympic, Indian Metal Crafts, Surya Namaskar and Orchids issued in year 2016 were sold at over 200% of its actual price through e-post only. It was expected by the department that the philatelists would bounce upon those and would pay any price. As I gathered from different sources that as many as 25000 nos. of sheet lets each were produced / issued and there was hardly a sale of about 15% through e-post and rest were preserved in the postal treasury of India post. That means crore of rupees were just blocked giving no revenue to India post and giving utmost dis-satisfaction to the philatelists. What a great policy of India Post !!
I have seen in the last few years the think tank of India Post has different ideologies /strategies. Earning revenue has become the sole motto. This is badly affecting the promotion of philately. Frankly speaking, many philatelists have started talking adverse about the India Post. I re-iterate, India Post is a service organization and not a business organization. I do understand privatization has brought in the spirit of competitiveness (but to give better and subsidized service) but there is no private organization which is authorized to produce postal / philatelic material and selling to help carriage / transmission of postal products/ information. Then at least philately comes out of the fold of competitiveness.
I request the think tank and the executive body of India Post to re-form their policies as for as philately is concerned. They should think differently looking in to the fact that philately is dying day by day. They are there to promote philately….develop philately….. appreciate philatelists. And this all can be done by two acts ..one by selling stamps and other philatelic products at lower price. And secondly by organizing stamp exhibitions at all levels. I do appreciate that there have been regular Distt level shows organized by the India post but very unsystematic manner without any concrete plan. One must see that there should be opportunity for every philatelist to participate in higher level show which he aspire to but who is to give this opportunity…the DOP.
Well, let me share with you the state of despair amongst the philatelists of Chhattisgarh State of India. The last state Level Exhibition was held in 2007. Over 10 years have passed. Yes, there have been several District Level Stamp shows but that’s the end of the journey of an aspiring philatelist. In the last meeting held in Bilaspur between Philatelists of Bilaspur and CPMG Chhattisgarh Circle, it was felt that DOP was not at all interested in organizing State Level Exhibition. I express my serious concern on this. They need to understand that Sate Level Show primarily gives a platform to those philatelists who participated in Distt Level Exhibitions. The state which has extensive potential and has good number of upcoming new stamp collectors and has dedicated National / International and World Level Philatelists; is so badly refrained from giving such platform. What does this indicate? Either there is lack of will or the policies of DOP are very negative as for as promotion of philately is concerned.
I understand such would be the scenario in some other states too. If it is true…I don’t see a good future for philatelists in India. PCI, our main body has also failed to check and work on this. It has just worked and acted to appoint jury and commissioners for exhibitions. But it has not worked at all to produce philatelists. It has failed to co-ordinate properly with DOP for promotion of philately. It is said that PCI is a federation then I don’t really understand the use of such federation. Philately can only survive if there is regular introduction of philatelists. Let’s think together and plan…… let’s plan and act……. Let’s act to promote philately
Well, continuing my above discussion I am also worried about the next National Level Philatelic Show. Like every time, this time again the delay in National Philatelic Exhibition has created a serious concern about the thinking of India Post for development of philately. No doubt several dedicated efforts are being done by the department to organize District and State Level exhibitions for last over four years i.e. after the Last National Level Exhibition held in Mumbai in collaboration with Philatelic Society Of India, Mumbai in the year 2013.But all these efforts were done in unplanned and unsystematic manner.
Well, why there is no eagerness shown by the department to organize National Level Philatelic Exhibition? We are not talking about International which certainly need to have more and long working beforehand. But National Level Show is our show. Department can certainly organize it every two year if so desired. The strong will can only make it happen. The pure National Level Show by the department was organized only in 2008-2009 in Chennai. What’s wrong? Expenditure…I think should not be a problem.
India Post, as we all understand is turning in to a business organization and is perhaps forgetting its motto “Service to the people”. Okay a famous business slogan is “ The more you spend, the more you earn”. I mean such high level shows give boost to philately. More and more philatelist come in to its fold…more and more philatelists are attracted… Thus philately is developed..promoted. This promotion then leads to more sale of philatelic products and involvement of more postal transactions and carriage.
As I gather there has been very good number of Distt Level Exhibitions and State Level Exhibitions organized by DOP apart from the private shows organized by different philatelic clubs and societies) after the last National Level Show In Mumbai in 2013. Philatelists are desperately looking forward towards the next show. New exhibits, new philatelists, new materials, application of new rules in exhibits.. meeting philatelic friends from all over India, to view all the important and attractive philatelic products under one roof at one time.. all are being awaited. It is genuinely high time that India Post should declare its next National Level Philatelic show with taking much time. This show should more number of frames so that more and more philatelists are allowed to participate. And one thing more, the venue should be New Delhi as it is central location and is easily accessible.
I conclude my discussion with all the best wishes to the philatelists in India to see changing mood and act of DOP to help philatelists in general by reducing the prices of philatelic products and also to organize State Level Shows in those states where it has not been help for years and to organize next long awaited National Level Philatelic Show.
-Naresh Agrawal Ph. 09425530514
email : nareshkumar1992@yahoo.co.in
Recent Indian Issue
9 August 2017 : 75 Years – 1942 Freedom Movement 8 x Rs5 + MS
15 August 2017 : Beautiful India -2 X Rs 15 + MS
15 August 2017 : Caves of Meghalaya – 2 X Rs 5 + MS
Recent Special Covers
1 August 2017 : Celebration of 94 years of Khadi Movement – Hudli
8 August 2017 : August Kranti Diwas - Bhubaneshwar
12 August 2017 : Chaturmas spiritual Service Function - Civic Centre - Bhilai
29 August 2017 : National Sports Day – Bangalore
The "National Sports Day (Rashtriya Khel Divas)" is observed every year across India on 29th August to mark the birth anniversary of one of the greatest sports legends - Hockey King Shri Dhyan Chand Singh (born on 29th August 1905 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh).
Officially known as 'Major Dhyan Chand' and often referred to as "The Hockey Wizard" for his incredible hockey skills and extraordinary goal-scoring feats, in addition to earning 3 Olympic gold medals for India in field hockey in 1928 (Amsterdam), 1932 (Los Angeles) and 1936 (Berlin).
This special cover was released to mark "National Sports Day 2017" & tribute to Major Dhyan Chand Singh (29th August 1905- 4th December 1979), legendary Indian hockey player & highly successful Indian hockey captain.
In The News
Bandung 2017 - WORLD STAMP EXHIBITION : Indian Winners
BANDUNG 2017 - Specialized WORLD STAMP EXHIBITION, under FIP Patronage was held in Trans Studio Convention Center, Bandung, INDONESIA from 3rd August to 7th August 2017. The following Indian participants won awards at Bandung 2017.
Heartiest Congratulations to all the winners
Sandeep Jaiswal's 8 frame Q.V. Postal Stationery collection won "Large Gold" with "Special Prize". The highest awarded exhibit in the Postal Stationery class at Bandung 2017.
Large Vermeil Medal
Pradip Jain's Mahatma Gandhi
Vermeil Medal
Shakil Ahmed's Femme Dishabelle
Anand Kakad's Birds of Pheasant Family
Large Silver Medal
N K Saboo's Portuguese India
Sanjay Kumar Jain's Live and Let Live
Raghav Jhunjhunwala's World of Cricket
Silver Bronze Medal
Bijoy Kumar Biswal's Australia Pre Decimal Issues
Anantharaman Srinivasan's The Humble Banana's Story
Source : Stamps of India
India, Canada to jointly issue postal stamps with Diwali as theme
A set of two commemorative postage stamps will be issued jointly by the Government of India and Canada on the theme of Indian festival Diwali. The Cabinet has informed about the issue of postage stamps jointly by India and Canada, which will be released on September 21, this year.
Postal departments of both the countries have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for this joint issue.Considering the large presence of Indian Diaspora in Canada, Diwali has been selected as the cultural theme for both the countries.
INPEX 2017 - National Stamp Exhibition
Philatelic Society of India announced national exhibition INPEX2017 to be held from 30th November to 4th December 2017 at world trade center, Mumbai.
FORTHCOMING INTERNATIONAL STAMP EXHIBITIONS UNDER FIP/FIAP
2018 May 27-31: Jerusalem, Israel, ISRAEL 2018 World Stamp Championship
2018 Aug 15-18: Prague, Czech Republic, PRAGA 2018 World Stamp Exhibition
2018 Sep 21-24: Macao, MACAO 2018 35th FIAP International Stamp Exhibition
2018 Dec: THAILAND 2018 World Stamp Exhibition
Best Europa stamp 2017 - Public Prize
Europe After a year without public prize for the Best Europa stamp, the on-line competition is back. You can vote till the 9th of September 2017 for your favorite Europa stamp 2017 ! For Voting please visit the following link :
Recent Stamp Exhibitions
BRASILIA -2017
Brasilia-2017 is a Specialized World Stamp Exhibition. The Exhibition will open on 24 October 2017 and close on 29 October 2017. Mr Ajay Kumar Mittal is the National Commissioner. email : ajaymittal1957@gmail.com
News from Philatelic Societies
Mr RD Matkar of Mumbai donated 100 gift packets containing about 6500 stamps to Thakur Shyamnarayan High School, Kandiwali, Mumbai. Other eminent philatelists who have contributed in this endeavour are Mrs Damyanti Pittie. Mr Suketu Jhaveri, Mr At Haji, Mr Tarifa Bamre, Mr Rajan Jayakarand Dr Avinash B. Jagtap
Doon Philatelic Club
President of Doon Philatelic Club, Shri PC Agrawal passed away on 31st August 2017. He was a very enthusiast philatelist, despite his old age and poor health condition; he attended the meetings of the club and shared experiences of his long philatelic journey. He had a wonderful collection of FDCs and old letters from several countries. Our heartfelt condolences. May his soul rest in peace....- Editor
Tributes
to Grand old philatelist of Dehradun…..
Shri
Prem Chand Agrawal of Dehradum, President of Doon Philatelic Society, Dehradun left
for his heavenly abode on 31st August 2017 leaving behind him a treasure of
love and respect for him. Though for last few months , he was not keeping well
but even at the age of around 90 years
he was far enthusiastic and
active. His will power had no match.
Mr.
P.C. Agrawal, was always found very affectionate, enthusiastic, full of energy,
young by heart and possessed a strong will power to do something new. He was immensely
creative, courageous, a photographic genius, ardent lover of art and music, a
hardcore Violin Player, had
zeal for social work and potential philatelic aspirant. He loved socializing, meeting
people and & to share his
experiences. Having a versatile personality, Mr Agrawal was a big inspiration for youngsters. In his
young age in 1958 he probably was the first man to go out for tough solo all India Journey on a motorcycle. As
president of Doon Philatelic Club, he took
the club to the heights where it is known all over now.
I
still remember the time I spent with
him and the interaction I had. I found
him eager to learn, a man always looking ahead, willing to live and love, and always ready to deliver. He was the man
who always moved ahead of his times. A philatelist who loved stamps rather than
just accumulating those. He showed me all his collections, discussed with me
his life journey in brief, shared with me his wonderful experiences which
opened new phases of his personalities for me.
In
short, I would say he was a treasure house of varied human personalities
and will always remain in our
hearts.
Though
he is physically not with us today but his memories will always keep us
motivating. I pray god to give peace to
his departed soul. & strength to all his family members to bear this irreparable loss.
- - Naresh
Agrawal, Bilaspur (CG)
Doon Philatelic Diary
Dehra Dun Clock Tower
Situated at the heart of the city, the clock tower of Dehra Dun is the city's identity. It is one of the important landmarks and thronged by thousands daily. It is located at a strategic point where Chakrata Road, Rajpur Road, Paltan Bazar Road and Haridwar Road meet. It is the centre of city commercial hub and major shopping complexes are at a stone throw distance from here.
Most of the architecturally rich structures were built by the efforts of the leading business families of Dehra Dun. The first Indian bank of the valley "Bhagwan Das Bank Ltd." was established by Seth Bhagwan Das. Seth Nemi Das was responsible for building the Jugminder Hall (Town Hall). Rai Bahadur Choudhary Sher Singh, Rai Bahadur Ugrasen and Barrister Darshan Lal are some of the prominent names of the Doon valley who immensely contributed in its development.
To commemorate India’s Independence Lala Sher Singh and Lala Anand Singh along with Dehra Dun Nagar Palika muted the idea of building a clock tower. The foundation stone of the clock tower was laid by the then Governor of Uttar Pradesh Smt. Sarojini Naidu on 2nd July 1948. Normally clock towers have four faces but this clock tower was unique in the sense that it was designed with six faces. It was completed in 1953 and was inaugurated by none other than Sh. Lal Bahadur Shastri.
The hexagonal structure of the clock tower imparts immense heritage value to it. It was called “Balbir Tower” after the name of one of the ancestor of Lala Sher Singh and Lala Anand Singh. To honour the freedom fighters of the Independence movement, names of various freedom fighters were inscribed on a golden plaque. The chime of the clock tower was audible at far-off distances. At present it is non-functional though several efforts were made in the past to repair it. It is one of the important landmark of Dehra Dun city and is standing tall with all its grandeur.
Moai
There is an Island where thousands of statues are standing buried up to the shoulders in deep meditation, looking always to heaven from thousands of years, but why , is still not known.
The statues, whose traditional name is "Moai," were carved from volcanic rock between A.D. 1100 and 1500 by ancient Polynesians living in Easter Island, a triangular-shaped, treeless, island in Chilean territory. They range in size, with the tallest reaching 33 feet (10 meters) and weigh over 82 tons. Some of the ‘Moai’ had either ‘crowns’ or ‘hats’ of red volcanic stone on them.
Although their significance is still somewhat of a mystery, the Moai are thought to have been representations of the indigenous peoples' ancestors. Tribe’s people would probably have carved a new statue each time an important tribal figure passed away. However, no written and little oral history exists on the island, so it’s impossible to be certain. The Moai are carved human figures with oversize heads, often resting on massive rock altars called Ahus. Ahu Tongariki has the largest group of upright Moai. Island is also home to some 400 statues, which appear in all stages of completion. About 150 statues buried up to the shoulders on the slope of a volcano, and these are the most famous, most beautiful and most photographed of all the Easter Island statues.
New images from the 2012 excavation of Easter Island’s iconic statues reveal the renowned heads are not only connected to giant bodies, but the bodies are covered in mysterious designs and symbols, which researchers have likened to tattoos.
These include crescents carved on the backs of the towering monoliths, which academics say represent the canoes of the Polynesians who made them.The completed version of tallest statue is 70 feet tall and weighs 270 tons. That's a heavy sculpture!
It is thought the bodies would have been originally displayed in all their glory but that centuries of exposure to the elements caused them to be buried under layers of silt until only the heads remained visible.
Specialized Section
The
US New Deal Era and Prexies of 1938
- Col J Dutta & Dr Anjali Dutta
In 1933, Franklin D.
Roosevelt became President. He was notable
not only as an avid collector in his own right (with a collection estimated at
around 1 million stamps), but also for taking an interest in the stamp issues
of the Department, working closely with Postmaster James Farley, the former Democratic Party Committee Chairman. Many designs of the 1930s were inspired or
altered according to Roosevelt's advice.
In 2009-10, the National Postal Museum exhibited six Roosevelt sketches that were developed into stamp issues: the 6-cent eagle airmail stamp and five miscellaneous commemoratives, which honoured the Byrd Antarctic
Expedition, the Mothers of America, Susan B. Anthony, Virginia Dare and the
Northwest Territories' rise to statehood. A steady stream of commemoratives appeared
during these years, including a striking 1934 issue of ten stamps presenting
iconic vistas of ten National Parks − a set that has remained widely beloved. [There is a memorable sequence in Philip
Roth's novel The Plot Against
America where the young protagonist dreams that his National Parks stamps, the
pride and joy of his collection, have become disfigured with swastika
overprints.] Choosing an orange colour
for the 2¢ Grand Canyon tableau instead of the standard 2¢ carmine red, the US Post
Office departed from UPU colour-coding for the first time.
1934 issue of ten National Parks
With a philatelist in the White House, the Post Office
catered to collectors as never before, issuing seven separate souvenir sheets
between 1933 and 1937. In one case, a collectors' series had to be produced as
the result of a miscalculation. Around
1935, Postmaster Farley removed sheets of the National Parks set from stock
before they had been gummed or perforated, giving these and unfinished examples
of ten other issues to President Roosevelt and Interior Secretary Harold Ickes (also a philatelist)
as curiosities for their collections.
President
Franklin Roosevelt viewing his stamp album
When people came to know of this there was a public outcry. Some accused
Farley of a corrupt scheme to enrich Roosevelt and Ickes by creating valuable
rarities for them at taxpayer expense. Stamp
aficionados, in turn, demanded that these curiosities be sold to the public so
that ordinary collectors could acquire them, and Farley duly issued them in
bulk. This series of special printings
soon became known as "Farley's Follies."
Postmaster General James A. Farley
An
example of Farley's Follies and the same perforated
As the decade progressed, the purples used for 3¢ issues,
although still ostensibly conforming to the traditional purple, displayed an
increasingly wide variety of hues, and one 1940 issue, a 3¢ stamp commemorating
the Pony Express, dispensed with purple entirely, appearing in a rust-brown
earth tone more suitable to the image of a horse and rider departing from a
western rural post office.
In 1933 President Roosevelt put forward the idea of a set of stamps honouring all
the deceased past presidents of the United States. On June 22, 1937, the Treasury
Department announced a national design competition for a
new regular series of postage stamps, with a submission deadline of September
15, 1937, offering prizes of $500, $300 and $200 for the three top entrants. The panel of judges included philatelic
specialists and art experts. Several eliminations took place for the more than
eleven hundred submitted designs, and the remaining entries were scored on a
graduating scale. From these the first
prize went to Elaine Rawlinson of New York City, the second to
Charles Bauer of West Orange, New Jersey, third to
Edwin Hoyt Austin of Delmar, New York. The winning
design is reported to not have been voted in first place by any of the judges.
Her design
for the 1-cent stamp showed Washington in profile, modeled after a bust by the
famous sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon, and became
the template for the new definitive series issued in 1938 known as "Prexies" for short.
1 cent Washington
Some entrants submitted multiple designs, among
them JS Stevenson, an employee of the American Banknote Company (two
designs) and Thomas F Morris, Jr, son of the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing's first chief of the engraving division
(four designs).
The series featured all 29 US presidents
through Calvin
Coolidge, each of whom appeared in profile as a
small bust. Values of 50¢ and lower were
mono-colored; while on the $1, $2, and $5 stamps the presidents' images were
printed in black on white, surrounded by colored lettering and ornamentation. Up through the 22¢ Cleveland stamp, the
denomination assigned to each president corresponds to his position in the
presidential roster: thus the first
president, Washington, is on the 1¢ value, the seventeenth, Andrew Johnson, is
on the 17¢ value, etc. Additional stamps
depict Franklin (½¢), Martha Washington (1½¢),
and the White House (4½¢). Many of the values were included merely to
place the presidents in proper numerical order and did not necessarily
correspond to a postal rate; and one of the (difficult) games for Prexie
collectors is to find a cover with, for instance, a single 16¢ stamp that pays
a combination of rate and fees valid during the Prexies' period of usage. Many such covers remain to be discovered. Some sellers on eBay have
been surprised to discover an ordinary-seeming cover bid up to several hundred
dollars because it was one of the sought-after solo usages. The Presidential issue remained in
distribution for many years. Not until
1954 did the Post Office begin replacing its values with the stamps of a new definitive issue,
the Liberty series.
The models for the engravings used in the printing of the
various issues were obtained from a number of different sources, from paintings
to sculptures to bronze statues, all reproduced in a relatively uniform
intaglio style on steel dies. The
overall stamp design incorporates a solid background of color. On the values up
to 50-cents, the name of each subject appears in capital letters to the right
of the bust, with the years of his presidential tenure beneath it (no dates are
provided for the non-presidents Franklin and Martha Washington). On
denominations from 10-cents through 19-cents a single-line border is added,
while a double-line border surrounds the values between 20 and 50 cents. The 1, 2 and 5-dollar values have their own
design which places colored columns and stars on either side of the
black-and-white presidential portrait, and displays the president's name and
the dates of his tenure beneath his image.
Presidential issue of 1938
Andrew Jackson, model for
engraving, Kinney-Scholz bronze statue, in U.S. Capitol and Abraham Lincoln
from portrait taken from a bust of Lincoln by sculptor Sarah Fisher Ames
Chester A. Arthur from a marble
bust by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Warren G. Harding from an engraving modeled after a medal struck by George Morgan of the
US Mint
On January 20, 1939, nine values were issued in coil form, consisting of
all low values from 1¢ to 6¢, and the 10¢, all perforated 10 vertically. On January 27, the four values from 1¢ to 3¢
were also issued in vertical coil form, perforated 10 horizontally; and that
same day, booklets offering the 1¢, 2¢ and 3¢ denominations went on sale,
perforated 11 x 10 1⁄2.
1939 The 7 coil stamps perforated 10 vertically
1939 The coil stamps perforated 10 horizontally
20 January 1939 The 1½ c
coil stamp on FDC
-Col Jayanta Dutta & Dr Anjali Dutta : email : doctorjayanta2009@gmail.com
… and the 14thPresident
of India is …
-ILYAS PATEL
India
achieved independence from the British on 15th August 1947, initially as a
Dominion within the Commonwealth of Nations with George VI as king, represented
in the country by a governor-general. Still, following this, the Constituent
Assembly of India, under the leadership of Dr.B.R.Ambedkar, undertook the
process of drafting a completely new constitution for the country. The Constitution
of India was eventually enacted on 26th November 1949 and came into force on
26th January 1950, making India a republic.The offices of monarch and
governor-general were replaced by the new office of President of India, with
Rajendra Prasad as the first incumbent.
The
constitution of the Republic of India (Articles 53, 74(2), 79 & 111) gave
the President the responsibility and authority to defend and protect the
constitution of India and its rule of law. Invariably, any action taken by the
executive or legislature entities of the constitution shall become law only
after President's assent. The president shall not accept any actions of the
executive or legislature which are unconstitutional. The president is the
foremost, most empowered and prompt defender of the constitution (article 60),
who has pre-emptive power for ensuring constitutionality in the actions of the
executive or legislature. The role of the judiciary in upholding the
constitution of India is the second line of defence in nullifying any
unconstitutional actions of the executive and legislative entities of the
Indian Union.
The
President of the Republic of India is the Head of state of India and the
Commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces.The President is indirectly
elected by the people through elected members of both the houses of the
Parliament of India, the Legislative Assemblies of all the states of India and
the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory of Puducherry, as well as the
Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi and serves for
a renewable term of five years. The oath of the President is taken in the
presence of the Chief Justice of India, and in his/her absence, by the most
senior judge of the Supreme Court of India.
Although
the Article 53 of the Constitution of India states that the President can
exercise his powers directly or by subordinate authority, with few exceptions,
all of the executive authority vested in the President are, in practice,
exercised by the Prime Ministerwith the help of the Council of Ministers.
Powers
and duties
Duty
The
primary duty of the President is to preserve, protect and defend the
constitution and the law of India as made part of his oath. The President is
the common head of all independent constitutional entities. All his actions,
recommendations and supervisory powers over the executive and legislative
entities of India shall be used in accordance to uphold the constitution. There
is no bar on the actions of the President to contest in the court of law.
Legislative
powers
Legislative
power is constitutionally vested by the Parliament of India of which the
President is the head, to facilitate the law making process as per the
constitution. The President of the Republic summons both the Houses (The House
of the People and 'The Council of States') of the Parliament and prorogues
them. He can dissolve the LokSabha.The President inaugurates Parliament by
addressing it after the general elections and also at the beginning of the
first session every year. The Presidential address on these occasions is
generally meant to outline the new policies of the government.
All bills
passed by the Parliament can become laws only after receiving the assent of the
President. After a bill is presented to him, the President shall declare either
that he assents to the Bill, or that he withholds his assent from it. As a
third option, he can return a bill to Parliament, if it is not a money bill,
for reconsideration.
Executive
powers
The
executive power of the country is vested in the President and is exercised by
President either directly or through officers subordinate to him in accordance
with the Constitution. When parliament thinks fit it may accord additional
executive powers to the presidentwhich may be further delegated by the president
to the governors of states. Union cabinet with Prime Minister as its head,
should aid and advice the President in performing his functions.
Judicial
powers
The
primary duty of the President is to preserve, protect and defend the
constitution and the law of India. The President appoints the Chief Justice of
the Union Judiciary and other judges on the advice of the Chief Justice. He
dismisses the judges if and only if the two Houses of the Parliament pass
resolutions to that effect by a two-thirds majority of the members present.
Appointment
powers
The
President appoints, as Prime Minister, the person most likely to command the
support of the majority in the LokSabha (usually the leader of the majority
party or coalition). The President then appoints the other members of the
Council of Ministers, distributing portfolios to them on the advice of the
Prime Minister.The Council of Ministers remains in power at the 'pleasure' of
the President.
The
President appoints 12 members of the RajyaSabha from amongst persons who have
special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as
literature, science, art and social service.Governors of States are also
appointed by the President who shall work at the pleasure of the President. Per
Article 156, President is empowered to dismiss a governor who has violated the
constitution in his acts.
The
President is responsible for making a wide variety of appointments. These
include:
• The Chief Justice, other judges of
the Supreme Court and High Courts of India
• The Chief Minister of the National
capital territory of Delhi (Article 239 AA 5 of the constitution)
• The Attorney General
• The Comptroller and Auditor General
• The Chief Election Commissioner and
other Election Commissioners
• The Chairman and other Members of the
Union Public Service Commission
• Vice-Chancellor of the central
university and academic staff of the central university through his nominee
• Ambassadors and High Commissioners to
other countries (only through the list of names given by the Prime Minister)
Financial
powers
• A money bill can be introduced in the
Parliament only with the President’s recommendation.
• The President lays the Annual
Financial Statement, i.e. the Union budget, before the Parliament.
• The President can take advances out
of the Contingency Fund of India to meet unforeseen expenses.
• The President constitutes a Finance
commission after every five years to recommend the distribution of the taxes
between the centre and the States.
Diplomatic
powers
All
international treaties and agreements are negotiated and concluded on behalf of
the President.However, in practice, such negotiations are usually carried out
by the Prime Minister along with his Cabinet (especially the Foreign Minister).
Military
powers
The President
is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. The President can declare
war or conclude peace, on the advice of the Union Council of Ministers headed
by the Prime Minister.
Pardoning
powers
As
mentioned in Article 72 of the Indian Constitution, the President is empowered
with the powers to grant pardons in the following situations:
• Punishment is for an offence against
Union Law
• Punishment is by a Military Court
• Sentence is that of death
The
decisions involving pardoning and other rights by the President are independent
of the opinion of the Prime Minister or the Lok Sabha majority. In most cases,
however, the President exercises his executive powers on the advice of the
Prime Minister and the cabinet.
Emergency
powers
The
President can declare three types of emergencies: national, state and
financial.
National
emergency
A
national emergency can be declared in the whole of India or a part of its
territory for causes of war or armed rebellion or an external aggression. Such
an emergency was declared in India in 1962 (Indo-China war), 1971
(Indo-Pakistan war), and 1975 to 1977 (declared by Indira Gandhi).
State
emergency
If the
President is fully satisfied, on the basis of the report of the Governor of the
concerned state or from other sources that the governance in a state cannot be
carried out according to the provisions in the Constitution, he can proclaim
under Article 356 a state of emergency in the state. Such an emergency must be
approved by the Parliament within a period of 2 months.A State Emergency can be
imposed via the following:
1. By Article 356 – If that state failed
to run constitutionally, i.e. constitutional machinery has failed[33]:159
2. By Article 365 – If that state is not
working according to the direction of the Union Government issued per the
provisions of the constitution.
This type
of emergency needs the approval of the parliament within 2 months. It can last
up to a maximum of three years via extensions after each 6-month period.
However, after one year it can be extended only if
1. A state of National Emergency has been
declared in the country or in the particular state.
2. The Election Commission finds it
difficult to organise an election in that state.
Financial
emergency
Article
282 accords financial autonomy in spending the financial resources available
with the states for public purpose. Article 293 gives liberty to states to
borrow without any limit to its ability for its requirements within the
territory of India without any consent from the union government. However union
government can insist for compliance of its loan terms when a state has
outstanding loan charged to the consolidated fund of India or an outstanding
loan in respect of which a guarantee has been given by the Government of India
under the liability of consolidated fund of India.Under article 360 of the
constitution, President can proclaim a financial emergency when the financial
stability or credit of the nation or of any part of its territory is
threatened.
Selection
process
Eligibility
The
Constitution sets the principle qualifications one must meet to be eligible to
the office of the President. A President must be; a citizen of India, of 35
years of age or above and qualified to become a member of the LokSabha. A
person shall not be eligible for election as President if he holds any office
of profit under the Government of India or the Government of any State or under
any local or other authority subject to the control of any of the said
Governments.Certain office-holders, however, are permitted to stand as
Presidential candidates. These are:
• The current Vice-President
• The Governor of any state
• A Minister of the Union or of any
state (including Prime Minister and Chief Ministers).
Time of
Election
Article
56(1) of the Constitution provides that the President shall hold office for a
term of five years from the date on which he enters upon his office. According
to Article 62, an election to fill a vacancy caused by the expiration of the
term of office of President shall be completed before the expiration of the
term.
Conditions
for the Presidency
Certain
conditions, per Article 59 of the Constitution, debar an otherwise eligible
citizen from contesting the presidential elections. The conditions are:
• The President shall not be a member
of either House of Parliament or of a House of the Legislature of any State,
and if a member of either House of Parliament or of a House of the Legislature
of any State be elected President, he shall be deemed to have vacated his seat
in that House on the date on which he enters upon his office as President.
• The President shall not hold any
other office of profit.
• The President shall be entitled
without payment of rent to the use of his official residences and shall be also
entitled to such emoluments, allowances and privileges as may be determined by
Parliament by law and until provision in that behalf is so made, such
emoluments, allowances and privileges as are specified in the Second Schedule.
• The emoluments and allowances of the
President shall not be diminished during his term of office.
Election
process
Whenever
the office becomes vacant, the new President is chosen by an electoral college
consisting of the elected members of both houses of Parliament (M.P.s), the
elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies(VidhanSabha) of all States
and the elected members of the legislative assemblies (M.L.A.s) of two Union
Territories (i.e., National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi and Union
Territory of Puducherry). The election process of President is more extensive
process than Prime Minister who is also elected indirectly (not elected by
people directly) by the LokSabha members only. Whereas President being
constitutional head with duties to protect, defend and preserve the
constitution and rule of law in a constitutional democracy with constitutional
supremacy, is elected in an extensive manner by the members of Lok Sabha,
RajyaSabha and state legislative assemblies in a secret ballot
procedure.Although Indian presidential elections involve actual voting by MPs
and MLAs, they tend to vote for the candidate supported by their respective
parties.
Oath or
affirmation
The
President is required to make and subscribe in the presence of the Chief
Justice of India (or in his absence, the senior-most Judge of the Supreme
Court), an oath or affirmation that he/she shall protect, preserve and defend
the Constitution.
Presidents
of India
The
President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India. The
President is also the Commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Although
the president is vested such powers by the Constitution of India, the position
is largely a ceremonial role and the executive powers are de facto exercised by
the Prime Minister. The post of President is known in Hindi as Rashtrapati, a
Sanskrit neologism meaning "lord of the realm".
There
have been 13 presidents of India since the introduction of the post in 1950(the
current tenure is 5 years of an Indian President). Apart from these thirteen,
three acting presidents have also been in office for short periods of time.
Varahagiri Venkata Giri became Acting President of India in 1969 following the
death of Zakir Hussain, who died in office. Giri was elected President a few
months later. He remains the only person to have held office both as a
president and acting president. The President may remain in office for a tenure
of five years. In the case where a president's term of office is terminated
early or during the absence of the president, the vice president assumes
office. Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India, is the only person to
have held office for two terms.
Seven
presidents have been members of a political party before being elected. Six of
these were active party members of the Indian National Congress. The Janata Party
has had one member, NeelamSanjiva Reddy, who later became president. Two
presidents, ZakirHussain and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, have died in office. Their
vice-presidents functioned as acting president until a new president was
elected. Following ZakirHussain's death, two acting presidents held office
until the new president, V. V. Giri, was elected. VarahagiriVenkataGiri
himself, ZakirHussain's vice president, was the first acting president. When
Giri resigned to take part in the presidential elections, he was succeeded by
Mohammad Hidayatullah as acting president.[5] The past President Pranab
Mukherjee was elected on 25 July 2012. Mukherjee held various posts in the
cabinet ministry for the Government of India such as Finance Minister, Foreign
Minister, Defense Minister and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission.
Prior to PranabMukharjee, PratibhaPatil, was in office till 25 July 2012.She
was elected as the 12th President of India in 2007 to become the first woman to
serve as President of India.
Presidents
of India till date
This list
kept here below is numbered based on Presidents elected after winning an Indian
Presidential election. The terms of Varahagiri Venkata Giri, Mohammad
Hidayatullah, and Basappa Danappa Jatti, who have functioned as acting presidents,
are therefore not numbered. The President of India does not represent any
political party.
President's Bodyguard
The President's Bodyguard (PBG) is an elite
household cavalry regiment of the Indian Army. It is senior-most in the order
of precedence of the units of the Indian Army. The primary role of the
President's Bodyguard is to escort and protect the President of India which is
why the regiment is based in the RashtrapatiBhavan in New Delhi, India. It is
equipped as a mounted unit, with horses for ceremonies at the presidential
palace and BTR-80 vehicles for use in combat. The personnel of the regiment are
also trained as paratroopers and nominally are expected to lead in airborne
assaults in the role of pathfinders. The regiment is the successor of the
Governor General's Bodyguard of the British Raj.
History
President's Bodyguard (PBG) is the oldest surviving
mounted unit and the senior most regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised by
Governor-General Warren Hastings in September 1773. Hastings handpicked 50
troopers from the Moghal Horse, a unit which was raised in 1760 by local
sirdars. In the same year, the Raja Cheyt Singh of Benares provided another 50
troopers that took the strength of the unit to 100. The first commander of the
unit was Captain Sweeny Toone, an officer of the East India Company, who had
Lieutenant Samuel Black as his subaltern.
Name
The name of the regiment has changed throughout its
history:
Present status
In 2003, the President's Bodyguard had an
establishment of 7 officers, 15 NCOs, and 140 enlisted men, for a total
strength of 180 men. Throughout its history, the Bodyguard has varied in size
from 50 men when first raised, to 1929 men in 1845. However, it was usually
around squadron size, or about 130 men.By tradition, the CO has always been of
Brigadier or Colonel rank. He is assisted by Majors, Captains, Risaldars and
Daffadars.Soldiers hold the ranks of Sowar or Naik.
Rashtrapati Bhavan
The RashtrapatiBhavan (Presidential Residence),
formerly known as Viceroy's House, is the official home of the President of
India, located at the Western end of Rajpath in New Delhi, India. It may refer
to only the mansion (the 2 room main building) that has the president's
official residence, halls, guest rooms and offices; it may also refer to the
entire 130-hectare (320 acre) President Estate that additionally includes huge
presidential gardens (Mughal Gardens), large open spaces, residences of
bodyguards and staff, stables, other offices and utilities within its perimeter
walls. In terms of area, it is one of the largest residences of a head of state
in the world.
History
This decision to build a residence in New Delhi for
the British Viceroy was taken after it was decided during the Delhi Durbar in
December 1911 that the capital of India would be relocated from Calcutta to
Delhi. When the plan for a new city, New Delhi, adjacent to end south of Old
Delhi, was developed after the Delhi Durbar, the new palace for the Viceroy of
India was given an enormous size and prominent position. About 4,000 acres of
land was acquired to begin the construction of Viceroy's House, as it was
officially called, and adjacent Secretariat Building between 1911 and 1916 by
relocating Raisina and Malcha villages that existed there and their 300
families under the Land & Acquisition Act.The British architect Edwin
Landseer Lutyens, a major member of the city-planning process, was given the
primary architectural responsibility. On 26 January 1950, when Rajendra Prasad
became the first President of India and occupied this building, it was renamed
as RashtrapatiBhavan – the President's House.
Architecture designs
Consisting of four floors and 340 rooms, with a
floor area of 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2), it was built using 700 million
bricks and 3,000,000 cu ft (85,000 m3) of stone with little steel.
The design of the building fell into the time
period of the Edwardian Baroque, a time at which emphasis was placed on the use
of heavy classical motifs in order to emphasise power and imperial authority.
The design process of the mansion was long, complicated and politically charged
and after much political debate Lutyens conceded to incorporating local
indo-Saracenic motifs, albeit in a rather superficial decorational form on the
skin of the building. Various Indian designs were added to the building. These
included several circular stone basins on top of the building, as water features
are an important part of Indian architecture. There was also a traditional
Indian chujja or chhajja, which occupied the place of a frieze in classical
architecture; it was a sharp, thin, protruding element which extended 8 feet
(2.4 m) from the building, and created deep shadows. It blocks harsh sunlight
from the windows and also shields the windows from heavy rain during the
monsoon season. On the roofline were several chuttris, which helped to break up
the flatness of the roofline not covered by the dome. Lutyens appropriated some
Indian designs, but used them sparingly and effectively throughout the
building. There were also statues of elephants and fountain sculptures of
cobras in the gar of the retaining walls, as well as the bas-reliefs around the
base of the Jaipur Column, made by British sculptor, Charles SargeantJagger.
The column has a "distinctly peculiar crown on top, a glass star springing
out of bronze lotus blossom".
There were grilles made from red sandstone, called
jalis or jaalis.These jalis were inspired by Rajasthani design. Lutyens
established ateliers in Delhi and Lahore to employ local craftsmen. The chief
engineer of the project was Sir Teja Singh Malik, and four main contractors
included Sir Sobha Singh.
The Viceregal Lodge was completed largely by 1929,
and (along with the rest of New Delhi) inaugurated officially in 1931.
Interestingly, the building took seventeen years to complete and eighteen years
later India became independent. After Indian independence in 1947, the now
ceremonial Governor-General continued to live there, being succeeded by the
President in 1950 when India became a republic and the house was renamed
"RashtrapatiBhavan".
Lutyens stated that the dome is inspired by the
Pantheon of Rome. There is also the presence of Mughal and European colonial
architectural elements. Overall the structure is distinctly different from
other contemporary British Colonial symbols. It has 355 decorated rooms and a
floor area of 19,000 m². The structure includes 700 million bricks and 85,000
m³ of stone, with only minimal usage of steel.
Layout plan
The layout plan of the building is designed around
a massive square with multiple courtyards and open inner areas within. The plan
called for two wings; one for the Viceroy and residents and another for guests.
The residence wing is a separate four-storey house in itself, with its own
court areas within. This wing was so large that the last Indian
governor-general, Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, opted to live in the smaller
guest wing, a tradition followed by subsequent presidents. The original
residence wing is now used primarily for state receptions and as a guest wing
for visiting heads of state.
Halls and rooms
RashtrapatiBhavan has many halls which are used for
state functions and other purposes. Two of them, Durbar Hall and Ashoka Hall,
are the most prominent.
Durbar Hall is situated directly under the
double-dome of the main building. Known as the “Throne Room” before
independence, it had two separate thrones for the Viceroy and Vicereine. Durbar
Hall has a capacity of 500 people and it is here in this building that
JawaharLal Nehru took the oath of office of Prime Minister of Independent India
from Lord Mountbatten at 8.30 am on 15 August 1947.
Ashoka Hall is a rectangular room of 32×20 m and
the most beautiful of all the halls. It was originally built as a state
ballroom with wooden flooring. The Persian painting on its ceiling depicts a
royal hunting expedition led by King Fateh Ali Shah of Persia. The walls have
fresco paintings.
Dome
The dome, in the middle, reflects both Indian and
British styles. In the centre is a tall copper dome, surmounting a drum, which
stands out from the rest of the building. The dome is exactly in the middle of
the diagonals between the four corners of the building. The dome is more than
twice the height of the building itself.
The height of the dome was increased by Lord
Hardinge in the plan of the building in 1913. The dome combines classical and
Indian styles.
Other features
Water features are present throughout the mansion,
such as near the Viceroy's stairs, which has eight marble lion statues spilling
water into six basins. These lions were symbolic of the heraldry of Great
Britain. There is also an open area in one room to the sky, which lets in much
of the natural light.
Mughal Gardens
The Mughal Gardens are situated at the back of the
RashtrapatiBhavan, incorporate both Mughal and English landscaping styles and
feature a great variety of flowers. The RashtrapatiBhavan gardens are open to
the public in February every year.
Udyanotsav
The Mughal Gardens opens for general public viewing
in February–March every year during Udyanotsav.
Museum
In July 2014, a museum inside RashtrapatiBhavan was
inaugurated by President of India Pranab Mukherjee. The museum helps visitors
to get an inside view of the RashtrapatiBhavan, its art, architecture and get
educated about lives of past presidents.
President Fleet Review
The Hon’ble President of India being the Supreme
Commander of the Armed Forces, once in his/her term, reviews the Indian Naval
(IN) Fleet as part of the ‘President’s Fleet Review’ (PFR). This review aims at
assuring the country of the Indian Navy’s preparedness, high moral and
discipline.
Many leading nations of the world use the opportunity
provided by the Fleet Review to enhance mutual trust and confidence with their
maritime neighbours and partners by inviting their ships to participate in the
review. Normally called ‘International Fleet Review’ (IFR), this event then
provides the host nation an occasion to display its own naval prowess and the
bridges of friendship and trust it has built with other maritime nations. The
first IFR was conducted in January 2001, off Mumbai with participation from 29
countries. This earned the country widespread appreciation and goodwill.
Acknowledgments: This philatelic article is prepared using information
available at following web sites;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidents_of_India,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_India
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President%27s_Bodyguard
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashtrapati_Bhavan
https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/content/international-fleet-review-2016-1
The author thankfully acknowledges all sources of information. The 2011 Special cover Rashtrapati Bhavan Centenary Year is gracefully gifted by Anil Choksi of Ahmedabad.
In great philatelic memory of Dr Satyendra Kumar Agrawal, I am
re-publishing some of his best articles every month this year. Those who were
closely associated with Dr Agrawal may also share their memories in this column.- Editor
POSTS, you never dreamed of……
Can
you ever dreamed off welcoming your little relative from abroad with a mailing
tag around her neck, delivered by a postman at your doorstep? This happened in
USA in 1914 when a postman in a railway post office discovered that, being a
small four-year-old girl named May
Pierstorff living in Grangeville and wanted to visit her grandparents in
Lewiston, sending her as "parcel post" by the pound, would be cheaper
than buying a ticket on the train. She was pinned the fifty-three cents in
postage in her coat and put in the baggage car, under the care of the postal
clerk. Though it was customary to leave packages in the post office overnight,
when May arrived in Lewiston, the postmaster took her to her grandmother
immediately.
Girl child to
be posted
This
event alerted The US Post Office Department and on June 13, 1920 it issued new rules,
announcing that children would no longer be accepted as a parcel post. Still
two more incidence of booking of a baby to the
husband who had left her and the body of a child who had died of natural
causes come in light when it was mailed to an undertaker in Albany, New York.
It arrived on November 20, 1922, and carried no 'return address'. She was
buried '...through the kindness of individuals' under the apt name of 'Parcella
Post.'
Even
mailing of a young man also published in early 19th century when to
save him from slavery, Henry “Box” Brown, mailed himself to freedom on March
29, 1849 with the help of a storekeeper in Louisa County, Virginia. He packed
himself into a crate that was 3’x 2’x 2.6’ and labeled “This Side up with
Care,” to be sent to the home of Philadelphia abolitionist James Miller McKim.
Henry “Box”
Brown in a crate- ready to be mailed
With
only a small container of water he journeyed for 27 hours loaded onto a wagon, then to the baggage car
of a train, then another wagon, then a steamboat, then another wagon, then a
second baggage car, then a ferry, then a third railroad car, and finally a
wagon that delivered him to McKim’s house. When the box was opened, Brown stood
up, and passed out.
Chrissie
Maclean writes in his book ‘'The Stornoway I Knew Memories from 1930s to
1950s', published by Stornoway Historical Society that ‘During the war ... Some
unusual parcels went through the mail then. Often a customer would come in with
a large dead hen, complete with feathers, its legs tied with string to which
was attached the address label. These hens were destined for mainland
relatives.’
One
more interesting story related to delivery of unusual item by post born in1916
when construction of historical building of The Bank of Vernal (or Parcel Post
Bank) started by WH Coltharp. He wanted
to use textured bricks to give a modern style to the facades. Since those
bricks were manufactured in Salt Lake City the delivery cost was enormous,
amounting to four times the cost of the material.
Coltharp
managed to send those bricks by USPS, through the standard mail delivery
system: bricks were packaged in 50 pound parcels (7 bricks each), and sent by
lots of 40 packages per day. The total amount exceeded 80,000 bricks.
Again
US Postal Regulations were changed to avoid further exploiting of the service,
and a limitation of 200 pounds per day per receiver was introduced. The United
States Postmaster General Albert Sidney Burleson explicitly stated in a letter
that "it is not the intent of the United States Postal Service that
buildings be shipped through the mail".
The
United States had a special rate for "live bees, baby alligators &
chicks." Occasionally ladybugs were also sent by mail.
Instruction
Label
In
December, 1954, the postmaster in Orlando, Florida, received a chameleon posted
from Fostoria Ohio with request to let him deliver some where in the ground as
in Orlando was too cold for his chameleon to live. He also requested for
acknowledgement of its safe arrival which was done happily by the postmaster in
following words “I received your chameleon yesterday and he was immediately
released on the post office grounds. Best wishes for a merry Christmas!”
But
can you imagine in your postbox a field post envelope made of birch bark or
letter written on a leaf attached to it a 7k commemorative the international
post charges for a post card from Yalta, Crimea in the USSR to New York?
Apparently the item caused some consternation in Crimea as it received the
postage-due oval and the manuscript "T". Both have been subsequently
erased
Field post
envelope made of birch bark
Posted in
July 1928 from Yalta, Crimea in the USSR to New York.
Hundreds
of coconuts were also sent back to U.K. Pacific Ocean, via the mail system.
Many tourists paint a tropical island scene on one side, put the address and
stamps on the other and off they would go.
Examples
of booking of many more strange articles with stamps pasted directly on the
booked item with address written on them also exist. Strangely reports of their
safe delivery to the recipients were also recorded.
Globe
Tobacco Pipe, Crockery and Spectacle
Mask
Toys
Ball
Bone Human Mask Glass bottle Gramophone Record
Delivery
of a biscuit that was sent to an American student away at college in the early
20th century - not wrapped or packaged in anyway, simply a biscuit with postage
and address somehow affixed was also reported in a magazine. It is said that the biscuit was being
preserved in the University's archives.
And
what would be a great surprise for the receiver and a matter of pride for the
postman who got the opportunity to deliver a rose bud to others Valentine sent
per post attached to a card that was
tied to the stem with address and stamps on it. It has taken three days to get
delivered but rose bud was still gracing the stem. What an efficient US postal
system is.
And
what will you do with the wine filled bottle received as an FDC? Not a dream
but it happened for an “Australian Folklore” series of 1983 , consisting a set of five setanent stamps issued to
commemorate the 107th Anniversary of Birth of C. J. Dennis, who wrote numerous
verses, one of which was the Sentimental Bloke, popularized in films, stage
plays, musicals, records, and radio & TV programs and depicted on these
stamps .Along with regular FDCs, in Auburn,
Australia, the birth place of Dennis,
540 bottles of 1976 vintage port wine were also used for FDCs on which
this set of se-tenant strip of five
stamps were pasted on the obverse and cancelled with the pictorial postmark of
Denis with a Tobacco pipe in his mouth on 7 September 1983 .
Se-tenant stamps of five pasted on a 1976 vintage
port wine bottle with First Day
pictorial cancel of Dennis.(Sorry, bottle is missing)
Reader’s Right
GST and its implications on Philately and philatelists /
collectors /dealers
I am a senior citizen and having been collecting stamps for past
few decades. In recent times especially since around 2013 I observe that the
popularity of this Hobby has been on a steep decline for several reasons.
However the remaining Philatelists have been bravely and desperately clinging
to their beloved Hobby which has given them countless hours of happiness and
have found it a worthwhile occupation as well as rewarding in terms of
financial returns on their collections and investments in spite of dealers
selling at a futuristic premium and buying at discouraging discounts.
Since the advent of the internet since around 2002 the collector had for the
first time a direct access to other collectors / buyers in India and abroad, on
platforms such as the Ebay, Delcampe etc.and hoped that the collector base
would finally get larger.
However, since the promulgation of the GST Act and Rules 2017,
there has been a tremendous amount of confusion and the once simple process of
selling on the internet is now made an almost impractical and onerous
task , with the ecommerce operators required to insist on GST
registration number from all sellers and deduct TCS from them @ 1% of total
value of their annual sales and remit to the Government. Over and above this
additional deduction, is their listing fees, transaction charges etc besides
the packing , shipping charges and delivery to shipper, costs to the
collector/seller. To make matters worse the seller at the time of GST
registration is( as I understand )required to declare value of his entire stock
held by him and declare its value and remit GST on it at 5% and/or 12%
depending on whether the philatelic item falls under HSN code number 4907 or
9704/6 ( which are confusing as in their description both say they apply to
postage and revenue stamps used and unused!!) The GST remitted by the
seller on his stock valuation (based on face value or latest catalog value??)
is to recovered by him after charging the prescribed GST charges on each and
every item sold , as Input tax credit and remit the balance to the Govt. It is
unimaginable to do this exercise for the single mint stamps for
which the selling price may be as low as Rs.10/50/100 etc. Over and above this
he is required to maintain each and every invoice and efile the same in 3 or
more GSTR Forms as prescribed every week/month. It appears that this GST Act
will extinguish the transaction sale and exchange and thereby punish and
become the last nail in the coffin of surviving Philatelists and dealers
who have so far managed to survive the unprecedented fall in demand and
price of philatelic items both in India and abroad as confirmed by latest
Indian and International Catalogs.
Through this email I am requesting you to kindly prevail
on the most influential and knowledgeable Philatelists/ Societies to
request/persuade the Finance Ministry that this mandatory registration
for selling through ecommerce operators/platform be immediately
exempted/cancelled and the GST currently prescribed at 5%/12% on sale /exchange
of all Philatelic items be abolished and all Philatelic items be included in
the NIL GST Schedule with immediate effect .
I am sure the Philatelic community at large would be eternally
grateful if the above can be achieved .
-S.A.Bhaskar
Suggestions for Upgradation
of Philatelic Bureau , Jaipur
-
Rajesh
Paharia
Philatelic Bureaus are face of Philately and Philatelic
activities done by India Posts , hence it should incorporate all factors and
facilities which truly represent Indian Philately and alternatively should be
well equipped to increase presentability , utility, reputation and business of
Indian Philately.
Though there are lots of Long term activities which are
related with Policies , Man Power and Fund allocation but I have observed and
limited my suggestion keeping in view of its implementation at Circle specially
local level that too confined to Philatelic Bureau and its available and
possible resources. The key suggestions are as follows :
1.Heritage value through Old Post Boxes Display : Old
Post Boxes relates directly relates to our rich Postal heritage hence old
British and Jaipur State Post Boxes should be displayed on proper platform with
small description about them.
2.Museum Lighting
The Lights should not be in display boxes which release
heat and spoil items. They should be on ceiling
3. A small Post office Heritage model with counter for
all visitors to buy stamp/ stationery , cancel on their own and post letters
there itself .
4 .Air-conditioning
5. RO Water Dispenser
6. Smart Screen showing Regular available Philatelic
Material. It can also used for workshops and showing short films on philately
to visitors specially students.
7. Re-writing available display of Philatelic Bureau with
addition of more stamps and information
8.Inviting 12 Philatelists every year for 1 month display
of their collection. The invitation may be based on collections which are
highly awarded or which are relevant to dates and Month. For Example inviting a
Gandhi Collection in October or Jawaharlal Nehru in November.
9.Purchasing New Books for Library. Suggestions for new
books may be taken from Reputed Senior Philatelists and Philatelic Society.
10.Recognising Active Philatelists and School
Representatives for their efforts at least once a year . This will require
small function with memento , refreshment and back up seating arrangement of at
least 40-50 pax.
11.Signages around
GPO indicating location of Philatelic Bureau
12.Keeping database of Schools with contact person to
regularly invite and involve them in making MY Stamps , seeing monthly Stamp
Displays of bureau , Post office Visits to see the working etc.
13.Distribute free Stamp Information Sheet free to all
Schools of Jaipur
14.Send information of New Stamp Release to Media and
News Papers
15.Review again after approval and budget allocation.
16.Philatelic Themed complimentary items for Press and
School Representatives
17.Printing and distributing Brochure publicising Postal
Museum & Bureau at all Hotels and Tourist Information Bureau
18.Ramp at entrance gate
Gibraltar
31
August 2017 : Diana
From
her engagement to the Prince of Wales in 1981 until her death in 1997, Diana
was a major presence on the world stage, often described as the “world’s most
photographed woman”. She was noted for her compassion, style, charisma, and
high-profile charity work, as well as her difficult marriage to the Prince of
Wales. Paul Burrell, who worked as a butler for the Princess, remembered her as
a “deep thinker” capable of “introspective analysis”. She was often described
as a devoted mother to her children, who are influenced by her personality and
manner of life. In the early years, Diana was often noted for her shy nature,
as well as her shrewdness, funny character, and smartness. Those who had
communicated with her closely describe her as a person who was led by her
heart.
Diana
was widely known for her encounters with sick and dying patients, the poor and
unwanted whom she used to comfort, an action that earned her more popularity.
She was mindful of people’s thoughts and feelings, and later revealed her wish
of becoming a beloved figure among the people by saying in her 1995 interview
that “[She’d] like to be a queen of people’s hearts, in people’s hearts”.
According to the biographer Tina Brown, she could charm the people with a
single glance.
“Diana was the very essence of compassion, of
duty, of style, of beauty. All over the world she was a symbol of selfless
humanity. All over the world, a standard bearer for the rights of the truly
downtrodden, a very British girl who transcended nationality. Someone with a
natural nobility who was classless and who proved in the last year that she needed
no royal title to continue to generate her particular brand of magic”.
Switzerland
31
August 2017 : 150 Years of Tubli Letters
Swiss
Post have issued a single stamp and miniature sheet on 31st August
2017 marking the 150th anniversary of the nation’s first pre-franked postal
envelopes, known as ‘Tübli letters’.
The
miniature sheet shows the Zweisimmen first day cover in the background, one of
the few remaining pieces from the official first day. It displays all four
values of the first issue in a fan arrangement.The 85c value stamp shows
10-centime value of the Zweisimmen letter cancelled on the issue date. A detail
of the address written with a quill sends the observer on a journey back in
time to the 19th century.
‘Tübli
letters’ were federal postal system envelopes pre-franked with a printed stamp
and were first issued by Geneva Post Office on 1 July 1867, although covers
were sold and cancelled before this date.
’United
Nations
3
August 2017: 2017 World Heritage - UNESCO Along the Silk Roads
The
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks
to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and
natural heritage around the world that are of outstanding value to humanity.
This is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention concerning
the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in
1972.
The
Silk Roads were an interconnected web of routes linking the ancient societies
of Asia, the Subcontinent, Central Asia, Western Asia and the Near East, and
contributed to the development of many of the world’s great civilizations. The
routes served principally to transfer raw materials, foodstuffs and luxury
goods. However, these vast networks carried more than just merchandise and
precious commodities. The constant movement of people, merchants and goods
along these routes also brought about the transmission of and exchange of
knowledge, ideas, cultures and beliefs, which had a profound impact on the
history and civilizations of the Eurasian peoples. The Silk Roads were listed
as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 2014.
$0.49
Longmen Grottoes, China
The
grottoes and niches of Longmen contain the largest and most impressive
collection of Chinese art of the late Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties. These
works, entirely devoted to the Buddhist religion, represent the high point of
Chinese stone carving. The Longmen Grottoes are situated on both sides of the
Yi River to the south of the ancient capital of Luoyang, Henan province. They
comprise more than 2,300 caves and niches carved into the steep limestone
cliffs over a 1 km stretch. The earliest caves to be carved in the late fifth
and early sixth centuries include Guyangdong and the Three Binyang Caves, all
containing large Buddha figures. Yaofangdong Cave contains 140 inscription
recording treatments for various diseases and illnesses. Work on the sculpture
in this cave continued over a 150-year period, illustrating changes in artistic
style. The site was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2000.
$1.15
Sulaiman-Too Sacred Mountain, Kyrgyzstan
Sulaiman-Too
Mountain in Kyrgyzstan dominates the surrounding landscape of the Fergana
Valley and forms the backdrop to the city of Osh. In medieval times Osh was one
of the largest cities of the fertile Fergana Valley at the crossroads of
important routes on the Central Asian Silk Roads system. For more than one and
a half millennia, Sulaiman was a beacon for travellers and was revered as a
sacred mountain. Its five peaks and slopes contain a large assembly of ancient
cult places and caves with petroglyphs, all interconnected with a network of
ancient paths, as well as later mosques. The site is believed to represent the
most complete example of a sacred mountain anywhere in Central Asia, worshipped
over several millennia. It was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2009.
CHF
1,00 Historic Centre of Bukhara, Uzbekistan
The
Historic Centre of Bukhara, situated on the Silk Roads, is more than 2,000
years old. It is the most complete example of a medieval city in Central Asia,
with an urban fabric that has remained largely intact. Monuments of particular
interest include the famous tomb of Ismail Samani, a masterpiece of
tenth-century Muslim architecture, and a large number of seventeenth-century
madrasas. Bukhara was long an important economic and cultural centre in Central
Asia. The ancient Persian city served as a major centre of Islamic culture for
many centuries and became a major cultural centre of the Caliphate in the eighth
century. The real importance of Bukhara lies not in its individual buildings
but rather in its overall townscape, demonstrating the consistently high level
of urban planning and architecture that began with the Sheibanid dynasty. It
was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 1993.
CHF
1,50 Kunya-Urgench, Turkmenistan
Kunya-Urgench
is situated in north-western Turkmenistan, on the left bank of the Amu Darya
River. Urgench was the capital of the Khorezm region, part of the Achaemenid
Empire. The old town contains a series of monuments mainly from the eleventh to
sixteenth centuries, including a mosque, the gates of a caravanserai,
fortresses, mausoleums and a 60-m minaret. The monuments testify to outstanding
achievements in architecture and craftsmanship whose influence reached Iran and
Afghanistan, and later the architecture of the Mogul Empire of
sixteenth-century India. It was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2005.
€
0,80 Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex, Iran (Islamic Republic Of)
Tabriz
has been a place of cultural exchange since antiquity, and its historic bazaar
complex is one of the most important commercial centres on the Silk Road.
Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex consists of a series of interconnected covered
brick structures, buildings and enclosed spaces for different functions. Tabriz
and its bazaar were already prosperous and famous in the thirteenth century,
when the town, in the province of Eastern Azerbaijan, became the capital city
of the Safavid kingdom. The city lost its status as capital in the sixteenth
century but remained important as a commercial hub until the end of the
eighteenth century, with the expansion of Ottoman power. It is one of the most
complete examples of the traditional commercial and cultural system of Iran.It
was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2010.
€
1,70 City of Safranbolu, Turkey
The
City of Safranbolu is a typical Ottoman city that played a key role in the
caravan trade over many centuries. The settlement developed as a trading centre
after the Turkish conquest in the eleventh century, and by the thirteenth
century it had become an important caravan station. From the thirteenth century
to the advent of the railway in the early twentieth century, Safranbolu
continued to be an important point on the main east–west trade route. The Old
Mosque, Old Bath and Süleyman Pasha Medrese were built in 1322. During its
apogee in the seventeenth century, Safranbolu’s architecture influenced urban
development throughout much of the Ottoman Empire. It was inscribed on the
World Heritage list in 1994.
Acknowledgement
Ananthapuri Stamp Bulletin September 2017
from Ananthapuri Philatelic Association
Blogs
& Websites
Philatelic Clubs & Societies
Ananthapuri Philatelic Association, Thiruvanthapuram
Chandigarh Philatelic Club
Deccan Philatelic Society – Pune, Maharashtra
Ludhiana Philatelic Club
Numismatic &
Philatelic Association of Vellore Fort http://numismaticphilavellore.site40.net/index.htm
Philatelic Society of Rajasthan, Jaipur
Rajkot Philatelic Society – Rajkot, Gujarat
Gujarat Philatelic Association - Ahmedabad
The Army Philatelic Society, Pune
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