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

Friday, December 4, 2020

Rainbow December 2020

 


Merry Christmas

Date of Issue : 30 October 2020

Santa conducting a festive carol-singing choir of island birds. Accompanying the carol-singing choir is an enthusiastic band of percussionists, led by Rudolph playing his Malaysian kompang.


 This is Christmas time !



Dehradun December 2020  Vol. XIII  Issue No. 156

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

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 happy to release December 2020 issue of Rainbow Stamp News. With this issue Rainbow completes 13 years of successful publication without a break and now enters into the 14th year. Thanks to all its esteemed Readers and Contributors for their contribution over the years. The year 2020 was poorly affected with Pandemic of COVID -19  and the situation is still quite bad all over the world. This issue expresses its gratitude through a special philatelic column to all first line Corona warriors who are continuously working and giving their services to fight this pandemic. The festive time of Christmas is  coming  ….find some very special Christmas stamps in this issue and Have a great time ! Stay Safe and Healthy !

This is all for this month.  More in the next issue…   

Happy Collecting ! Merry Christmas !

                             

Contents

§  From the Desk of Naresh Agrawal

§  Recent Indian Issues

§  In The News

 

§  Thematic Watch

 

§  Philately Promoter of the Month 

§  Beginners’ Section

§  Specialized Section

§  New Issues from Other Countries

§  Philatelic Library

§  Philatelic Clubs and Society

§  Blogs & Websites on Philately

§  Current Philatelic Magazines & Newsletters

 


                                           

 LET VIRTUAL EXHIBITING BE FULLY VIRTUAL


Philatelic practices are changing fast as new fields in philately are being explored, new  ways of exhibiting are being  introduced and insisted upon for implementation, new type of material are being included in exhibits and are appreciated.  Yes, philately is changing its direction and practices. The latest one  is the introduction and  implementation of  Virtual Exhibiting. There have been a successful conduct of a few  Virtual Philatelic Exhibitions in the recent past as an outcome of COVID 19 as physical  exhibiting was not possible. Yes, this kept the momentum of philately  moving. Rather during this period philately actually prospered.

It is really pleasing to see that  the Digital Exhibitions held during last few months have been quite successful as in these exhibitions the physical exhibits said to have been displayed digitally. We all witnessed very high quality exhibits  with ease sitting at home with no time constraints and also with the facility of zooming in and out. That’s the way we all visited these virtual shows. No doubt the best way to exhibit and to watch the exhibits.

Well, every competitive exhibition is studded with the spirit of competitiveness amongst the philatelists to get best of the award. Jury of course is the key body to decide on the quality and standard of the exhibit within set rules and regulations  applied for that particular exhibition and to  give suitable award.  These virtual exhibitions were supposed to display the scans of physical exhibits of any participant or say competitor. And most of the participant  or exhibitors followed this rule too. But, it is a matter of great displeasure that a few of the exhibitors displayed digitally prepared exhibition sheets or some material which in fact was either not available with them physically or had not been put on sheets physically. That means that was a total virtual exhibit. No scans of physical exhibiting. Further, computer operations skills and software like Coral Draw, Photoshop etc. could help giving  different look to the exhibit which otherwise could not be obtained with scans of physical exhibits. Such exhibits certainly got appreciation from jury reflected through higher awards given to them.

Is it not injustice with many? Is it  genuine and acceptable  practice? Should it be allowed in competitive exhibitions? I am disappointed to say that  such exhibits were allowed in the shows  though the matter had been  brought in to the notice of Jury as well as organizers. May be  it is the beginning of such exhibiting as well as adjudging. But according to me, this is detrimental to the development of philately. There is of course a group of philatelists who does not bother and appreciate such exhibiting but I don’t. Digital exhibiting  should purely and totally be display of actual scans of physical exhibit  sheets and not even a single stamp pasted / included digitally.

One must appreciate that there are every chances of fraudulent display or display of fake material or the material which the exhibitor does not possess physically. This should not be encouraged. Let this be checked and stopped at this beginning stage. May I suggest one thing ,if philatelists love digital images let the exhibit be fully digital. No physical exhibit. Let every stamp, every material, every text be digital means copied digitally from different sites, places and  fixed on digital sheets and displayed. No need  to go for physical accumulation, collection and preparation of physical exhibits. This is cheaper also. No fraud……nothing wrong. Believe me this will also be a nice practice. Purely, Totally and completely digitalization of philatelic exhibiting. Let’s not think about  from where the images are to be copied but the only concern is digital display. Or else, it should be  pure scans of physical exhibits.

But if the rules of virtual exhibition state the display of pure scans of physical exhibits then it must be followed strictly. The rule should be that if any exhibitor is found violating the rule; he or she should be debarred.. rather panelized for not allowing participation in future exhibitions for stipulated period.

Finally, I would  re-iterate that either there should be full Virtual exhibition with nothing physical or it be Physical -Virtual exhibition with scans of the physical exhibit displayed. There is nothing bad in full virtual exhibition. This will certainly help promotion of philately as even this will call for search, research, preparation of exhibits, refine skill of the exhibitor etc. Let’s see what the big philatelic  federations like FIP, FIAP  think upon it. This is true that sooner or later, the way digital exhibiting is coming up, some new set of rules and regulations are bound to be formed but very carefully.

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

 

Recent Indian Issues




4 December 2020 : Shri I.K. Gujaral (Former Prime Minister of India ) – Rs 5

24 October 2020 : 75 Years of United Nations- Rs 5

 

My stamp



Customized My Stamp on Lucknow University Centenary Celebration was released by the Prime Minister on 25 November 2020.


New Special Covers



20 November 2020 : Valley of Words : The Savoy, Mussoorie 

25 November 2020 : 100 Years of Lucknow University Centennial Celebrations, Lucknow

26 November 2020 : 70th Anniversary – Constitution Day, Bangalore

26 November 2020 : Train Carried Special Cover

3 December 2020 : Anantapur Sub Post Office





New Maximum cards issued by India Post (Goa Region, Maharashtra Circle)





In The News


Crypto Stamps by UNPA



In December 2018, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres launched a first-time ever Strategy on New Technologies for the United Nations. The goal of this initiative is to define how the United Nations system will support the use of new technologies like artificial intelligence, biotechnology, block chain, and robotics to accelerate the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and to facilitate their alignment with the values enshrined in the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the norms and standards of international law.

The Secretary-General identified five guiding principles to support this strategy:

Protect and promote global values.

Foster inclusion and transparency.

Work in partnership.

Build on existing capabilities and mandates.

Be humble and continue to learn.





In line with this new strategy, the United Nations Postal Administration is excited to announce the launch of its first time ever UN Crypto Stamps. The Stamps were developed in conjunction with the United Nations Office of Information and Communications Technology and run on Ethereum Blockchain. Three mini-sheets of one stamp each in the denominations of US$ 7.75, CHF 8,00 and € 7,00 will be issued on 24 November 2020.

EUROPA 2021 Theme

The theme for Europa 2021 stamps is endangered National Wildlife. Swedish Post will issue above stamp on 14 January 2021.



Winners of National Level Dhai Akhar Letter Writing Campaign conducted in 2019-20 on the theme : "Dear Bapu You are  Immortal "








lnland Letter Card (Above 18 Years)



NEPEX 2021

NE Postal Circle with association of our Society is organising the first virtual regional level philatelic exhibition, NEPEX 2021. The tentative event date is January 15-18 and is open to competitive classes for all collectors of North East Circle (doesn't include Assam) and members of NEPS only. I will list out our members who need to renew their annual membership shortly and advice everyone to start with their exhibits for the event.

Chandigarh philatelist in 'India Book of Records' for Postage Stamp Art


The name of Chandigarh philatelist, Mr. Vipan Kumar Thakur has been included in INDIA BOOK OF RECORDS for ‘Maximum Portraits made using Postage Stamps’. He has made 50 portraits on A4 size sheets, using Postage Stamps of different countries like India, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Denmark and England etc. This type of artwork is known as ‘Postage Stamp Art’. Many people follow it. 



 Postage Stamp Art


First of all image is decided and then it is drawn on one sheet of A4 size. For example, if one wants to prepare a portrait depicting a Cat, then it is drawn on a sheet and we cut its outlining. It becomes a stencil of Cat image. We draw from this stencil, image of Cat on another sheet of paper. On this sheet Postage stamps are pasted using very light gum covering/hiding the whole image of Cat. After that on the sheet first sheet is pasted and a beautiful image of Cat appears on joining these two sheets.

He also runs a blog namely ‘simplephilatelicclub.blogspot.com’ and have posted few of portraits under the label ‘Postage Stamp Art’.

Mr Vipan Kumar Thakur  may be contacted at email: philavpnthakur@rediffmail.com  Ph . 9530715151


Champion Book of World Records

Mr Hardik Bhammar from Balangir, Odisha enters Champion Book of World Records with his record claims The  Largest Collection of Butterfly related items ( Butterfly Moths) numbering 3968, It includes Postage Stamps, Postal Covers, Coins and Paper Money, Match Box and Labels, Cigar Brands, Tea Cards etc.


Exhibitions - COVID 19/ CORONA Updates

Due to the state of emergency everywhere, the following news may be noted :
News for Exhibitions as on 9th May 2020.

1. London 2020 - Postponed to 19 - 26 February 2022

2. Taipei 2020 ( now Taipei 2021) - Postponed to 4 to 8 June, 2021


3. Bulgaria 2020 - Cancelled

5. New Zealand 2020 - Cancelled

6. UAE 2020, Dubai - Cancelled

7. The PHILANIPPON 2021, a FIP World Stamp Championship Exhibition with about 2,000 frames, is scheduled to be held in Yokohama, Japan during 25 to 30 August 2021. It will include the FIP World Stamp Championship Class, Traditional, Postal History, Postal Stationery, Aerophilately, Thematic, Youth, Modern (1980 to date), One Frame, Open and Literature Classes. It will not include Astrophilately, Maximaphily and Revenue Classes.

8. Cape Town 2021 has been postponed, now to be held from 9th – 13th November 2021.

9. IBRA 2021 International Stamp exhibition and stamp Fair IBRA 2021to be held in Essen, Germany from 6-9 May 2021 is now postponed to year 2023 due to Covid 19 Pandemic..

Commissioner for PHILANIPPON 2021, FIP World Stamp Championship Exhibition

Mr. Surendra Kotadia has been appointed as Indian National Commissioner for the PHILANIPPON 2021, FIP World Stamp Championship Exhibition to be held in Japan from 25th to 30th August 2021.

Philanippon 2021 will have the following competitive classes: Championship Class, Traditional, Postal History, Postal Stationery, Aerophilately, Thematic, Modern, Open, Youth, One Frame, Literature.

Contact information:
Mr. Surendra A. Kotadia
M/s. Dimple Drums & Barrels Ltd.,1119, Maker Chamber No. V,221, Jamnalal Bajaj Road, Nariman Point,MUMBAI - 400 021
Email: 
surendrakotadia@gmail.com Phone: + 91 22 2202 4130 / 2202 4131/ 2284 3244 Mob : + 91 98199 03789

Commissioner for CAPE TOWN 2021 Philatelic Exhibition 

Mr. Shakil Ahmed has been appointed as Indian National Commissioner for the Cape Town 2021, FIP Specialized World Stamp Exhibition to be held at Cape Town, South Africa from 9th to 13th November 2021.

Exhibition Classes: Traditional, Postal History, Aerophilately, Postal Stationery, Revenue, Thematic, Open, Modern Philately, One Frame, Philatelic Literature and Picture Postcards only) 

 Contact information: 

Shakil Ahmed
Dargah Bazar, Balakrishna Road,P. O. Buxi Bazar,
CUTTACK-753001, ODISHA 
Email: ahmedshakil99@gmail.com   M): +91-9437225760 / +91-7008025663

 
Commissioner for TAIPEI 2021 Philatelic Exhibition

Mr. Rajan Jayakar has been appointed as Indian National Commissioner for the Taipei 2021, 38th FIAP Asian International Stamp Exhibition, Taipei, Chinese Taipei to be held from 4 to 8 June, 2021.

Contact information:
Rajan Motiram Jayakar,

Flat No.2, Court View,126, Maharshi Karve Road,Churchgate, Mumbai 400 020 

Email: rajanjayakar1948@gmail.com  Phone: +91-22-22820570, +91-22-22820572,(M) +919821072417

Observations / Experiences / Facts 


With so many changes in the rules of Thematic Philately, it is important that one should follow the analytical approach in order to go for the higher level medal. Recently I came across a very good presentation on an exhibit "L.V. Beethoven- His Life in a Historical Context and His Legacy" by Yukio Onuma of Japan. This exhibit has won 3 Large Gold medals and Grand Prix d'Honour candidate at Thailand 2018. The exhibitor explains some key points to increase the level of the exhibit by adding historical background so that one can use a variety of philatelic items and rarity in the exhibit. In fact, this is one's skill which can be used in different themes to connect with the subject in order to add a philatelic item from traditional philately   and postal history.   I have noticed such key points in some high-level thematic exhibits.  I am sharing here some slides which will explain the presentation and development of a theme to take it to the next level.




Contents: Chapter1 to 3 describes Beethoven’s life in 3 different stages in chronological order. Chaper4 describes main posthumous episodes and major influences on composers, musicians etc. Chapter5 describes what Beethoven said and what other people said about Beethoven. Finally, in “Tribute to Beethoven” I describe my personal impression of him gained through creating this exhibit. So, this is just like reading a miniature biography of the great composer.



One of the special features of this exhibit is adding of historical background to Beethoven’s life. Great advantage is that this gives wider choice of philatelic materials. Beethoven’s time was the most turbulent period of European history. It is a period of “Tectonic Shift” or “Paradigm Shift” as shown in the following pages. Unlike conventional biography, this exhibit tells how historical background influenced his life, way of thinking and his music. It is a very innovative way of telling a man’s history based on indepth study of European History.



French Revolution (1789) The Page describes the storming of Bastilles, Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, and “La Marseilles”


Industrial revolution is described by steam engine, driving force of the revolution, and Uniform Penny Post showing how speed of postal delivery changed by train replacing mail coach.


Decline of Habsburg family is depicted by four heads of the state during Beethoven’s life time; Maria Theresia’s autographed official letter, and Napoleon and his army’s military post.


Napoleonic Wars is described by the Battle of Aspern, Napoleon’s conversion of Schoenbrunn into his military headquarters and Napoleon on horseback.


Rise of Romanticism is shown by Goethe, Schiller, George Sand, Victor Hugo and Lord Byron.



Diversity analysis: In thematic philately, diversity is one of the most important factors. This means to use different type of authentic philatelic materials as many as possible. Let’ me show you examples.


The exhibit uses only postage stamps. This is “NO GOOD”.


It is better to use different types of materials as shown in this page. They are Sepia die proof, Publibel, postage stamp, postal stationery, and advert of booklet.

They are trial colors, souvenir sheet, telegram, and commercial cover.



They are lager post, pictorial cancellation, private postal stationery, imperforated stamp, and meter stamp.  Shown in these 3 pages are just examples. There are many other authentic philatelic materials available.  You have to use as many different types as possible to enhance the level of your exhibit.

To be contd......

Courtesy -  Yukio  Onuma


Philately Promoter of the Month

 This column is dedicated to the philatelists who are promoting the hobby of stamp collecting in their own way and making a bridge between philately and our daily life.




 Mr. Pratisad Neurgaonkar is a well known name in Indian philatelic fraternity. He is computer professional running his own Information Technology business in Pune has several National and international awards to his credit. He is a veteran and hardcore dedicated philatelist who  of late has come into world  philatelic scene  being the organizer of first National Level Virtual Philatelic Exhibition with International Participation showcasing about 1000 philatelic frames. Writer of Book on British India Postal Stationery 1856 – 1947 in 2009, has been serving  philately in India  for the last many years. Organizing exhibitions in Pune, designing special covers with one unique Pigeon Mail Cover and  organizing webinars etc have been some very good works done by him during the last few years. Philavirtu 2020  is  another  feather in his cap as it was a very big task to organize the first online philatelic exhibition of about 1000 frames at national level with international participation. To organize such online exhibition at large level was a difficult task as this virtual show was going to be held for the first time at national level. In the time of  Covid 19 pandemic, it was a visual treat for the philatelists. Rainbow is pleased to have his valued and honest interview to know more about him and his views on various aspects of philatelic exhibitions. Here he replies to the questions asked by Mr Naresh Agrawal.

 


Releasing Special Cover at PHILAVIRTU 2020


01.    We would like to know in brief about your philatelic journey from a budding stamp collector to a veteran dedicated philatelist. Your interests? 

My collecting journey started when I was in 3rd Standard. I used to see beautiful stamps affixed on letters coming from Europe from friends of my father who stayed in Germany for 5 years perusing his PhD in Chemistry. I was fascinated by those and started collecting them until I was guided by one of our relatives what to collect and how to collect when I was about 11 years of age. My father also encouraged me by providing First Day Covers for my collection. I got my first prize for my display of FDC’s when a local Rotary Club had organized a competition when I was  just 14 years of age. The real boost I got during MAHAPEX 1998 held in Nasik which turned me into serious collector as I started collecting India mint stamps. In 1999 I visited Singapore wherein the Singapore Philately museum I saw few stamps issued by various countries to mark the millennium. I started collecting stamps on the millennium theme and collected stamps from almost 120 countries. 

In the year 2000 Col Jayant Dutta ,a veteran philatelist introduced me to competitive philately and taught me how to make an exhibit. He also boosted me to opt Postal stationery collection. Then I also joined the Deccan Philatelic and participated in the National Exhibition INPEX EMPIERPEX in 2001 and got a Bronze medal for my thematic exhibit. 

I perused collecting Postal stationery and excelled to the extent that I could accumulate exhaustive details of British Postal Stationery and publish the compilation of the same. Further by the help and guidance of some senior philatelists I came out with the Colorful Book British India Postal Stationery 1856 – 1947 in 2009 which was highly appreciated  and acknowledged by the  philatelic stalwarts and established me as a serious philatelist. I think after this book lot of collectors has shown interest in collecting Postal Stationery. My other collecting interests are Military Greetings, FPO, Censor & Prisoners of war mails, Post-Independence Stamps, and I also collect unusual stamps of the world. 

02.    We have seen you participating and even organizing physical exhibitions over the years. What changes you have observed in exhibiting practices physically? 

No doubt philatelic exhibiting and judgment procedures have changed a lot during the last 20 years. Thematic philately is now going through 5th generation calling for rich study not only thematically but should have inputs from Postal Stationery, Postal History and traditional philately also. New variety of philatelic material is being explored and appreciated. Philately and philatelic exhibiting have become more interesting but challenging also. Quality of material and knowledge, search and research are the pre requisite of any good exhibit. New presentation techniques, computer aided text write up have become integral part of any good exhibit in any class. Sheet sizes have changed,… I mean philately has added more colors and flavors to its exhibiting. Yes as far as  organizing philatelic exhibitions is concerned, it has become easier in one way as facilities are better like exhibit frames quality, availability and transport, communication etc..

 03. Due to the pandemic Covid -19, life was put to shells but somehow it came out as blessing for philatelists as far as philately is concerned. How do you see this scenario and its impact on philately?

 I think even though due to COVID – 19 the world economy has hit, this is a great opportunity for a hobby like a philately. Due to lockdown philatelists have spent the time to go through their collections, arranging them, preparing exhibits, gaining knowledge, reading books, etc. We thought that the auctions may not get good realization, but the scenario is different, auctions are doing very well and realizations are also fantastic. Overall I think it’s a great opportunity and time for philatelists to peruse the hobby and spend this lockdown time fruitfully and enjoy their hobby.

 04. Yes, virtual exhibiting came on surface and become popular. Virtual sites were there of course but virtual competitive exhibiting was far away from its practical implementation. A couple of virtual philatelic exhibitions were organized during last few months. Is this change prompted you to go for India’s first virtual competitive exhibition?

 I have been thinking this since 2018. Initially, we developed the admin module to manage the exhibitions. This was used in MAHAPEX 2018, KARNAPEX 2019, and INPEX 2019. We already had a plan to have the display of virtual frames. Due to COVID when other countries started holding virtual exhibitions then why can’t we? As we were already working on it, I thought we can easily do it in a short time? That’s how we started working on it. 

05. We understand you had been working on virtual philately covering different facets and fields for last  few years. How do you see the future of philately?

 I think the future of philately will be bright if all the philatelists work towards one goal that is the promotion of philately. The future depends on how many new collectors join the hobby. I think it’s a need of the hour to decide on a common program to promote philately by all the philatelic societies and the national apex body PCI. We can popularize this hobby in different segments of society. A lot of philatelists are promoting it at the school level and doing good work. But still, a lot of space is there to promote the hobby at school and college level. We can also organize seminars, workshops for young professionals, and businessmen. We can coordinate with the Department of Posts and workout different activities for promotion. According to me, it's not only the Department of Posts responsibility to promote but the societies and philatelist can only play a vital role in popularizing the hobby. We need to organize exhibitions frequently promoting youth and school classes.

 06. Coming to the big virtual philatelic event of recent times in India that is PHILAVIRTU 2020 a national level virtual exhibition with international participation and international jury too. For us, it was a great success what how do you look at it because this was the first attempt by you in this direction?

 PHILAVIRTU 2020 was certainly a big event with225 competitive exhibits displayed over 650 frames and others totaling to about 1000 frames. When we decided to hold the virtual exhibition I was under pressure because the main part was the display of virtual exhibits. As this was the first time we were not sure about the difficulties and problems which we might come across. But because of our efficient technical team, my pressure got eased.

 We had informed all the participants to upload the exhibits with specific file size. But a lot of the exhibits were not as per the specifications and had file size between 125MB to 200 MB, that was the main reason why some of the exhibits took more time to load. A lot of exhibitors couldn't convert the images to the required file size.

 As this was a virtual show jury took more time in judging the exhibits. For most of the juries, this was the first time judging the virtual show, took some time to adjust to the new way of judging and adopting new technology. International juries were also on the panel, due to the time difference juries had to adjust their time for the meetings and discussions. All this resulted in the delay of results.

 We displayed virtual booths for the first time and even the dealers were not aware of how to participate and what response they will get. They were not sure about the virtual booth idea. That was the reason a few dealers participated. But those who participated got a very good response. One of the dealers was telling me that he got a lot of new clients and his sales got increased by almost 30 to 40%. A lot of Indian dealers are not having websites, but they should go for it as this is going to be the future of philately business.

 It was challenging in terms of management and technology to hold the exhibition of 1000 frames in a short time. Because of the support from ICSRI, PCI, organising committee, the technology team, and Exhibitors, we could make the event a grand success. We faced a few problems technically and administration wise. But the overall experience is very good. We have already started making the changes in our system. Hope this will eliminate all the issues which the users faced during PHILAVIRTU - 2020.

 As a member of ICSRI, I thank PCI for giving patronage to the exhibition. Because of that PHILAVIRTU - 2020 score and medal will be valid for all future exhibitions. Due to patronage PHILAVIRTU – 2020 is the First Virtual National Philatelic Exhibition with International participation. I also thank all the participants for their support.

 07. Normally  it is thought that there  is no need for  big efforts and time  to organize virtual exhibition. In other words it is quite easy in comparison to conducting physical exhibitions and the workload and efforts are quite less. But certain shortcomings were observed during PHILAVIRTU 2020 show such as loading difficulties, slow opening of sites, delayed results, lack of proper communication, allowing absolute virtual exhibiting instead of display of conversion of physical exhibits in to virtual exhibits for display etc… We understand being the first-ever such show conducted in India of this stature, you might  have left no stone unturned to  have the smooth and better conduct of the show but  please put light on the reasons behind and the practical difficulties you faced? Also give your valued suggestions to overcome such difficulties / anomalies in such future shows?

 The virtual exhibition is a new trend, I think FIP should come out with some rules and regulations for Virtual Exhibits. As this is evolving I am sure we will see some direction and regulations from FIP in the future.

 In my opinion, even after the COVID times, there should be a combination of physical and virtual. We can have virtual and physical displays which will be an advantage for all the philatelists across the country or world. They can easily see the exhibits sitting at home and enjoy the exhibition. This will give a wide reach and the hobby can be promoted.

 08.  We all understand jury ship of philatelic exhibits is a thankless job. Even best of the jury is  always at receiving end and is prone to be  stroked. What difference do you see in judging  physical and virtual exhibits. And also put light on what difference it make on the final results and so the marks or awards?

 In physical exhibitions, juries have a very short time to go through the exhibits but here they get more time and can go through every page with a zoom facility. They can get advice from the expert committee, other jurors. They can easily exchange views within the jury team. This can be a disadvantage for the exhibitors as the jury can see everything like the condition of the items, storyline, description, overall exhibit balance, etc. in detail. This may affect the medal level. I think in virtual exhibits the exhibitors have to take care of all these otherwise they may not get their expected medal level.

 09. Your recommendations and suggestions to the future participants as to how they should work on preparing virtual exhibits. What all they need to know and possess?

 For virtual exhibits scan of the mounted exhibits should be mandatory. If computer-generated exhibits are allowed then the exhibit has to be verified by the jurors or team of the organizing committee. This is a debatable issue, which is a separate topic of discussion. Preparing of the exhibits will be the same as the physical one. Scanning should be done at 300dpi but can reduce the file size with the help of software. By reducing the file size there will not be any dpi change. Exhibitors should adhere to all the requirements laid by the organisers. Exhibitors must co-operate otherwise, it’s a nightmare for the organisers.

 Interview: Naresh Agrawal


Beginner’s Section


What are forever stamps?


What makes forever postal stamps everlasting?

From its unusual name, you may be wondering what forever postal stamps are and how they came to be.A forever stamp is a postage stamp that pays the current first class postal rate regardless of when it was purchased and when will it be used. As postage rates rise, the postage stamp prices also increase.

When did forever stamps start ?

The forever postage stamp was a proposal submitted by the United States Postal Service in May 2006. A US forever stamp should be based on the current first-class postage stamp rate at the time they are purchased. Forever postal stamps are sound investments during stamp price changes.

How much was the first forever stamp?



The first US forever stamp was sold in April 2007 for $ 0.41. Philatelists nicknamed it the Liberty Bell stamp.

The art on the first forever stamp featured a computer-generated image of the Liberty Bell, the most recognizable symbol of American Independence. The stamp design was made by nationally-acclaimed artist Tom Engeman from Maryland.

The Liberty Bell forever stamps were labeled "US FIRST-CLASS FOREVER". They do not have a denomination since they are USPS no-value indicator stamps or non-denominated postage stamps.

Can you buy forever stamps in advance?

Yes. In fact, to some Americans, forever postage stamps are a form of investment. A forever stamp is valid as domestic first class postage stamp on standard envelopes weighing one ounce or less. This is going to be valid regardless of future postage price adjustments.

Can you use a forever stamp on large envelopes that require extra postage?

Yes, you can use a US forever postal stamp to pay for the first ounce but you have to supplement the remaining ounces with regular definitive stamps.

Likewise, International postage rates are always higher than the comparable domestic rates. Thus, additional postage would have to be affixed on international mail.

What are the benefits of forever stamps?

The greatest advantage of a forever stamp to a consumer is convenience. Once forever postal stamps are purchased, they never expire or decline in stamp value. For example, when the postal rates go up, you no longer have to line up to purchase the new denomination stamps.

Consumers usually stock up on forever postage stamps which they buy at the current rate and use them until supplies last. The USPS saw this as a winning strategy – they receive income for stamps that are yet to be used in the near future.

Another advantage for the postal service is that they do not need to deploy employees to handle consumers scurrying to buy new postage stamps during postal rate increase.

Read More…


Specialized Section


PERMANENT PICTORIAL CANCELLATIONS : AN INTERESTING FIELD OF PHILATELY


 






-Naresh Agrawal



 

                        

 

This letter box is located at the historical site Somnathpur in Karnataka. Letters posted in this box receives permanent pictorial cancellation of Kesava temple

 

India  has a rich heritage of art, craft, architecture, culture,mythology, rich nature and natural beauty and history which is depicted through various places, monuments, sculptures, natural scenes, temples etc. located at different places with in India. Department of post has issued Permanent Pictorial Cancellations(PPC) which were brought in practice  in 1951  to promote, commemorate, advertize and keep introducing the rich heritage of India located at a particular place or city in India. This of course is an unique method of  commemorating and promoting our  rich heritage and  also to promote tourism.

 

 

 With the emergence of new classes in Indian philatelic exhibiting such as First Day Cover, Special Covers, Picture Post Cards, Maximum Cards; the PPC  seems to have gained importance too in the collectors fraternity. The collectors need to understand PPC in a better way and be guided  properly so that best of the collections of PPC could be done and exhibited

                  


There are some very beautiful pictorial cancellations which depict historical monuments, places of tourist interest, mythological creatures and events etc..There seems to be no clear cut understanding of PPC as  different people define PPC in their own way. However, based on those PPC can finally be defined as under :

A Pictorial Cancellation is a unique sealed postmark, which shows customized graphical  design or replica or photo or sketch or a picture of any of a sculpture, temple, building, character, river ghat, flora fauna, animal, ancient land mark , heritage etc. highlighting a  tourist, natural, social, religious, historical, mythological, architectural or an important place or thing or event from where it is issued regularly for a long period. Permanent pictorial cancellation on mails speaks much more than any normal cancellation...

    

  

As per available information, Pictorial Cancellations of permanent nature were first provided in 1951 pertaining to Qutab Minar, Sanchi, Ajanta etc. Second phase of Pictorial Cancellations of permanent nature, started in 1965. The third phase started in 1974. Slowly but steadily this Pictorial Cancellations were introduced from all places of interest, throughout India.

 

  

  

Well, while one think more about PPC’s, and compare with other cancellations; answers to following questions  put more light and tells about significance of  PPCs. :

 

What is so good about Permanent Pictorial Cancellation (PPC)

As the name  suggests PPC refers to Permanent Pictorial Cancellation. The word permanent refer to  lasting  for a longer period, Pictorial means the subject matter of the cancellation in form of an image /picture specifying the  heritage, monument or the  image specifying and highlighting the importance of that particular place or event. & cancellation is the seal  which lasts long once applied on  a mail piece.

 

                         

 Whether the PPC are genuinely permanent? 

No, because what we see that PPC  have no specific span of period of issuance. There are several places where the cancellation lived for very short period. Cancellations from Ajmer, Bhilwara, Lashkar and Belgaum lived just for a day. It is felt that to call any cancellation permanent there should be some specific period for which it should not only exist but issued and applied on mail pieces regularly. However, PPC issued from Pune can be called as permanent as it is being applied even now since its first application. 

Whether the  pictorial cancellations do justification for the purpose these are issued?

Sometimes not. For example  pictorial cancellation of Nandi Hill, Bangalore has picture of Nandi Bull but Nandi Hill is  an ancient hill fortress and presently better known as a tourist spot and a weekend gateway. So the image of Nandi does not do a true justice to the cancellation. Likewise there are some more such examples

 


Do the cancellations change with time?

Yes, cancellations at places do change with time  as either  the image  is redesigned or the cancellation size, shape and other specifications are changed. It has been found that these cancellations  are changed mainly at places where these are applied in good number. Most of the times the subject matter of the picture remains same but  specifications are changed. For betterment of impression of the seal, the changes are done. Some time even the seal material is changed from  hard silicon rubber or plastic to metal. For example  cancellation  from Bandipur , Mysore had changes in the picture as initially there was Pug marks of tiger but  then changed to  face of the tiger. 

 

Cancellation of Bandipur, Mysore changed with time

 Are these cancellations available in good number in India?

No, it is understood that about 400 cancellations have so far been issued with almost 70% from  4 states such as Gujrat, Karnatka, Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh. Since there are several importance places in other parts of India, there is a great need of releasing such cancellations from such places on regular basis.

 Are these PPC’s collectable. What is the scope?

 Yes. PPC are of great interest to philatelists as the study  gives  huge scope for collection, search and variety. The major area of concern for collection are the place, the subject matter, designs and redesigns, colors, period  or life, clarity, errors, different mail pieces on which these were applied, specifications, relation between place and the image…One can explore as much as he can. The PPC gives very good scope for exhibiting as PPC’s are issued not only in India but throughout the world. One can strike on the above features and traits .

 In fact, PPC may be called Permanent Place and Promotional Publicity Pictorial cancellations.

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



Philatelic Tributes to the First Line Warriors - Corona virus COVID-19 Pandemic

The sad period of the worldwide corona virus COVID-19 pandemic remains unnoticed even in philately. Several postal administrations have decided to issue stamps to commemorate this tragic event, respectively as a tribute to those who fight dangerous contagion in the front lines: doctors, nurses, medical staff, scientists, firefighters, police, soldiers, and so on.

Another reason for issuing these postage items is the efforts to raise public awareness to take effective protection measures as the most effective means of combating this insidious disease.

1. Postal Materials Directly Referring to the COVID-19 Corona Virus Pandemic - official

IRAN - Postage stamp 






National Heroes (17th March 2020)


This postage stamp (18 000 Rial) depicts medical workers, a paramedic in protective mask, and a symbolic graphical representation of sars-cov-2 virus (COVID-19).


VIETNAM - Postage stamps




Combined Forces Against COVID-19 (31st March 2020)


This pair of postage stamps (4 000 d and 15 000 d). The 4,000 d postage stamp depicts units fighting the pandemic, namely health care workers, soldiers and police, along with ordinary citizens they care for. The 15,000 d postage stamp depicts scientists, doctors in researching the vaccine, preventive medicines, and medical treatment needed to fight the virus. 



These postage stamps have been issued also as imperforated what is documented by the attached First Day Cover (FDC) with a FDC cancel HANOI 31/3/020 and date cancel SAIGON 31. 3. 2020.

SPAIN - Personalized postage stamps (March/April 2020)


An interesting activity - that could be implemented in other countries as well - is the issue of personalized postage stamps in Spain.

Health Tribute Appreciation (March/April 2020)

The philatelic association Asfinca in Calahorra has asked the Spanish Post to issue a depicted personalized stamp with the aim to "thank the work people who do health in these difficult days for all".
This personalized postage stamp (symbolic value A) depicts the hospital building in Calahorra and the text: "HOMENAJE SANITARIOS AGRADECIMIENTO POR VUESTRA PROFESIONALIDAD".


Thank you! (March/April 2020)

In Cadiz has asked the Spanish Post to issue a depicted personalized stamp with the aim to "thank the work people who do health in these difficult days for all".
This personalized postage stamp (symbolic value A) depicts the medical workers, symbolic clapping hands and the text: "GRACIAS / CORONAVIRUS CÁDIZ 2020".

SWITZERLAND - Surcharge (or semi-) postage stamp




Solidarity with those Affected by the Virus COVID-19 (April 2020)

This surcharge (or semi-) postage stamp (1,00 + 5,00 SvFr) was issued in the sheets of 10 stamps, depicts the symbolism of the medical cross and the population of people with raised hands and the call for solidarity with the affected COVID-19 virus in four languages:" COVID-19 / Solidaridad / Solidarieta / Solidarité / Solidarität".

Source : Tribute to the First Line Warriors

New issues from other Countries

Aland

23 October 2020 : Christmas 2020



Illustrator Alexander Lindén from Åland has tastefully illustrated glogg, the best drink of Christmas, and traditional ‘knäck’ toffee on Christmas 2020 stamps. 

Known since 1609, the Swedish word glogg derives from the word ’glödga’, to warm up. Hot mulled wine has its roots as far back as the classical era. Served in small cups together with almonds and raisins, glogg has been a Christmas tradition in Sweden and Finland since the early 1900s. Typically spiced with cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and bitter orange, the assortment of glogg has, however, grown tremendously with various types of alcoholic and non-alcoholic glogg in recent years. Raisin and almond are fixings that originate from the warm punch of the 1700s; raisins provided sweetness and flavor to the drink, whereas the role of almonds in the glogg cup is shrouded in mystery. 

Still, almond is a taste long associated with Christmas, and it is often an ingredient in ‘knäck’ toffee, a type of Christmas treat that has been made since the 1800s. Together with other types of Christmas treats such as ice-chocolate, gingerbread and star-shaped pastries, ‘knäck’ has maintained its popularity. Preceding the Christmas treats of today, a confectionery table including nuts, candied fruit and marzipan figures rounded off large nobility dinners in the 1600s

Christmas Island

8 January  2020 “  : Year of Rat ”  


Croatia 

11 Novemeber 2020 : 250th Anniversary Of The Birth Of Ludwig Van Beethoven 



Ludwig van Beethoven (Bonn, 1770 – Vienna, 1827), a German composer with Flemish roots, spent most of his life in Vienna. Although he is officially given an established position among the trio of composers of Viennese Classicism, which also includes Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as the youngest among the three, he is undoubtedly also one of the originators of Romantic music. He performed as both a conductor and an excellent pianist, and he was also the first major composer who lived mostly as a freelance artist without permanent employment. Haughty and proud, in a continuous yet unfulfilled search for love, he diligently composed, striving for perfection in each motif and phrase. 

His music is well-known for its clarity of form, impressive melodies, majesty, and striking rhythm. When his long-lasting progressive hearing loss resulted in complete deafness in 1819, this did not stop him from composing some of his best works, such as the magnificent Symphony No. 9, in which, for the first time in the history of symphony, he added human voice to the orchestra. Ode to Joy, from the final movement of the symphony, was chosen as the anthem for the unification of Europe through music. 

The best part of Beethoven’s opus, which consists of around 200 compositions, is his instrumental music: symphonies, piano and violin sonatas, and chamber music, particularly for string quartets; the majestic Missa solemnis and the opera Fidelio stand out among his vocal works. Many are familiar with his piano compositions Für Elise and Moonlight Sonata, while the impressive opening motif of Symphony No. 5 (Fate Symphony) is one of the most well-known motifs of classical music in general. Judging by the influence he had on subsequent development of music and the enduring popularity of his compositions among a wide audience, it can be said that Beethoven is the most respected composer in the history of music. 

Gibraltar

2 November 2020 : Christmas 2020 




Greece

25 November 2020 Christmas 2020




Hungary

20 November 2020 Puskás Arena Budapest 



The Puskás Arena has the largest seating capacity of any stadium in Central Europe and is the main home ground of the Hungarian national football team but it is also a suitable venue for other sporting and music events and international conferences. Its predecessor was the Ferenc Puskás Stadium (called the People’s Stadium until 2002), likewise named after the legendary Hungarian striker of world repute. The new Puskás Arena was built precisely over the site of the old stadium and their centre points match to the millimetre. The concrete structure of the People’s Stadium erected in the early 1950s was demolished and pulverised, and the material of the old concrete was incorporated in the walls of the new stadium. The turf of the stadium’s pitch uses state-of-the-art hybrid technology reinforcing natural grass with synthetic fibres. The inaugural match and the first match of the national football team at the new stadium was played on 15 November 2019. The world-class facility equipped with modern information technology, lighting and other devices provides quality service for the public, players and media. 


The special souvenir sheet, the first day cover and the postmark feature exterior and interior views of the Arena, as well as its logo. 

Philatelic Library



The Scinde Dawks and Lithographs of India

-by D.E. Wadia & edited by Dhirubhai Mehta 

This is an excellent reference book of Indian Philately.




Acknowledgment

- Ananthapuri Stamp Bulletin December 2020 issue edited by Mohanachandran Nair

- Judaica Thematic Society (UK)  December 2020 Newsletter edited by Gary Goodman email - judaicathematicsociety@talktalk.net
-The Hyderabad Philatelist September 2020 issue edited by Prakash Agrawal 

-The Hyderabad Hobby Magazine September 2020 issue edited by Prakash Agrawal 

 -Latest issue of Deccan Philatelist Vol 20 No 1 2020 edited by Col Jayant Dutta

- Latest Issue of Vadophil  July – October 2020 edited by Prashant Pandya & Timir Shah


 Bogs & Websites

Philatelic Congress of India

Indian Philately Digest

       Stamps of India

Rainbow Stamp News

Se-tenant Stamps of India

Flags & Stamps

Europa stamps

      Phila Mirror

      International Stamp News

     Welcome to Indian Philately


Philatelic Clubs & Societies

 

Ananthapuri Philatelic Association, Thiruvanthapuram

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

Chandigarh Philatelic Club

Deccan Philatelic Society – Pune, Maharashtra

Eastern India Philatelists’ Association -http://www.filacapsule.blogspot.com/

The Hyderabad  Philatelic and Hobbies Society

India Study Circle -  http://www.indiastudycircle.org/

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

Philatelic Society of India , Mumbai : http://www.psi1897.com/
Orissa Philatelic Association, Mail id-: 
orissaphilatelic@gmail.com

Rainbow Stamp Club -http://rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com/

Rajkot Philatelic Society – Rajkot, Gujarat

Gujarat Philatelic Association - Ahmedabad

South India Philatelists Association -http://www.sipa.org.in/

The Army Philatelic Society, Pune

Stamps of India – http://www.stampsofindia.com


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. 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 &TimirShah 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 

-India Post – Quarterly Journal of the India Study Circle publishes original articles submitted by members of ISC. 

-Deccan Philatelist from Deccan Philatelic Society, Pune. edited by Col Jayanta Dutta 

-The Hyderabad Philatelist from Hyderabad Philatelic and Hobbies Society Editor – Prakash Agrawal 

-SIPA Bulletin issued by South India Philatelists’ Association 

Courtesy - News and Image Resource to this issue :   Suresh R. - Bangalore; SIPA, EIPA, Prayag Philatelic Society Whatsapp groups; India Post

Address for communication:

Jeevan Jyoti, c/o Mr. Ajay Srivastav, M.D., HP State Forest Corporation, Kusumpti, Shimla-171009, India

E-mail –    j.jyoti9@gmail.com

A Request to Readers & Contributors –

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

 

·         Last date for receiving articles/ news /write ups – 25th of every month. 

 

·          For articles :  Kindly send images in jpg compressed form and  text in MS Word only  Please do not use  any formatting and  text wrapping in the article.  Simply put the images under text where required.   

 

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

·         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 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 for free circulation among philatelists.

 


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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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