Shimla September 2008 Issue No. 9
Monthly e-Stamp Bulletin Edited by Jeevan Jyoti for free circulation among philatelistsReaders are requested to send reports of philatelic activities in their area for publication. Short write ups by the readers about their journals, societies, publications and philatelic requirements can be sent for inclusion in this bulletin to j.jyoti9@gmail.com or rainbowstamp2008@gmail.com and by post to – Mrs. Jeevan Jyoti, D.F.O. Residence, Chopal, Distt. Shimla (H.P.) PIN 171211.
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 Philatelist
This is the 9th issue of Rainbow Stamp News. I want to express my gratitude to all of you for your kind support. The grand Olympic Games have recently concluded at Beijing and India returned with flying colors. It is time to celebrate this success philatelically. India Post must issue a postage stamp on India’s success at Olympics in some way. Though according to stamp issuing rules in India, the stamps cannot be issued on living personality except on the President of India. But a commemorative Postage stamp on Sports Theme can be issued in celebration of the success of Indian Sportsmen in International arena. A Gold medal was expected from an Indian participant since a long time & Abhinav Bindra has done it winning Gold in shooting, against all odds. Heartiest congratulations to him who made every Indian proud. With this idea I hope you will enjoy this issue. Until Next issue, Happy Collecting……..
….Jeevan Jyoti
It’s Time To celebrate India’s success at Beijing Olympic 2008
With the glorious success of Indian Sportsmen Abhinav Bindra, Sushil Kumar and Vijender Kumar winning a Gold & 2 Bronze Medals at Beijing 2008, Let’s all celebrate this philatelically through these beautiful FDC’s on Olympic Games prepared so magnificently with a novel idea from cutting out Miniature sheet by each event in a triangular shape by distinguished philatelist Mr. Shrikant Parikh of Ahmedabad.
Contents
§ Recent Indian Issues
§ In The News
§ Guest of the Month – Vikas Singh
§ Beginners’ Section
§ Specialized Section
§ Reader’s Right
§ New Issues from Other Countries
§ The Lighter Side
§ Blogs & Websites on Philately
§ Editor’s Mail box
§ Promotional Section
§ Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletters
Recent Indian Issues
· 31 July 2008 Damodar Dharmananda Kosambi – 500 P
· 2 August 2008 Aldabra Giant Tortoise - 500P, 1500 P + M/s
· 8 August 2008 Beijing Olympics 2008
· 12 August 2008 Indian Coast Guard – 4 x 500P + M/s
· 21 August 2008 Ustad Bismillah Khan – 500 P
New Postal Stationery
New Meghdoot Post cards
Aids Awareness,
Anti Smoking,
Anti Tobacco.
Inland Letter
AIDS, Oriya
5 June: Itanagar, World Environment Day 2008
23 August: Madanganj (Kishangarh), 87th Birth Anniversary of Mahasati Umrao Kanwarji Maharaj Sa
Aldabra Giant Tortoise
India Post released a set of 2 stamps in the denominations of Rs 5 and Rs 15 on August 2, 2008 on Aldabra Giant Tortoise. These stamps mark another first for Indian stamps being hexagonal (having six sides). The stamps are produced in the Sheetlets of 13 stamps. There are four Sheetlets in all, first with thirteen Rs 5 stamps, second with thirteen Rs 15 stamps, third with five Rs 5 and eight Rs 15 stamps, and the fourth with five Rs 15 and eight Rs 5 stamps. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise (Geochelone gigantea), from the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, is one of the largest tortoises in the world. Its carapace averages 120 cm in length and is a dark blue or black color with a high domed shape. It has stocky, heavily scaled legs to support its heavy body. The neck of the Aldabra Giant Tortoise is very long, even for its great size, which helps it to exploit tree branches up to a meter from the ground as a food source. The average weight of a male is around 250 kg. Females are generally smaller than males, with average specimens measuring 90 cm in length and weighing 150 kg. Large tortoises are among the longest-lived animals on the planet. Some individual Aldabra Giant Tortoises are thought to be over 100 years of age, but this is difficult to verify because they tend to outlive their human observers. Adwaitya (The One and Only) was reputedly one of four brought by British seamen from the Seychelles Islands as gifts to Robert Clive of the British East India Company in the 18th century and came to Kolkata Zoo in 1875. At its death in March 2006, Adwaitya is reputed to have reached the longest ever measured life-span of 255 years, although the accuracy of this is disputed due to a lack of contemporary records. Following Sheetlets have been issued for Aldabra Giant Tortoise
1. Rs. 5 x 13 stamps = Rs 65/-2. Rs. 15 x 13 stamps = Rs. 195/-3. Rs. 5 x 8 stamps + Rs.15 x 5 stamps = Rs. 115/-4. Rs. 15x 8 stamps + Rs. 5 x 5 stamps = Rs. 145/-
Beijing Olympics 2008
India Post released a set of 4 stamps and a miniature sheet on August 8, 2008 to mark the Games of 29th Olympiad ay Beijing China. The designs and denominations are Olympic Torch on Rs 5, Shooting on Rs 15, Archery on Rs 15, and Boxing on Rs 5. It is a great pleasure to mention here that India won a Gold medal in shooting (Abhinav Bindra) and One Bronze each in Boxing (Vijender Kumar) & Wrestling (Sushil Kumar).
Indian Coast Guard
India Post released a set of 4 stamps in the denomination of Rs 5 each and a miniature sheet on August 12, 2008 to mark 30 years of Indian Coast Guard. The stamps depict the Dornier Fixed Wing Aircraft, Advanced Light Helicopter, Hovercraft, and Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel. The five Sheetlets have also been issued. The Indian Coast Guard is the fourth armed force service created to guard India's vast coastline on August 18, 1978. The coast guard works closely with the Indian navy and the Indian Customs Department, and is usually headed by a naval officer of the rank of Vice-Admiral. India's coast guard has a large number of fast craft including hovercrafts and hydrofoils. They patrol the seas and river mouths. The coast guard has performed a number of commendable tasks of rescuing distressed personnel. It has also apprehended pirates on high seas and cleaned up oil spills. Heavy patrolling of sensitive areas such as Gujarat, West Bengal and Mumbai have resulted in catching a large number of smugglers and illegal immigrants.Five Sheetlets, in addition to 4 Sheets and 1 MS have come out for Indian Coast Guard issue. Sheetlets are of 16 stamps each - 4 x individual stamps and 1 x mixed sheetlet
Ustad Bismillah Khan
Bismillah Khan was born on March 21, 1916 at Bhirung Raut Ki Gali, in Dumraon, Bihar as the second son of Paigambar Khan and Mitthan. He was named as Qamaruddin to rhyme with Shamsuddin, their first son. His grandfather, Rasool Baksh Khan uttered "Bismillah" after looking at the newborn, thus he was named Bismillah Khan. His ancestors were court musicians and used to play in Naqqar khana in the princely states of Bhojpur, now in Bihar. His father was a shehnai player in the court of Maharaja Keshav Prasad Singh of Dumraon Estate, Bihar. Khan was perhaps single handedly responsible for making the shehnai a famous classical instrument. He brought the shehnai to the center stage of Indian music with his concert in the Calcutta All India Music Conference in 1937. He was credited with having almost monopoly over the instrument as he and the shehnai are almost synonyms. Khan is one of the finest musicians in post-independent Indian Classical music and one of the best examples of hindu-muslim unity in India. His concept of music was very beautiful and his vision, superb. He once said, "Even if the world ends, the music will still survive" and he often said, "Music has no caste".His shehnai was so close to him that after the demise of his wife he began to refer to it as his begum, or wife. After his death, his shehnai was buried with him. He was conferred with following prestigious awards.
Bharat Ratna (2001) ,Fellow of Sangeet Natak Akademi (1994),Talar Mausiquee from Republic of Iran (1992),Padma Vibhushan (1980),Padma Bhushan (1968),Padma Shri (1961),Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1956),Tansen Award by Govt. of Madhya Pradesh,Three medals in All India Music Conference, Calcutta (1937),"Best Performer" in All India Music Conference, Allahabad (1930)
In The News
INDIAN PARTICIPATION ABROAD
OLYMPEX, the Olympic Expo Beijing 2008
– A Report by Dinesh Chandra Sharma, National commissioner
Patronage, Organisation, Venue and Date
“OLYMPEX, THE OLYMPIC EXPO”, a world specialized exhibition of Olympic Philately was organized at the Beijing Exhibition Center, in Beijing, from 8 August to 18 August 2008 on the occasion of the Games of the XXIXth Olympiad Beijing 2008, to highlight the role of stamps and postal documents on sports and Olympics with the aim of promoting Olympism and the Olympic ideal all over the world.
This exhibition has the patronage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), China Olympic Committee, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIXth Olympiad (BOCOG) and China Post Group. It was held in coordination with the International Federation of Olympic Philately (FIPO) and the IOC Commission for Philately, Numismatic and Memorabilia.“OLYMPEX, THE OLYMPIC EXPO” was held at the Beijing Exhibition Center, in Beijing, from 8 August to 18 August 2008.
Highlights of the Exhibition
· OLYMPEX (including IOC Prestige Collection - Olympic stamp collection from IOC Honorary President Mr. Juan Antonio Samaranch and IOC official Olympic coin exhibition)
· Special Olympic Theme Stamp Exhibition of China Stamp Museum
· Special Olympic Theme Coin Exhibition of China Coin Museum
· Special Olympic Theme Stamp Exhibition of International Collectors
· Exhibition of International Olympic Memorabilia Collections
· Exhibition of International Olympic Works of Art
Olympex, the Olympic Expo Beijing 2008 was inaugurated by IOC president Mr. Jacques Rogge on 8th August, 2008 in the morning. The exhibition halls were grand and the presentation of exhibit was unique and one of the best possible. For the first time the collections of the Olympic Museum were displayed during the Olympics.
The closing ceremony and the Prize giving ceremony held was very grand and Mr. Samaranch was the Chief Guest. Only the gold medal winners were presented their medals. There were 3 Championship medals – Gold, Silver, and Bronze were awarded to three gold medalists after a secret voting.
Indian Participation
For the first time ten exhibits from India participated in an exhibition held during the Olympics. Mr. Dinesh Chandra Sharma was the Indian National Commissioner who as appointed by the organizing committee of OLYMPEX –2008. The awards won by Indian exhibits are as follows:
Dinesh Chandra Sharma's Summer Olympic Games – Class : Thematic Philately Marks – 80 - Vermeil
Stamp Exhibition 2008 taking place from 18 to 21 September 2008 at the Austria Center Vienna. Also the Audrey Hepburn stamp, which is the most valuable stamp of the post war era are arriving in Vienna amid tight security. The blue Mauritius "Post Office", or, more precisely, the „Bordeaux letter”, will reach Vienna airport on 17 September. Weeks before that date, preparations for surveillance and escort for the valuable object are being made. Erich Haas, the Director of the Philately Department at Austrian Post, is proud to have these jewels worth billions brought to Vienna: "The world’s most valuable letter is worth the equivalent of 18 luxury cars in the price range of Ferraris. These rarities shown at WIPA08 are so valuable that they usually never leave their dark safe-deposit boxes." Some of these very rare stamps are being publicly exhibited for the first time in Vienna.
The Mauritius "Post Office" stamps: Philatelic Jewels
The "Bordeaux letter" displayed at the WIPA08 is the world’s most expensive letter, bearing as many as two of the world’s most famous and rarest stamps: one blue and one red "Post Office" Mauritius stamp. This letter, which in 1847 took 85 days to travel from Port Louis/Mauritius to Bordeaux, was bought at an auction by an unnamed collector at a record-breaking price of 6.123 million Swiss francs (approximately 3.76 million euros). The legendary Mauritius "Post Office" stamps owe their world-wide fame to their origin: they were commissioned in 1847 by the governor of Mauritius, a British colony, to be used on an initiation to a dress ball. By mistake, "Post Office“instead of "Post paid" was printed on the blue 2-pence stamps and on the red 1-penny stamps. After the error was noticed, people started searching for the Mauritius stamps around the world. Today, there are only twelve blue and fourteen red Mauritius stamps left in the world. Queen Elisabeth II. is one of the happy few owners of these rare stamps.
Spanish Post offices create awareness of pollution free environment
A Belfast postman was so moved by the plight of orphans in Uganda, he joined forces with friends at the Eden Derry Memorial Methodist Church and together they raised a staggering £230,000 to build a 180-place Eddie Drury, David Capper, Alex McCausland, David Blevins, and Jim and Freda Bloomer, approached local businesses to help raise the money and with help from Ugandan builders, created a self-contained orphanage that can house 180 youngsters, many of whom will have lost their parents through Aids or suffering from Aids themselves. The original attention had been to feed the orphans who are living in intolerable conditions but the generosity of local businesses enabled them to raise enough to build the orphanage. The Ugandan government has agreed to fund the orphanage over the longer term. There are also plans are for a workshop and farm to complement the project. Money for the orphanage admin block was provided by Methodist Minister the Rev Ken Bradley, who raised the money in memory of his wife Lilian who died from cancer.
*Russian Post Helps refugees from Ossetia
News from our Readers
Olympic Festival … Vijay Seth, New Delhi
‘One Frame Exhibit’ Exhibition in Chandigarh
Project Arrow
Reported by Niket Bubna, Indore
Under the project, India Post has identified 50 post offices in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, North East, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand covering 10 Postal Circles. By the end of the current year, 500 such Post Offices will get operational in the country. These post offices are being given a thorough make over both in terms of "physical look and feel" and upgrading service delivery through IT enabled procedures. Project Arrow has twin objectives: to transform India Posts into a vibrant and responsive organization and to make a visible and positive difference in postal operations to benefit the customers. Project Arrow is expected to bring the rural populace in direct communication with the outside world and bring benefits of development to their doorsteps.
The Present price given in Stanley Gibbons Catalogue is 120 British Pound.
Guest of the Month
Vikas Singh is a keen rail enthusiast. His interests include narrow gauge railways and rail philately. As a member of Indian Railway Fan Club Association he has done extensive rail fanning sessions across the country including the entire narrow gauge network. As a member of Indian Steam Railway Society he is involved with steam preservation efforts in India. He is also closely involved with National Rail Museum in preserving IR heritage and has been involved in training IR officers in various aspects of rail heritage. His articles on Indian railways have been published in various magazines including Darjeeling Mail, Rail Heritage Journal, Indian Steam Magazine, and Indian Railways magazine. He has also been writing railway philatelic articles for various national and international philatelic journals and magazines. His railway collection features in the web page of some prestigious philatelic websites such as World Railway Thematic Stamps, Casey Jones Railroad, American Topical Association and Stamps of India. In 2005 he did his first solo philatelic exhibition at India International Centre, New Delhi. In 2006 year on occasion of 125 years of DHR, he did an exhibition and philatelic workshop inside s specially chartered steam safari. He recently received Gold medal for his philatelic collection on Indian Railways at Dakiana’2008 and a silver bronze at Inpex’2008. Vikas Singh works as Senior Brand Manager with UK multinational - Reckitt Benckiser Plc. He is currently based out of Ghaziabad and can be contacted at vikas.singh@reckittbenckiser.cimby Vikas Singh
The first locomotive to work on Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) was 0-4-0 ST “TINY”. It was used mainly for the construction of the line and was later sold to Jorhat State Railway in 1886. The Siliguri - Kurseong section (32 miles) was opened to traffic on 23rd August 1880. To work on the line four locomotive tank engines were purchased from Sharp Stewart in 1879. These engines were fired with either wood or coal for fuel. These were known as Class 1 engines being 1 to 8.
The section from Kurseong to Sonada (10 miles) was opened on 1st August 1881. This was followed by opening of the Sonada-Jorebunglow (6 miles) section on 5th April 1881 and Jorebunglow-Darjeeling section (3 miles) on 4th July 1881. With opening up of the full line, eight more locomotives were ordered from Sharp Stewart. These engines were 0-4-0 WT and were known as Class 2 engines. They were numbered 9-16 and used only coal as fuel. Four of these engines (11-14) were sub-contracted by Sharp Stewart to Hensley Engine Company in Leeds. Over a period of time improvements and evolutionary changes were made to these engines at Tindharia workshop.
The Darjeeling-Darjeeling Bazaar section (0.25 miles) was opened on 16th June 1886. By 1887 the need was felt for more powerful engines with longer boilers and bigger cylinders, due to traffic demands offering to the railway. Four new engines were delivered by Sharp Stewart in 1888-89. These were numbered 1B to 4B. With this new numbering system locomotives 1-8 were re-named `C` class while locomotives 9-16 were named `A` class. Later the “C” class designation was attached to the two large 4-6-2 pacific class locos that worked the plains branch, while the Garratt was allocated the designation “D” class before its demise in 1954. By the time these new locos entered traffic, the previous locos with these designations had been sold or scrapped, allowing reuse of the class designations to the new locos entering service.
During the DHR centenary celebrations in 1982; a commemorative stamp depicting the B class loco pulling a luggage van and passenger coaches was released by India Post. The first day cover showed the DHR train on the Batasia loop near Ghum.
0-4-0 ST, B class was the final steam locomotives design built for the former DHR Company before the line was purchased to becoming part of Indian Railways. These four-coupled engines weigh 14 tons. The cylinder diameter is 11 inches while cylinder stroke is 14 inches. The wheelbase is 5ft 6 inches. The water capacity is 400 gallons.A commemorative stamp depicting these first B class locomotives was issued by India post in 1993. Two `maximum cards` featuring these stamps were released by India post in 2005.
Till 1902 all orders for B class locos were given to Sharp Stewart. The company supplied DHR locos from its works in Manchester till 1888. After 1888 locos were manufactured at their new location of Atlas Works in Glasgow. In 1903, Sharp Stewart merged with North British (NB) Locomotive Co., and engines continued to be manufactured at Glasgow works. The last B class locomotive manufactured by Sharp Stewart was No-28 in 1903. Between 1904 and 1914, NB supplied six 0-4-0 ST locos numbered 30, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36. The Panchanai-Matigara section (2 miles) of DHR extension was opened on 16th April 1914. It was extended till Naksalbari (12 miles) on 1st February 1915 and till Tabalpur (25miles) on 1st May 1915. Two 4-6-2 Pacific type tender locomotives, classified as “C” class engines, were delivered for working on the Kishanganj extension by North British from their Queens Works in Glasgow during 1914. These were numbered 37 and 38. Since North British was unable to meet the delivery schedule, due to heavy and urgent demands for First World War military armaments and associated railway equipment for the `front` orders for three 0-4-0 ST B class locos were placed with Baldwin Locomotive Works in the USA. Numbered 39, 40 and 41, they were delivered in 1971. These are the only American built locos to have worked on DHR. 
To meet the further demands for loco power, during the second World War, when again North British, like all other UK manufacturers were over-stretched trying to meet the insatiable demands for munitions and other wartime materials needed to fight the war. Tindharia workshop started manufacturing – possibly more accurately rebuilding including more than average content of new parts to create `new locos` after getting spare parts from North British. Using other essential items on hand from former scrapped/repaired locos available within the works enabled them to complete these locally `new-build` machines. Three such locos, No-42 in 1919, No-43 in 1923 and No-44 in 1925 were manufactured at Tindharia workshop. These were named respectively: - Tindharia, Kurseong and Darjeeling.
Between 1925-1927, North British supplied nine further locos numbered 45 –53 for use on the line. Loco no-49 was the last to be manufactured directly for the D HR in 1927. The locos in working condition were re-numbered as per new ISR convention in 1957.
On the occasion of 125th year of DHR on 5th June 2005 a special DHR safari train was chartered. The charter was hauled by B788 (No -33) of 1913 vintage. A special postal cover was released: on this occasion, by Senior Superintendent of Post Siliguri inside the train. A special cancellation impression had been designed for the occasion. A limited number of covers were carried in the train. These were cancelled by a special cancellation franking mark, together with a Toy train cancellation by a postman traveling especially for the purpose in the train. These carried covers were later cancelled at Sukna station. In August 23rd 2006 Indian Railways celebrated the 125th celebration of the line opening with a unique event - Steam on three gauges. Siliguri Junction is reputed the only station in the world with a unique distinction of having all these three gauges- Broad, Meter and Narrow two-foot gauge. A limited number of maximum cards were canceled at Siliguri Post Office, being carried on all the three steam-specials. These were cancelled at the following stations: - Chalsa (Broad gauge), Bagdogra (Metre gauge) and Sukna (Narrow two-foot gauge) Post Offices.
Beginners’ section
Errors on stamps
We often find errors of various types in stamps. Some errors are very obvious, such as an aeroplane flying upside down and shown in the reproduction of a stamp issued in the United States in 1818. Other errors are so minute as to require a strong magnifying glass to detect them. One of the most famous linguistic errors was on the French issue of 1937 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the appearance of the Descrates’ book ‘Discours de la Methode’. At the first attempt the title appeared as ‘Discours sur la Methode’. It was later corrected. In a Greek issue of 1927 the name of an Englishman appeared first as Sir Codrington” later being corrected to Sir Edward Codrington’. Other errors in designing have occurred at times, such as in the 1920 issue from St. Kitts – Nevis in which Columbus is seen looking through a telescope – though telescopes were not then invented! Look carefully at your stamps and you, too might discover some new errors. GLORY OF VARANASI - By © DR.SATYENDRA KUMAR AGRAWAL
On the occasion of Sawan (Sawan and Bhadon are months of Monsoon in Hindi Calendar) - the month of Shiva and issuance of a stamp in commemoration of Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan, It is a pleasure to present here an article " GLORY OF VARANASI" by Dr. Satyendra Kumar Agrawal who is himself a resident of this city which is known all over the world as one of the most ancient and religious cities of the world. Hope the readers will enjoy this article. - Editorrosephila@hotmail.com
As a living organism, the city has also imbibed the institutional heritage of the modern age: it is really the city where the East and West meet in a unique blending. In ancient time Kashi denoted the kingdom and Varanasi the capital. It is also known as Pushpawati (city of flowers), Molini (city of lotus ponds), Surandhan (protected city), Sudershan (beautiful city), Jayansheela and Jitwari (city of Incrative Business), Kashi (city of light), Brahmavaddhan (city of cosmic knowledge) etc. British called it Benaras while under Mughal rule Varanasi was known as Muhamdabad. At present all these names became synonymous of each other.
It is an epitome of India and has magnificent history. All kinds of people converged to it and it became confluence of many ideas and cultures. It is sacred to the Hindus as well as to the Buddhist and the Jains. It nurtured orthodox Brahman cal culture but it also encouraged non-conformism and even nurtured folk ways. The city of Varanasi is very famous since ancient times for its religious, cultural, commercial and political importance. This fact has been amply displayed in the field of philately.
Varanasi was one of the four prominent centers recognized during the British Rule for introduction of Postal Services. It turned out to be the biggest Transit Office with heavy National and International Mail. Because of this the post office is being kept open for all the 24 hours since those times and separate cancellations are being used for the working of the P. O. during the nights.
Of the first three postage stamps issued in 1947 by the Independent India, one depicts the National Flag as the symbol of Independence and the other one shows an aero plane indicating Bright future of the country. When the question of what should be the Emblem of the Nation came up, the upper portion of the Ashokan pillar found in Sarnath of Varanasi was chosen and it was depicted on the third stamp Scott 200. The Ashokan pillar is not only depicted on the stamps of India but also shown by some foreign countries like Soviet Union and Vietnam.
The 52 river sides Ghats of Kashi are spread over the length of about 4 kilometers are famous for their scenic beauty and religious importance all over the world. Of these, the Dashashwamedh Ghat is most crowded and sacred of the five great Tirthas of Varanasi. It is said; the Creator of the Universe, Brahma performed ten Ashwamedh Yagnyas here for which it is known as Dashashwamedh. This Ghat was built by Peshwa Balaji Rao. To commemorate World Tourism Day in 1983, the Department of Posts has issued one stamp depicting a panoramic view of “Ghats of Varanasi” (Scott 1031). This stamp is the pride of India for it stood 3rd in the world and the first in India for being the most beautiful stamp and for being on most novel theme. Varanasi is the only single city to have in credit of maximum number of commemorative stamps and special cancellations, issued on themes connected to it, next to Delhi, the capital of India.
Varanasi is the birth place of a number of great personalities. It is the city where many legendry men studied and got educated. It has been the centre for the activities and achievements of many great men. If one prepares a list of people who earned fame in this city during all there ages, it would run in thousands. The list includes kings, scholars, travelers, politicians and leaders, artists and artisans, martyrs and fighters, poets and writers, philosophers and pundits. The Department of Post has rightly exploited this knowledge by issuing commemorative stamps at appropriate times in course of its independence, with great pride.
Varanasi played its glorious role in the freedom struggle of India. Rani Laxmibai (Scott 289) and Scott 1219, the star woman warrior gallantly fought and sacrificed her life fighting the British Forces during the first war of Independence of 1857. She was born in the house of Gangadhar Rao in Kashi. Chandra Shekhar Azad (Scott 1204), another great freedom fighter was educated in Varanasi. He was baptized as Revolutionary of freedom struggle at Varanasi itself. He was sentenced to 15 whips in Banares Court. On being questioned in the Court, he told his name as 'Azad' for the first time, later on, “Azad” became synonym for Chandra Shekhar. Rashtra Ratna Shiv Prasad Gupt (Scott 1231), was close colleague of Gandhiji and Nehruji. He was founder of 'Aaj' (Daily Newspaper). His residence Seva Upavan' in Varanasi became the home of freedom fighters where the Non-cooperative movement was conceptualized and worked out. He founded Kashi Vidyapeeth (Scott 534), to educate these freedom fighters and gave Varanasi a unique temple the Bharat Mata Mandir inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi. Padma Vibhushan Shri Shri Prakashji (Scott 1368) was born in Varanasi. He was an editor, writer and a teacher of great repute. Prominent among his disciples were Lal Bahadur Shashtri, Tribhuvan Narayan Singh, Harihar Nath Shashtry, Balkrishana, Vishwanath Keskar and Kamlapati Tripathi.
Dr. Sampurnand (Scott 1478) became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. During his reign as C.M. the city of Benares was renamed as Varanasi. Lal Bahadur Shashtri (Scott 430) took over as Prime Minister of India after the Nation lost Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. He was in the office of the Prime Minister for brief period of 19 months; Shashtriji had unmatchable courage and was very polite. These virtues coupled with high sense of responsibility rendered him to the people of the Nation. On his anniversaries, his slogans “Jai Jawan – Jai Kisan “were also became the subject of two issues Scott 429 and 444.
Follower of Ram Manohar Lohia and Jai Prakash Narain, Raj Narain the great Socialist leader who created history defeating Mrs. Indira Gandhi in MP election was also honored on an issue of 2007. The father of the modern Hindi, Bharatendu Babu Harishchandra was born in Chowkhambah (a famous street of Varanasi) in September 1850. Through his creative literature he gave new dimension to Hindi literature and contributed to the prosperity of Hindi language. He has a number of Hindi plays (drama) and essays to his credit. A commemorative stamp was issued in his honor and was released in a function at his ancestral house in Varanasi (Scott 731).
The “Upanyas Samrat “Munshi Premchand (Scott 870) was born in Lamhi Village near Varanasi. His initial work titled Soje-e-watan a mini collection of stories were full with patriotic fervors and was published in 1909. This publication was under the name Nawabrai/Dhanpatrai and was banned by the then British regime. All the copies of the publication were burnt. For this reason he adopted the pen-name Premchand in 1910.His first publication under the pen name Premchand was 'Bade Ghar ki Beti', In course of 33 years of creative iterative he told 300 short stories, 15 Novels, 3 Plays, Essays etc. Some Art Films based on his selected novels were also produced.
In 1890, the founder of progressive Hindi Literature, Jaishankar Prasad was born in Varanasi in the family of Sunghani Sahoo. He was a Master poet and writer of Dramas. 'Kamayani' epic is his unparalleled work base on moral values. The message of peace sent through this work has great Importance. In his times, the Indians were tending to adopt western culture. The work of Jaishankar Prasad impressed the Indian about the greatness of our Bharatiya Culture and put a strong check on this trend. Of the 12 Dramas contributed by him, the prominent are Chandragupta, Skandagupta, Ajaatshatru and Dhruva Swamini. They have distinct place in the history of Dramas. One stamp was issued in his honor in 1991 (Scott 1373) and the stamp depicted the first lines of his famous Kamayani along with his photo.
Baburao Vishnu Paradkar (Scott 1068A), Editor of Aaj (Hindi Daily Newspaper), through his thought provoking editorials proved to be a brilliant and competent journalist, a thoughtful critic and best writer. He worked and struggled for freedom of India and enhancing the prestige of Rashtrabhasha till his death. Subramanian Bharati (Scott 331), renowned Tamil poet from South lived and worked in Varanasi and evoked Nationalism. Most of his poems were composed in course .of his travel to Varanasi.
Varanasi has had to its credit some of the finest musicians and artists Great vocalist and head of Department of Music, BHU , Pt. Omkar Nath Thakur was honored in 1997 (Scott 1611) and Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan on an issue of 21stAug 2008. His haunting rendition of the various ragas on the Shehnai saw him accorded the rare privilege of performing on the occasion of India’s Independence Day, August 15th,1947 as well as on the occasion of India’s first Republic Day on January 26th., 1950.
From time immemorial Varanasi has been acknowledged as the seat of Learning. Students from all over India came here for learning the sacred texts and ancient sciences. Kashi had the unique honor of being the examining university for any religious or philosophical thesis and until and unless approved by the scholars of Kashi, it did not get a room in the country or disciples amongst the masses. Sant Goswami Tulsidas (Scott 238) had composed his great epic "Ramcharitmanas' (Scott 660) between 1631-33 AD which is revered and worshipped by the world Hindu community. Sant Kabir (Scott 237) had composed his poems (Dohe and Ulat-basia) targeting the social evils and social injustice. Similarly Sant Raidas (Scott 536&1894) carved a place for himself in the field of philosophy while continuing his struggle against casteism in Kashi. The great philosopher and Ascetic of Kashi, Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya (Scott 756), after propagating his religious teachings all over the country, settled himself in Kashi and took 'Jal-samadhi' in Kashi in 1531.
Bhagwan Buddha delivered his first religious discourse at Sarnath and propounded Dharma chakra cult. Two stamps depicting Bodhi Tree (Pipal) (Scott 272) and Bouddha Chattri (Scott 273) (Which is kept in Sarnath Museum) was issued on the occasion of 2500th Anniversary of Buddha Jayanti. Dhamek Stupa is a magnificent Stupa located in Sarnath where one stone carving (Shila Lekh) of 6th century is preserved. It is depicted on a stamp of 2002, Scott 1944.
Dr. Annie Besant (Scott 377) advocated 'Brahmavad' in Kashi and founded Indian Theosophical Society. She was Educationist, Social Reformer and was devoted to India's freedom. J.J. Krishnamurthy who laid down the foundation of 'Krishnamurthy Foundation 'in Varanasi and continued to carry forward the works of Dr. Annie Besant was also commemorated on an issue of 1987 , Scott 1159. One more great personality of the religious and philosophical world, Maa Anandmayee (Scott 1156) was also very close to Varanasi. She had established her Ashram here and made Late Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru to experience the joys of meditation and the bliss. The great master of mystic science 'Tantra Shashtra' and a renowned astrologer, Kaviraj Gopinath was also one of the greats of Varanasi who was honored by Department of Post issuing a stamp Scott 1239. Even today Varanasi is one of few cities which have so many Universities, Colleges and famous academies. Many of them have been honored on stamps.
Great educationist and the leader of freedom struggle Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya Scott 350) established Kashi Hindu Vishwavidyalaya (University) (Scott 1343). It was inaugurated by Viceroy Lord Harding in whose presence; Gandhi delivered his historical Address and blew the bugle of struggle for independence of the country. Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya (Scott 1478) is known for its contribution in the development and progress of Sanskrit Literature. The Library of this university houses more than one Lakh handwritten manuscripts of ancient Sanskrit Literature. These are used as reference books by the Research students. Bharat Ratna Dr.Bhagwan Das (Scott 485) came in contact with Dr. Annie Besant and with her cooperation established Central Hindu School at Varanasi. He was great Sanskrit Scholar and coined a number of 'Hindi' words and tried to bring the East and the West nearer to each other. He also established Kashi Vidyapeeth (Scott 534) in form of National University having an important place in India’s Freedom Struggle.
Big and Small – Varanasi may not be called a big industrial town but it has its own style and name in industrial world. The Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi has widely contributed to the Services by Railways in India. Of the four stamps on Indian Locomotives issued in 1976 one stamp depicts the Diesel Engine WDM-2 built in the Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi (Scott 719). Besides the Department of Posts, India many foreign Postal administrations also have issued stamps based on themes related to Varanasi. Hungary has issued one stamp in honor of our Second Prime Minister. Lal Bahadur Shashtry (Scott 1735). In ancient literature, the Puranas, it is said that the name Kashi has been given to this city because one Chandravanshi King 'Kash' ruled this region. In the same Purana it is, mentioned that Maharaj Dhanwantari who was exponent of Ayurved, was also born in Chandrawansh Clan. Nepal has issued one stamp (Scott 337) in the name of Bhagwan Dhanwantari in 1977. Recently Guyana has issued one stamp showing the Elephant of Maharaja Kashi Naresh. On the occasion of 2500th Buddha Jayanti, Thailand has issued one stamp showing Dhammekh Stupa of Sarnath (Scott 583).
Besides the postage Stamps, there are a number of special covers and special cancellations Related to Varanasi. “Glory of Varanasi” is the only collection based on a single city and prepared in HINDI has credit of being awarded during World Exhibition INDIPEX 1997, exhibited by the author’ daughter Tulika Agrawal.
Reader’s Right
Shri R. R. P. SinghDDG Philately,
Department of PostGovt. of India,
Dak Bhawan, Parliament Street, New Delhi - 110 001August 28, 2008
Dear Shri Singh,
As apprised you over the phone which I repeat here that 2.8.2008 Turtles issue Miniature sheet not arrived in any of the Bureaus, even the Turtles stamp also only little (part) quantity supplied to the Bureaus, not the full quota received in any of the Bureaus which is quite disappointing to the customer, when they visit to the Bureau they don't get the material on the date of issue and even after a month time.
The 8.8.2008 Olympic issue miniature sheet again only part supply only one packet of 200 M/S received in Patna on 16.08.2008 and also some other Bureaus. This practice carried on in recent year which is highly damaging the name of our India Philately, on this issue I have written several time in past also. This needed to be addressed by your good offices with top priority with all seriousness. Please look into and streamline the timely supply of your products otherwise you are going to loose your revenue and customers.
You witnessed so many good things in China during your recent visit which I hope you will now implement all the good things in India to keep our Indian Philately Flag high.
I shall be glad to received response from you.
(Pradip Jain)
Austria
8 August 2008 3-D Miniature Sheet on Venus
Australia
5 August Aviation A380 (Qantas)
China
8 August 2008 Beijing 2008 – M/s with 10 stamps - 60 Fen: Basketball; 80 Fen: Fencing; 80 Fen: Sailing; 3 Yuan: Gymnastics; 1.20 Yuan: Diving ; 1.20 Yuan: Shooting; 1.20 Yuan: Athletics;; 20 Yuan: Volleyball ;1.20 Yuan: BMX ;1.20 Yuan: Weightlifting
8 August 2008 Olympex 2008
24 August 2008 UK - China Joint issue
Finland
5 September 2008 - Following different issues on this date
M/s Formula 1 2007 ChampionshipFor Dog owners and FansFireworks Nordic Mythology: Mythical places - minisheet of two stamps100th anniversary of Mika Waltari. A famous Finnish author.
Denmark
27 August 2008 Great Dances Series – 5.00, 5.50, 6.50, 10.00
Poland
1 July 2008 Polish towns and cities – Racibórz - 1.45
8 August 2008 Beijing Olympics 2008 - 2 x 10 gr , 2 x 1.45
UK
22 August 2008 Handover of Olympic flag from Beijing to London 4 x 1st class + M/s18 September 2008 RAF Uniform – 3 x 1st class, 3 x 81p
CORK STAMP - K.RAMARATHNAM, Chennai
Portugal issued on 28th November 2007, the first Stamp in the World to be made out of the bark of a Cork Oak. Cork and Cork Oak are national symbols of Portugal and is reusable, biodegradable and can be recycled, a dire necessity in today’s world. It is used in a variety of Areas from Construction to Automobiles and Aeronautics and is widely best known as a Wine Stopper. It is a part of Portuguese Culture and aptly Portugal decided to issue it as a Stamp. The Stamp is a worthy addition to Novelty Stamps like Stamps made out of Wood, Swarosky Crystals and Embroidery. Do you know?
• The popular name for Israel’s first series of stamps, issued on May 16, 1948 was ‘DOAR IVRI” from the Hebrew inscription meaning “Hebrew Post”.
• A stylized chrysanthemum, resembling an open umbrella was used by Japan prior to 1947 in the design of many stamps issued by Japan.
• Rouletting in Philately means a method of separating stamps similar to perforating.
• Cinderella is the name given to labels that look like stamps, but are not actually valid for postage (e.g. Scouts, Red Cross, AIDS, Tax labels etc.
• Sierra Leone issued the first self adhesive stamp depicting map shaped stamps in 1964 followed by Tonga in 1969 with Banana shaped self adhesive stamps.
Blogs & Websites on Philately
http://www.rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com/ – This is the newly introduced Blog to bring philatelists together on e- stamp club and share views with each other.
http://www.freewebs.com/abetsky65 It is the website of Quezon philatelic Club, Philippines.
http://www.filacapsule.blogspot.com/ – This is new Blog of Fila Capsule Newsletter, edited by Mr. Ajit Dash and published by Eastern India Philatelists’ Association, Bhubaneswar. Now This Newsletter is available online at this Blog.
http://kidsneedstamps.blogspot.com/ - It is the Blog of a Stamp Club “Kids Need Stamps” in US which assist parents with first steps into the fascinating worldwide hobby and help them to nurture this wonderful passion in their children.
Niraj Kumar Sinha
A beautiful magazine. The article on roses was superbly written.
I wish to throw some light on how the stamp on the Aldabra Giant Turtle came about. We all remember a news article came in papers about the death of Adwaita, the giant turtle of Kolkata zoo. It was decided to issue a stamp on this longest living animal specimen on earth. Even in the plant kingdom very few species survive this much or longer. Despite having a traditional machinery, we decided to have hexagonal stamps, a first in India and perhaps one of the very few in the world. The idea was to draw a resemblance with the markings on its carapace. As you see in the information brochure, the tortoise was brought to India in the time of Clive. India Security Press did a courageous job of carrying out perforations in such a manner that stamp could not only get a hexagonal shape, in a shetlet upto two star shaped stamps could also be easily taken out. This was achieved on traditional linear perforation machinery by doing some simple geometric drawings in the philately division of the department. It is a beautiful stamp and one is almost moved to see this ancient relic who was alive only two years ago, proudly looking up.
K. K. Miglani, New Delhi
I would like to congratulate you for the Excellent Rainbow Stamp News. One of its kind seen after a very long time. It is very informative & beautiful. Congtrats once again for the efforts being put in for the Stamp News.
I am a stamp lover from BHUBANESWAR, ORISSA. I have gone through your blog. It enlightened me with lot of information on shape, size and types of stamps. I have started collecting stamp on THEME Aquatic environment, particularly on fish and aquatic organisms (fresh, marine, brackish etc.. I request you that if possible please publish details on stamps issued on aquatic animals of India and other countries. Hope to receive response on stamps issued on various types of aquatic animals from other countries. Thanking you and best wishes for the beautiful site.
Promotional section
Presentation Pack
New Presentation Pack has been brought out by India Post of Rs. 30/- on Ustad Bismillah Khan which contains one FDC & one Brochure.
PIN CODE DIRECTORY 2008
India Post PIN Code Directory 2008 CD was released on July 25, 2008. The Directory maps over 150,000 post offices in India to PIN Codes and provides useful information about the post offices. The Features of this product include, PIN Code database downloadable in Excel (csv) format. It would be possible to integrate the database with mailing lists of organizations, so that PIN codes can be added or corrected in the addresses; Search, View and Print options for PIN Codes of states and districts including individual PIN Codes; Printing of selected range of PIN Code information; and Free PDF version of the book, 'The India Post Ready Reckoner'.
Auction
• ITS Instant Auction Sale – Aug. 2008 Last Date: 6 September 2008 Indian Thematic Society indianthematicsociety@gmail.com is holding Instant Auction Sale – Aug. 2008 with 40 lots. See scans of these lots at http://www.flickr.com/photos/its_offers
• Vadophil Auction No. 6 by Baroda Philatelic Society Last date for Bidding : 10 September 2008 More than 100 lots containing items on Post Independence, Thematics, Fiscal & Revenue, Postal history & Literature. E-Mail: vadophilately@indianphilately.net & trs_shah@rediffmail.com
The Annual Year Book
The Annual Year book 2007 with lots of images of stamps, miniature sheets, first day covers, maxcards, folders, postmarks, tech details, text and colourful images are enclosed in this 52 page, hard bound A4 size book. For more details contact: Mr. Vijay Seth S-331, Greater Kailash Part I, New Delhi – 1100048. India Ph. 09810241363 E – Mail: vijay_hsth@yahoo.co.in
Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletters
Stamps of India Collectors’ Companion India’s first and most updated weekly e-newsletter edited by Madhukar and Savita Jhingan from Stamps of India, New Delhi. E-mail: mjhingan@yahoo.com Website: http://www.stampsofindia.com/
Vadophil- July 2008 issue edited by Prashant H. Pandya & Timir R. Shah and published by Baroda Philatelic Society, Vadodara. E-mail: Vadophil@indianphilately.net & trs_shah@rediffmail.com Website : www.geocities.com/vadophil/
RAINBOW STAMP CLUB
This is a blog of e-stamp Club http://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. Those who are interested may send following details for publication on blog. If they wish they may also send their photo for publication.
Name…………………......................................
City/Country……........................................
E-Mail…………………...................................
Postal Address……………………………………....
Collecting Interests……………………………....
Brief write up about yourself………………....
Readers may also express their views on any philatelic matter which will be published under Club News at Rainbow Stamp Cub Blog. Philatelic Clubs and Societies may also send brief write ups. News about new issues of India and abroad and other information related with Philately are regularly posted on this blog. Readers may send reports on new issues, special covers, cancellations & philatelic activities of their area for inclusion in this Blog. - Editor
Courtesy- News and Image Resource to this issue - Stamps of India, Hellmail, Learnabout…stamp Collecting, Austria Post, Shrikant Parikh - Ahmedabad, Rakesh Walia - Chandigarh
• Address for communication: Mrs. Jeevan Jyoti, D.F.O. Residence, Chopal-171211 Distt. Shimla (Himachal Pradesh). E-mail – rainbowstamp2008@gmail.com & j.jyoti9@gmail.com
• Last date for receiving write ups – 25th of every month. Kindly send images in jpg compressed format & text in MS Word only.
• If you liked this issue please forward it to your friends and help in promoting philately.
A Request to Readers-
• Please do not send the text in scan form. Send your write ups in MS word only.
• 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.
The stamps of the world are powerful object lessons in the eternal hunger of men of knowledge. - US President Eisenhower
Till Next Month Happy Collecting…………………………………………………………
Rainbow Stamp News is edited and published monthly by Jeevan Jyoti, from Chopal, Distt- Shimla-171211 (H.P.) India.
