Rainbow June 2012

       

Countdown for London 2012 Olympics begins…

London 2012 Olympic stamps to be issued by Israel Post on June 26, 2012. The special feature of these stamps is its tabs that depict Olympic rings, London landmarks and flags of participating countries. One of the stamps in this set ( No. 1 stamp) also  has Indian flag on its tab !!

   

Indian flag depicted  on tab (No. 5 from extreme Right )

 

Shimla June 2012 Vol. V Issue # 54

Monthly e-Stamp Bulletin Edited by Jeevan Jyoti for free circulation among philatelists

Readers are requested to send reports of philatelic activities in their area for publication. Short write ups by the readers about their journals, societies, publications and philatelic requirements can be sent for inclusion in this bulletin to j.jyoti9@gmail.com or rainbowstamp2008@gmail.com and by post to –

Ms. Jeevan Jyoti, c / o Mr. Ajay Srivastav, Director, Great Himalayan National Park, Shamshi, Distt. Kullu. PIN 175126. (H.P.) India

Note- This bulletin is only for circulation among a limited group of philatelists without any commercial purpose. The bulletin will be sent to the readers only on request. Those who wish to receive it regularly please reply giving the name of your city / country with the subject SUBSCRIBE RAINBOW

Dear Reader,

Where are London 2012 stamps by India Post ???

As the date of LONDON 2012 Olympics is approaching very close the anxiety of Indian philatelists increases as India Post has not announced stamps for this biggest International sports event so far. We are all at our fingers crossed..as to what happens next ?? If we would ever get a chance to see new stamps or this event  will remain unnoticed by by India Post ??? It is a question mark on the authorities who decide the themes and events for postage stamps which are regarded as the little paper ambassadors of a country.

It is high time for the whole philatelic community and especially the philatelists in Philatelic Advisory Committee of India Post to take up this matter immediately to the concerned authorities before it is too late to pursue !!

It is time for the   philatelic community of India to start a campaign against non - issue of London 2012 Olympic stamps by India Post... This biggest International sports event must not be ignored by India Post at all cost !!

Let’s join hands together and raise this issue  !!

This is all for this month…Enjoy the articles and other stories in this issue…

More in Next Issue… Happy Collecting !!

                                                                                                                                                   -- Jeevan Jyoti

 

Contents

· Recent Indian Issues

· In The News

· Interview

· From the Desk of Naresh Agarwal

· Beginner’s Section

· Specialized Section – The mythical creatures of Himmapan Forest by Dr SK Agarwal

· Reader’s Right

· New Issues from Other Countries

· Philatelic Clubs and Societies

· Blogs & Websites on Philately

· Literature on Indian Philately

· The Lighter Side

· Book Review

· Editor’s Mail Box

· Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletters

Recent Indian Issues

· 1 March 2012 Vasantdada Patil – Rs 5

· 9 March 2012 Shyama Charan Shukla

· 14 March Civil Aviation Centenary – 4 stamps – 3 x Rs 5, Rs 20 + MS

· 12 April IT College, Lucknow

· 17 April 2012 Godiji Temple, Mumbai – Rs 5

· 18 April 2012 R. Ventkataraman

· 16 May 2012 Karpoor Chandra - Rs 5

· 17 May 2012 M.B.Kadadi – Rs 5

· 27 May 2012 800th Urs festival of Dargah Sharif Ajmer – Rs 20 & Rs 5 + MS

 

Recent Special Cover and Postmark

15 April 2012 : Utility and conservation of Swamp Land in Uttar Pradesh – Gorakhpur

28 April 2012 : Jainism – Patna

7 May 2012 – 100 years of St Thomas School, Shimla

31 May 2012 – World No Tobacco Day – Srinagar ( J & K)

View : Special  Covers 2012 by India Post

In The News

Olympex 2012

The last edition of Olympex to be organised by FIPO, will be held from 24th July to 9th September 2012 at the prestigious headquarters of the British Library of London. It has been included in the cultural programme of the Games in London. The exhibition will not be as grandiose as the previous ones due to the limited budget provided by the IOC and to the complete absence of the English Postal Administration and of the Organising Committee of the Games (LOCOG). This has influenced the choice of the location of the exhibition which will be certainly prestigious but of limited dimensions.

Consequently the exhibition will be exclusively on invitation and based on the London Games of the Olympiad : 1908, 1948 and 2012. There will be no national commissioners and the collections that will be invited will reach London without any expenses for the Organising Committee. This exhibition will officially close the 30 years activity of FIPO.

Exhibitions..

IPHLA 2012

Specialized International Exhibition for Philatelic Literature

IPHLA 2012 : A specialised exhibition for Philatelic Literature is going to be held  from 2 to 4 Nov.2012 in the town hall of Mainz (Germany). This exhibition will  be held under the patronage of FEPA & AIJP but some non European countries are also invited by them and India is also one of them.

No Federation Commissioner has been nominated . Please go through website www.iphla.de

For any information please contact to Mr. Wolfgang Massen, Email: w.maassen@alip.org

THAILAND 2013

THAILAND 2013, International Philatelic exhibition will be held in Thailand from 2 to 14 August 2013 in Bangkok, under the patronage of FIP. The World Philatelic Exhibition will take place from 2 - 14 August 2013 at the Royal Paragon Hall 1-3, 5th floor, Siam Paragon, Bangkok. The event will feature not only some unique postage stamp collections, but also displays of other rare and valuable collectibles from around the world. A stamp contest and competition of OTOP products will also be held as part of the event, with an international panel of judges from member countries and representatives of countries submitting collections for display.

PCI has nominated Mr. R D Binani as Commissioner for India, his address :33-B Rowland Road, Kolkata 700 020  E mail : binanipm@gmail.com Mob:9830073058

INDONESIA 2012 WORLD STAMP CHAMPIONSHIP

INDONESIA 2012: International Philatelic exhibition will  be held under the patronage of FIP from 18 to 24 June 2012 at Jakarta Convention Center. The exhibition will be known as  INDONESIA 2012 WORLD STAMP CHAMPIONSHIP. Mr. S. Sahoo, is National Commissioner for India. His address is :- D-3, BJB Nagar, Bhubaneshwar 751 014 Email: sahadevas@yahoo.com

Next National Philatelic Exhibition expected to be held in Mumbai….

A National Stamp  Exhibition is expected to be held in Mumbai  in February 2013 This exhibition is supposed to be organized with Collaboration of India Post and Philatelic Congress of India.

New Postmark by Royal Mail on all mails 'Delivered By Royal Mail'

Soon a new 'Delivered By Royal Mail' postmark is to be stamped on letters and other items to distinguish post delivered by the group and its competitors." "The company announced it will introduce the new mark to most of the 15 billion letters and parcels carried by the business every year, saying it is important that customers know the difference between post delivered by Royal Mail and its competitors."

- Reports Alan Jones of Britain's Independent

Talat Mahmood - singer unnoticed by India Post…

Talat Mahmood (February 24, 1924 – May 9, 1998) was a popular Indian playback singer and film actor. A recipient of the Padma Bhushan in 1992, he had a unique style of singing. He was famous for singing ghazals. He was honored with the First 'BEGUM AKHTAR AWARD' in 1975 for ghazal singing .His voice was full of pathos and emotions and his flawless rendering of songs always touched the heart of people.

Like his other contemporary singers he was never tempted to sing the sub-standard lyrics only for the sake of money.

Indian Post has already released  stamps to commemorate the works of his contemporary singers: Hemant Kumar, Mukesh, Kishore Kumar and Mohd Rafi. Burt the great singer Talat Mahmood has not been recognized by India Post. Therefore we all music lovers of India strongly recommend for the release of a 'Postage Stamp' in memory of great singer Talat Mahmood.

World’s largest envelope by Aligarh University students

An envelope big enough to be the ticket for AMU entry into the Guinness Records

Aligarh: The students of the Aligarh Muslim University have made a 37 x 27 feet envelope to get their alma mater registered with the Guinness Book of World Record. The huge envelop was made by a group of about two dozen students belonging to the faculties of Engineering, Architecture, Fine Arts and Law was put on display at the Kennedy Auditorium of the University before a large gathering of students and teachers.

Read More…

Stamp Exhibitions in India

Stamp of the Past

Stamp of The Past : Indian Heritage in Philately : Updates

A Stamp Exhibition on Indian Monuments, Museums, Paintings and other historical items on philately has been  organized by Archeological Survey of India in collaboration with India Post  at New Delhi. The Subject of the Exhibits  includes Indian Cultural Heritage, Monuments, Museums, Coins, Antiquities and other related stamp and material telling a story about India and its culture. This exhibition is a part of 150 years of ASI in India. The venue for the exhibition is Red Fort New Delhi and will be there for 2 months.  20 frame exhibit is given by India Post, and about 20 frames by Indian Philatelists. 

1. Two frame Maximaphily exhibit by Ajay Kumar Mittal , New Delhi
Title of the Exhibit : Incredible India

2.  Five frame exhibit by Pradeep Kumar Mallik - PATNA
Title of the Exhibit : Legacy from the Past ( UNESCO - WORLD HERITAGE)

3. One frame exhibit by Moloy Sarkar , Kolkata
Title of the Exhibit : TAJ MAHAL.

4. Five frame exhibit by Timir Shah, Secretary, Baroda Philatelic Society Baroda, Gujarat
Title of the exhibit - Archaeology ( India ) through Philately "

5.  One frame exhibit by Jeevan Jyoti,  Kullu (H.P.)
Title of the Exhibit : Taj Mahal - The Pride of India

View : Glimpses of the Exhibition

More Pics at following links :

http://rainbowstampclub.blogspot.in/2012/05/club-news_28.html

News Feature

Special feature in Hindi on The Exhibition “Stamp of the Past” :The Minister of Culture, Director ASI, Director India Post and Mr Ajay Mittal talk about the exhibition. Please click following link to listen this news feature :

http://www.newsonair.nic.in/feature-audio-new-player.asp?id=2349

Press Clippings..

Bicycles and waterfalls this philatelist’s forte…

- Naveen Kalia, TNN | May 24, 2012, 05.48AM IST

LUDHIANA: It was in the 70s when the trend of exchanging letters with pen friends was common among people that Suraj Jaitly gathered inspiration to collect stamps. One of his pen friends from abroad requested Jaitly to send him Indian stamps and while collecting these for him, Jaitly found the exercise interesting.

In 1975, Jaitly took his first steps in philately and started collecting stamps of various countries. At the age of 52 today, he boasts of a vast collection with indefinite stamps, but a large chunk of his collection is based on bicycles and waterfalls, which he has sourced from various venues.
''I wasn't well aware about philately when I started, gradually I learned about theme based philately, as most philatelists collected stamps of national leaders, birds and animals. But, I wanted to collect something different,'' says Jaitly . Read More ..

Interview

In this issue meet Mr. Sandeep Jaiswal, editor of India Post which is regarded as one of the most reputed international philatelic journals . Sandeep Jaiswal is a well known name among the prominent philatelists and stamp dealers of Indian States. It is a great pleasure to publish his interview in this issue. Here he answers to some of the questions asked by Mr Naresh Agarwal which Readers would like to know. I thank Mr. Jaiswal for giving an interview to Rainbow and sharing his views on different aspects of philately - Editor

  Sandeep Jaiswal is a non resident Indian philatelist presently living in US. A dedicated philatelist, reputed philatelic dealer, editor of prestigious “India Post” the quarterly journal of India Study Circle. Being a very friendly, humble and generous person, Mr. Jaiswal is a man with versatile personality. He hails from Kolkata and is the elder son of Sri P.C. Jaiswal a renowned stamp dealer of India. Though Mr Sandeep Jaiswal was a European fashion industry professional but started real estate business in Rhode Island only in 2008 and is currently president of Group 21 LLC. He also started dealing in stamps few years ago selecting the same business which his father is still doing. He established Stamps Inc. (specializing in Indian states philately) and also became a partner in ISES Inc. (Expertizing company for Indian States philatelic material).

Sandeep Jaiswal with daughter Sydney and wife Lori

Starting stamp collecting at the age of 10 years, he has grown in to a matured philatelist of International fame with over 30 Gold Medals to his credit in International philatelic shows on Indian Feudatory States Exhibits. He deserves all appreciation for his commendable research work on postal history of Indian states which has undoubtedly given new dimensions and recognition to postal history stature of Indian states.. He has very keen observation on the philatelic activities all around and a clear vision of the future of philately. We thank Mr. Jaiswal who has very clearly, honestly and modestly answered to all the questions raised to him in the interview given hereunder.

Interview with Sandeep Jaiswal, Editor : India Post

Naresh Agarwal talks to Mr Sandeep Jaiswal…..

1. How were you introduced to philately and how do you relate your life with it. Tell us something about your achievements?

Well, it all started when I was about 10 years old. My father gave us all stamps and while my brother and sister did not care much for it, I was instantly drawn to them. I remember trading stamps in school with other kids during lunchtime. You know, stamp collecting was quite popular among kids back then.

As far as relating my life to philately the answer depends on who you ask – if you ask my wife she will tell you that I have a sickness and that my life revolves around philately. What’s scarier is that I think Lori might be right.

Philately has been a great source of knowledge and information for me. In college, I once gave a speech titled “Why stamp collecting is good for your health”. I distinctly remember the perplexed look on the faces of both the students and the faculty however by the time I was done I had everyone convinced.

Sandeep Jaiswal receiving the India Study Circle award from Americas Secretary Mr. John Warren

Being awarded a gold medal at Napex 2011 as editor of India Post is perhaps the most satisfying philatelic achievement to date. Being leader of the team (India Study Circle) competition that took in first place at the 2012 APS Single Frame Team Competition is a close second.

2. Your father being a renowned philatelic dealer of high international repute, how do you see his contribution and role in grooming and making you a stalwart in philatelic world?

During my teens, I used to visit my father’s stamp office regularly after school. I also have fond memories of traveling all over India to attend philatelic shows with him. Besides teaching me the ABC’s of philately he taught me, more importantly, to dream big and work hard to turn it into reality. He has always made me believe that I could do just about anything if I truly put my mind to it (and I am a firm believer of it). You know when I got out of the fashion industry 7 years ago and was contemplating my next business venture it was he who suggested that I start a philatelic business – and thus Stamps Inc. came into existence. To this date I consult him when it comes to making important philatelic decisions.

3. Philately for pleasure or Philately for treasure….. what is your experience and what are your suggestion to justify the above quotes?

Well for me it has to be both. I get immense pleasure from exhibiting, from giving philatelic presentations, philatelic travels and most of all from flipping thru my collection. I must say that when I started collecting Indian States some 27 years ago I did not think of it as something that could be financially rewarding, however so much has changed since then and it now turns out that philately has been one of the best investments I have made.

4. Of late, it is seen that stamp fairs and festivals are gaining popularity rather than stamp shows and exhibitions in India. You too have been seen visiting such events? It is understood that these are platforms for dealer to dealer interaction and sales. How do such events help a common collector?

Philatelic shows, fairs and exhibitions are a must for both collectors and dealers for different reasons. As far as collectors are concerned, it is a great venue to meet fellow collectors, attend seminars and workshops on philately, meet and register their collecting interests with dealers, a chance to join new philatelic societies, an opportunity to view numerous exhibits with a chance to see extraordinary philatelic material. I must have attended well over 100 philatelic shows / fairs over the past 27 years and am always looking forward to the next one. I will go to great lengths to make sure that I don’t miss such shows and exhibitions.

5. Philately too have expanded its arms in form of different branches. Of late, Social Philately, Open Class, Maximaphily are gaining popularity as are being introduced in different levels of exhibitions. How do look at the future of such classes?

I am a purist or some may say “old fashioned” so perhaps not the best person to answer this. I collect in the traditional sense and my exhibits all fall under either Traditional or Postal History or Postal Stationery class. That being said, these new categories or classifications of philately appeal to a broader range of people including non-philatelists. So to answer your question I believe the introduction and popularity of these new classes of philatelic exhibiting are here to stay.

6. As we know, you basically hail from Kolkata and now settled in USA. What basic difference do you find in collecting interests, approach of philatelists and operation of postal and philatelic organizations here and there?

While there are many similarities, the differences that are obvious to me are:

• Philatelic exhibiting & more importantly philatelic judging in India has long ways to go to catch up to International standards
• The lack of a strong Philatelic Society like the APS which do so much for the collectors and the hobby.
• The lack of a strong dealer body like the ASDA to enforce a strict “code of ethics” among its members. In the absence of such dealer body, collectors have little protection and no recourse against unscrupulous dealers.
• It seems that collectors in India are not terribly quality conscious and are willing to settle when it comes to quality. Americans on the other hand are extremely quality conscious, sometimes bordering lunacy – this whole business of “graded stamps” where high-grade stamps often fetch several times their catalog value. There has to be a happy medium.

7. It is seen that there is always an unhealthy race for higher medal and for that some philatelists use undesired means and methods. In our opinion, there is no competition in competition class of philately. Every competition class is just an evaluation class. We suggest change of COMPETITION CLASS to EVALUATION CLASS. What do say about it?

I agree that while the current system is far from being flawless and some philatelists resort to unethical means in their quest for the top award, it is still, in my opinion, the best system. Open competition in any field is a must - the challenge of winning the coveted prize is what makes us all better at everything we do, including philatelic exhibiting. That being said, all exhibits are really evaluated and awarded on their own merit and not judged against other exhibits to determine the award level. It’s only at the very top when it comes to awards such as the Grand award that completion becomes a factor.

8.Collecting and dealing were previously two totally different fields of philately. But now, most of the philatelists are turning in to dealers. In India, a new trend is seen and set that every budding/next collector straight away starts thinking of dealing in to philatelic products. How is this trend going to help or harm philately?

A very small percentage of collectors have the time, knowledge and expertise to deal in philately. Most are too preoccupied with the own business or their job to be able to take the time to deal in philatelic items. Stamp collecting is prevalent among the middle and upper middle class and most of these people are fairly well off, so time is a premium and we all know that being a stamp dealer is a very time consuming job. Remember the famous saying “King of hobbies and Hobby of Kings. With the Internet and platforms such as eBay it is definitely easier to become a part-time stamp dealer today. Having more dealers around is a good thing for collectors, sort of cuts down on monopoly as competition keeps prices in check.

9.Latest technological developments in communication such as Internet has given new dimensions to sell and purchase philatelic products, making huge information quite handy and opened ways to meet and interact people world over sitting at home and above all helped reducing the paper mail transmission. What do say about short term and long-term impact of these innovations to the development, stability and scope of philately?

As far as I am concerned, the Internet is one of man’s best inventions second only to sliced bread! The Internet has propelled philately to great heights; it has created a new breed of young computer savvy philatelists. It has truly eased the sharing of information and aided in philatelic research. The proof is in the pudding – there have been more research papers and books written on philatelic subjects this past decade than the previous half century. This is truly the Golden Age of Philately.

10. Coming to the standard of exhibitions, displays and judgment, what basic difference do you find in Indian scenario in comparison to the world over. Your suggestion on improvement?

Philatelic exhibitions in India are at par with those held overseas. I have attended many international shows and must say that Indipex 2011 was one of the best philatelic shows I have ever attended. I was also very impressed with the “National Stamp Fair” in New Delhi last year. As far as exhibiting and judging I think there is room for improvement. With the exception of Indipex 2011 and National Stamp Fair, frames that house exhibits need major improvement. A uniform judging system needs to be implemented at the regional & State level and the award levels need to be standardized. In the absence of uniformity, exhibitors are at a total loss to gauge how their exhibits will fare at the national or international level.

I met some very competent judges during Indipex 2011 and, with the exception of a few, most were from overseas. We, here in the States, have AAPE (American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors) that serves the exhibiting community. India needs a similar organization that can help exhibitors and judges by guiding them in the right direction. My suggestion would be to have judges join the AAPE and have themselves FIP accredited.

11. It is understood that you are regular reader of Rainbow Stamp News and Bulletin. What changes, if any do you suggest for improvement in rainbow for better service to the philatelic fraternity looking in to the fact that Rainbow is meant to serve all the colors of philately with philatelists of all ages and fields?

Yes, I look forward to Rainbow Stamp News every month and am always impressed with the contents. You have several great contributors who have written some wonderful articles. So my suggestion to you is to keep doing exactly what you have been doing, which is putting out a great journal.

12.You have represented personally and also the India Study Circle in various philatelic shows and won various awards. How do you feel your standing in international philatelic field as an individual and being editor of India study circle at different levels?

Being awarded a gold medal as editor of India Post at Napex 2011 is a philatelic achievement that is very dear to me. India Study Circle is very close to my heart and I must admit that I get an immense amount of pleasure from knowing that most of our members enjoy the journal I so painstakingly put together. So being the editor India Post is truly very rewarding. As far as my standing in the philatelic world, most know me as Mr. Jaiswal’s son.

13.It is felt that philatelists awareness or so to say interest towards India study circle is not that good in India as it should be because it represents an area of rich philatelic and postal history and heritage with tremendous scope of search and research covering huge population of philatelists. What are the reasons for the same and what do you suggest to improve the situation?

On the contrary, our membership numbers have increased dramatically since I took over the editorship three years ago. We now have about 100 members in India compared to about 25 five years ago. Of course Mr. Pratisad Neurgaonkar has done a stellar job in recruiting new members and is largely responsible for the growth of our society in India. I am very hopeful that we will continue to grow our membership base in India. Many may not be aware of the fact that we now offer a reduced membership rate for philatelists residing in India. All this came about when we shifted the production of our journal from UK (black & white) to Poona (full color). Since the cost of mailing journals to members residing in India have dropped considerably the Committee decided to the pass the savings on to those residing in India.

Interested collectors should go to our website www.indiastudycircle.org to learn more about our society.

14.It is highly appreciable that you thorough ISC has undoubtedly promoted and introduced the varied facets of rich postal history of India to the philatelic community world over & helped and promoted postal history collectors too. But as we see, thematic is gaining popularity and most of the new collectors are getting attracted towards it only. Is ISC planning to bring some changes in to its working to take care of this aspect of philately through their bulletins and operations?

Thematic collecting has always been popular. It may appear that such collecting interests are gaining popularity partly because you see a lot of thematic exhibits these days. Remember such exhibits were not allowed a couple of decades ago so while there were always thematic collectors out there material was seldom displayed for all to see. I used to be a thematic collector in my teens collecting KGVI British Commonwealth.

The India Study Circle has always stood for research. While thematic collecting may appear to be gaining popularity there is often little scope for research so in essence very little to publish. That being said I am always open to publishing original research works on thematic subjects.

15.ISC is being read, followed and appreciated by a handful of collectors in India because postal history is considered highly research oriented, time taking ,slow and costly filed of philately. With this fast pace of life today how do you feel the scope of development of postal history in India? What actions are being taken to promote postal history in this region of the world?

Postal history is like vintage red wine, one has to cultivate taste for it. New collectors have to start off collecting stamps, first day covers, miniature sheets etc and with time will slowly graduate to richer, complex and more challenging areas of philately like postal history. It’s an evolutionary process and not much needs to be changed to get collectors interested in postal history. I started out collecting GB stamps, moved on to KGVI commonwealth, then moved on to Malayan States and finally settled on (or at least I think I have settled on), for the last 27 years, on all aspects of Indian States philately including stamps, postal history and postal stationery.

16. India Study Circle closely look in to the philatelic material of India. What do you say about quantity, quality and nature of stamps and other products being issued by India Post in recent times?

India Post just like USPS here in the States is hurting philately by producing a high number of issues each year and most seem to be issued with the philatelist in mind. It is truly unfortunate that stamps are being produced for the collectors market and not for postal purposes – it’s as if they are printing money. These stamps hardly ever make it on letters and parcels – they go directly from post offices to the collector without having ever served any postal duty. It’s too bad that this has become a money making scheme for both the Deptt. of Posts as well as for the dealers who create artificial scarcity by hoarding and cornering these new issues. New issues selling for several times their face value shortly after release is not good for philately and I am of the opinion that this bubble will burst soon.

17. You have been successfully editing a well acknowledged research oriented ISC journal of high esteem and repute. Being editor of such journal what are your suggestions to other print and e-bulletins which are being published presently in India such as rainbow etc..

Be true to yourself and your beliefs, be fair and unbiased in your reporting and never compromise. While you may not hear from them, there are many who appreciate and respect what you do, as an editor, for the hobby.

Mr Sandeep Jaiswal may be contacted at e - mail : ISCeditor@stampsinc.com

 

From the Desk of Naresh Agarwal

INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION : A PAIN OR PLEASURE

“Philately is king of hobbies and hobby of kings”. The second part of this statement seems to be true as philately has now been immensely commercialized and has now turned in to trade. And so building a good collection is not that easy now as it needs huge amount of money to procure the needed philatelic stuffs which of course is not that easy for a common Indian philatelist with average income.

Participating in any International Philatelic Show is dream of a philatelist which takes him years together of hard work, dedication and persuasion to become eligible for that. It is a matter of honor and proud not for him but for his countrymen too, if he wins awards in such shows. The philatelic community is lucky and happy in this regard as it saw a good number of International and World philatelic shows all over the world in last 2/3 years. There is a list of good number of shows to be held in near future too.

Surprisingly philately has not been so rightly recognized and put on high agenda by state governments as they fail to recognize and appreciate the achievements of philatelists who represent their country at such levels and win awards and bring honor for it.

Participating in any International Philatelic Show needs good amount of money in terms of participation fee per frame & charges for Insurance, carriage and handling, clearances and other miscellaneous expenditures even after help by the national commissioners who carries the exhibits in lot and so the total expenditure other than frame fee and inland carriage cost is shared amongst the participants. If a participant wishes to visit the show, he has to bear the total cost of travel, stay and other incidentals. This means for an Indian participant it needs a huge amount in INR to either participate or visit a show out side India.

Leaving aside kings (philatelists with big pockets), somehow some philatelists of average income have been managing to participate in such shows by arranging the required money in past but of late, in the last 2 years it is seen that there has been a huge hike in participation (frame) fee as well as other expenditures. For example only participation fee per frame in WSE INDONESIA 2012 is 120USD for one frame,90USD for Literature and 60USD for other classes and proposed fee for AUSTRALIA 2013 150AUD for one frame,90AUD for Literature and 90AUD for other classes. This means only participation fee for five frame exhibit would be minimum or 300 USD or 450AUD. Plus other expenditures. This huge fee has now discouraged many such eligible aspirants/participants who have either restricted or withdrawn themselves from participation or have participated with pains in their heart.

Now, is time to think differently? Participating and winning awards at International shows is a matter of pride not only for the participant but for the country. Government needs to think upon this differently. Government needs to view philately as a sport and help participants by arranging full fee and other expenditures for participants along with travel and stay expenditures for visiting participants like in other sports. Indian philatelic organizations/clubs/ societies need to take up this issue with the postal heads and the State and Centre Govt. so that philately may be given a new direction and status. Undoubtedly, if government views philately in right perspective, this will be a right move to support and promote philately. This will improve the image of Indian participants in International shows and help Indian participants to visit shows abroad which otherwise is very difficult for common Indian participant.

My appeal to all the recognized or established bodies of philately in India is to join hands, move ahead and make an impact on the postal department and the Government which otherwise spends lots of fund on philatelic promotional activities with no outcome or poor results. Come let’s make an impact…

PCI to lead and we all to back it…………………

Beginners’ Section

Most people don't know that George Bernard Shaw was a stamp collector...

“Words are only postage stamps delivering the object for you to unwrap” ~ George Bernard Shaw

He is the only person to have been awarded both a Nobel Prize in Literature (1925) and an Oscar (1938), for his contributions to literature and for his work on the film Pygmalion (adaptation of his play of the same name), respectively. Shaw wanted to refuse his Nobel Prize outright because he had no desire for public honours, but accepted it at his wife's behest: she considered it a tribute to Ireland. He did reject the monetary award, requesting it be used to finance translation of Swedish books into English.

Specialized Section

© Dr.Satyendra Kumar Agarwal

The mythical creatures of Himmapan Forest

Touring SE Asian countries I often came across mystical creatures in wall paintings and sculptures adorning religious places, palaces and outside many buildings difficult to identify due to their hybrid structures.

Thai Mythical Creatures

This created curiosity to know about them and I started searching in literature and found interesting details about many of them as mythical creatures of Himmapan Forest.

 

Strange creatures from Myth and Folklores

Himmapan Forest

It is a mythical forest and is said to be located in the Himalayan Mountains. The word "Himalaya" in ancient Sanskrit means "abode of snow" and snow in Hindi is “Him”, perhaps that's also how the name "Himmapan" was derived. It is also believed that the forests are located below the Buddhist heavens and are invisible to the eyes of mortals, who can never approach or enter.

Some believe Yeti may be found dwelling in Himalayan mountains

This place has different time faster than our time. The one day is four hundreds years compare to our time. Most of the creatures here are very different from what we have in our physical world. Most of them are what can be described as a "combined-animal" as for example, a horse with a bird's head, a man with lion body, etc.

Combined Animals

These animals are actually mythical creatures that dwell in the legendary Himmapan Forest. They live in peaceful life; there is no war, no fighting, no conflict in forest and eat natural fruits for meals.

Hybrid creatures of Himmapan forest

Mythical Creatures

Religious beliefs play important roles in Asian literatures. Religious tales were recorded in the form of manuscripts, bas-relief, sculptures, and mural paintings. Two prominent religions mentioning tales of Himmapan creatures are Hinduism and Buddhism. These creatures may be deities, semi-deities or demons.

Deities and semi-diets

Hinduism

Hinduism is the oldest major religion still in practice in the world. The belief in Hinduism's many Gods leads to many legends including stories of various magical creatures such as Garuda the kinnara and Naga.

Out of ten incantations of Lord Vishnu, ‘Matsyavatar(fish), Kurmavatar(tortoise), Varahavatar (boar) and Narsimhavatar (half lion half man) are the incarnations where Lord Vishnu is depicted in animal forms. .

Matsyavatar                   Kurmavatar                         Narsimhavatar

One form of Lord Vishnu is Parrot headed Muni Suka ji, son of saga yyasa,Elephant headed Lord Ganesha and Horse headed god Hayagriva have mention in Puana.The Sun also appeared with a horse’ head to reveal the wisdom of the Veda to Rishi Yagnavalkya and Rishi Dadhichi replaced his human head with a horse’s so that he could share Vedic wisdom with the Ashwini Kumars. In Oria retelling of the Mahabharata, the great archer Arjuna is once confronted while in Khandava forest by a beast named Nav-gunjara that is a composite nine animals: it has the head of a rooster; the neck of a peacock; the back of a bull; the waist of a lion; the feet of an elephant, a human, a deer, and a tiger; and a serpent for a tail. The beast is considered a form of the Hindu god Vishnu, or of Krishna, who is considered an incarnation of Vishnu.

Multy headed Serpent Kaliya Nav-gunjara Ganesha

Many of the characters in Ramayana, the great epic of Hinduism are Himapan creatures. Some help aiding Ram in rescuing Sita from Ravana, while some are parts of the demon king’s legion. Most popular are Monkey headed Hanuman, Sugriva, Bali, Crocodile headed Makardwaj and Bear headed Jamant.

Bali-Sugriva               Ravana- Hanuman

The tale’s well known not only in India, but also in many South East Asia countries. “Ramakien” is a version of Ramayana in Thailand. It is also full of mythical creatures of Himmapan forest.

Mythical creatues of ‘Ramakian’

Buddhism

Himmapan creatures not only appeared in Ramayana but also in many other Thai literatures and tales such as the tale of Kha Kee (About Lord Garuda), and books about Buddha's many incarnations.

The main Himmapan creature in Buddhism is Naga. The Naga, or the king of snakes, is a serpent like creature with beard and pointed crown. In old text, Naga is the half-brother of the Garuda.

Naga                                       Garuda

The Naga is often found in Thai architecture and also frequently portrayed giving comfort and shade to the meditating Buddha, the coils of the great snake acting as a cushion while the many heads function as an umbrella. Besides, there are many written manuscripts about Lord Buddha's previous incarnations. In some incarnations, he was born in the forest of Himmapan.

Coils of the great snake as a cushion and heads as an umbrella

A Part of Thai culture

Thai artists are reproducing the bizarre and fantastic shapes of the mythical beasts in great detail for many generations.

Some of the more prominent creatures are those based on the body of a lion, a bird, or a horse, although these are by far not the only combinations.

Thai Mythical creatures

Mr. Chueng Slaylanon wrote a book titled “Thai Art” (1951 AD) in which he categorized Himmapan creatures into 3 categories: two-legged creatures, four-legged creatures, and fish-based creatures. This categorization method has since been a standard for grouping Himmapan creatures.

Perhaps the most popular Thai human-bird creature is the swan-bottomed Thep Kinnaree seen as the embodiment of grace. Having said that, although promoted as the epitome of loveliness, some tales describe Kinnaree’s taste for human blood, which makes her the closest equivalent to a vampire we can find in Thailand. The male counterpart of Kinnaree is known as Kinnara or Thep Kinna Norn. They stay in the himmapan forest and eat natural fruits for meals.

 

Swan-bottomed Kinnaree & Kinnara

Other Mythologies

There are other cultures which share similar idea about "mixed" or strange animals. The elephant-headed Japanese god is known as Kangiten, typically depicted with an elephant’s head and human body, or as a pair of two-armed, elephant-headed deities in embrace. Statues of this deity are relatively rare in Japan - most are kept hidden from public view and used in secretive rituals of the Tendai and Shingon sects of Esoteric Buddhism.

Japanese god Kangiten

The Canaanite god Dagon was a fish god with human head and hands.

Some images of ancient Egyptian gods are also shown with animal headed human body may have been an inspiration of Himmapan creatures.

The dog-headed baboon was one of the manifestations of both Thoth, god of writing, and Khonsu, the youthful moon god. Anubis is represented as a man with the head of a dog or jackal.Bast, a goddess with head of a cat, Horus and Ra with the head of a falcon, Khmenu with the head of a ram, Sebek with a crocodile head and many more with bird heads.

Thot                         Ra                                Horus                               Anubis

Another worth mentioning culture with many strange creatures is Greek Mythology which can be divided into two main categories, “hybrids” and “monsters”. Hybrid creatures are composite creatures much like how most of the Himmapan creatures are.

Centaur

Hybrid creatures of Greek Mythology

Famous mythical creatures

Dragons

It is a legendary fearsome reptilian flying creature that breathes and spews fire and featured in the myths of many cultures. Two distinct cultural traditions of dragons are known, one the European, derived from their folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern mythologies, and second is Chinese, with counterparts in Japan, Korea and other East Asian countries. Chinese Dragons are usually shown with a body like a huge lizard, or a snake with two pairs of lizard-type legs, and able to emit fire from their mouth where as the European dragon has bat-type wings growing from its back.

Chinese and European Dragons

Pegasus

In Greek mythology, Pegasus is the winged horse that was fathered by Poseidon with Medusa.

Winged horse Pegasus

Phoenix

A mythical bird with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet colour having a life-cycle of 500 to 1000 years. At the end of this life cycle it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again.

Immortal Phoenix

Unicorns

Horse-like creatures with a horn on their forehead are one of the most mysterious of all animals glorified in folk tales, songs, poems, and stories for centuries. Some believe the Unicorn still exists in remote regions and can be discovered only by those of exceptional virtue and honesty.

Unicorns

 

Griffin

It is a legendary creature with the body of a lion, tail of a serpent or scorpion and the head, beak & wings of an eagle. It is found in the paintings and sculptures of the ancient Babylonians, Assyrians and Persians. In Greek mythology they belonged to Zeus and Romans used them for decoration. In Christian times Griffins were frequently used as gargoyles on medieval churches, buildings and as heraldic sign.

Griffin

Sphinx

It is a winged monster of Anatolian origin having heavenly powers and settled near the city of Ancient Thebes. Sphinx has a long haired women head, body of a lion and chest & wings of a bird.

Sphinx

Mermaid

Mermaids are represented in the folklore, literature and popular culture of many countries having a female human head, arms, and torso & the tail of a fish. Its male version is known as "merman".

Fish-tailed Mermaids

Abominable Snowman

Also known as Yeti is a giant human-like body, white shaggy fur and big feet.

Snowman

Dr SK Agarwal may be contacted at email : rosephila@hotmail.com

Check List for the Stamps issued worldwide in 2011 related to the theme of ‘UNESCO - World Heritage’

- Pradip Kumar Malik

MARCH 2011:

Italy – Brazil joint issue: The Colosseum of Rome, the World Heritage monument was depicted over the stamp issued as Italy – Brazil joint issue.

Valetta (Malta): As 2011 SEPAC (Small European Postal Administrations Corporation) issue Malta released a set of three stamps on Treasures of Malta – Landscapes. The landscape of ‘City of Valetta’ is beautifully depicted over the stamp of the face value of 19 Eurocents.

Pradeep Malik may be contacted at e-mail : mallikphila@gmail.com

To be contd….

Reader’s Right

Ever declining quality of printing - Indian Stamps

A discussion about Indian Commemorative stamps - in an international philately forum  : Not Good But True !!

I am posting this thread here so that some official on Indian posts OR some folk who is active in philately and has a link to Indian post can point out the rubbish print quality of the recent issues of Indian stamps. This is not a month's observation but since 2010 the print quality has declined considerably (when other nations are printing stunning quality stamps with modern technology).

In 2012 my observation says, all the issues are having color shifts. The black is not black, the yellow is not yellow and so on. The colors have pitch dots in them and are not filled up. They are visible in naked eye.
The designs are equally frustrating.The paper – let’s not mention it. I wonder who is printing these and how do these flood the Post offices without any quality checks and why is the postal department not even bothered about it? Read More….

Maxim Cards : Critical analysis

 

Critical analysis : These Maxim Cards issued by UNPA recently on 19th April 2012 has not been designed as per FIP rules of Maximum Cards. This card uses all four stamps in block whereas per FIP rules only  one stamp could be affixed on the card matching with the stamp design for creating a  Maximum Card. Such Maxim cards are not appropriate to display in a competitive exhibition. An exhibitor may get negative points for such cards though these are official cards of UNPA.

Read More….

New Issues from other countries

UK

1 June 2012  : Mail a Smile

Visit…. Europa 2012 - New issues

San Marino : 13 June 2012

Poland : 22nd May 2012

Serbia : 30th May 2012

New Blogs & Websites

GANDHI Stamps & Philately Study Circle : http://gandhistampsclub.blogspot.in/ - A new Blog by Ketan Patel .…. Saving Gandhi Philately by trying to bring awareness and exposing illegal activities in Gandhi Stamps and Philately.

Europa Stamps : http://europa-stamps.blogspot.in/ : A blog on Europa, cept, norden & sepac stamps

Phla Mirror : http://philamirror.info/ : The Indian Philately Journal

Se- tenant Stamps of India - http://setenantsofindia.blogspot.com/ It is a specialized Blog on se-tenant stamps.

Flags & Stamps - http://flagstamps.blogspot.com/ - It is a specialized blog on Flag Theme .

Glimpses of Modern Indian Philately : http://modernindianphilately.blogspot.com/

Join Mobile Philately & Stay Updated - http://mobilephilately.blogspot.com/ Mobile Philately is a mobile technology based philatelic community with short messaging service (SMS) that allows the community members to get latest updates related to Indian philately directly into mobile message box.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Stamps-Philately-1610/indexExp_69442.htm - It is a site based on Question & Answers on Philately. Mr Prashant Pandya replies to queries.

Literature on Indian Philately

View   : List of Books 1

             : List of Books 2

Philatelic Clubs & Societies

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

Deccan Philatelic Society – Pune, Maharashtra

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

Indian Stamp Ghar - http://www.indianstampghar.com/

Indian Thematic Society, Ludhiana - http://indianthematicstamps.webs.com/

Ludhiana Philatelic Club

Mobile Philately - http://www.mobilephilately.webs.com/

Philatelic Society of Rajasthan, Jaipur

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

Rajkot Philatelic Society – Rajkot, Gujarat

Gujarat Philatelic Association - Ahmedabad

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

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

The Army Philatelic Society, Pune

The Lighter Side

Letter Box of Unique Style

Photo : State Museum- Shimla : 9 May 2012

Letter Box with Victorian Crown

REVIVING PHILATELY

( AT GRASS ROOT LEVEL )

C.R.Andhare and Naresh Agrawal talking to children

In Indian Philatelic scenario, there has been tremendous decline in birth and growth of new philatelists only because of less interest among the school children in stamp collection. The reason being pressure of studies, development in communication systems leading to intensive use of mobile phones and e-mails and also growth of private courier service. A strong need of introducing and inculcating the hobby of stamp collection among the school children is felt today as future of philately lies in these children only.

To move a step in this direction to take the children in to the world of stamps, Adharshila Vidya Mandir School at Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh organized a philatelic workshop on 06.05.2012 during its 15 days summer camp which saw various different creative activities. Mr. C.R. Andhare and Mr. Naresh Agrawal philatelists of international repute from Bilaspur introduced students of class II to class Xth. During this workshop students were introduced to the postal stamp, its feature and its importance as a collectable and educational item. They were taught how to collect, preserve, arrange and organize stamps. There were different thematic exhibits on display and PPt. presentation. The workshop was well attended and created interest amongst many of children. Stamps and covers were distributed amongst the children. Local print media also wrote high of this activity.

- Naresh Agarwal, Bilaspur

Stamp collector transforms shed into fully-functioning 1950s post office

Royal Mail enthusiast Steve Knight, who spent £15,000 transforming his garden hut into a fully functional 1950s post office, has been nominated in the annual Shed of the Year contest.

Stamp collector Mr Knight took his Royal Mail obsession to new heights after completely remodelling his garden shed.It features its own telephone line, which is connected to the national network through a vintage 1937 exchange.

The 50-year-old Essex resident had been collecting postal memorabilia for over a decade when he ran out of space to keep his collection. He then decided to give his modern lean-to, which includes original signs, scales, stamps and uniforms from a traditional 1950s post office, a makeover.

'I've always been a keen stamp collector since I was a young boy but I started collecting letter boxes around 14 years ago and it just grew from their - I now have 115 of them dotted around the garden,' he explained. 'After years of collecting - and thanks to donations from people whose family worked in the postal service - I realised I had everything needed to create a replica of a 1950s post office.

'That's when I began restoring the items and opened my post office shed to the public.' Since renovating the shed, the sales and marketing director has been inundated with hundreds of donations from local enthusiasts.

And Mr Knight is hoping to grab first place and the £1,000 prize in the annual 'Sheddies' to fund plans for... an even bigger shed.He said: 'I am very lucky to have such an understanding wife and neighbours who have helped me create such a unique space.

'Everyone enjoys soaking up the atmosphere when we open up the shed to visitors and I have a band of volunteers who help out on the day. 'It's great that people can come and share my passion in life - especially when it's just a couple of yards from my back door.'

You can vote for Steve's shed online at www.readersheds.co.uk from May 21.

Read more:

Editor’s Mail Box

- Prakash Modi, Toronto - Canada

Thank you very much for the May 2012 issue, that has as usual come out very well.

A Quick Review article of Naresh Agarwal is very interesting, informative and educating.

In a limited space he has covered lots of points. Much more can be written but few important topics are left out.

I may add that nothing is mentioned about availability, prices, image, comparative quality, etc. of Indian stamps abroad. Export potentiality, making available to millions of NRI, creating an image for its sales value, etc. need to be considered.

Another topic missed out is about working of Philatelic Advisory Committee, Ministry's organizational structure, government staff, etc.

It is understandable that considering the history & geography of the country itself is unique but education & culture needs to be changed and till then continuous efforts are required for progress and development. Hope for the best!

Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletters

Stamp of India Collectors’ Companion - India’s first weekly e-newsletter edited by Madhukar and Savita Jhingan from Stamps of India, New Delhi. E-mail: mjhingan@yahoo.com Website: www.stampsofindia.com

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

Phila News, Editor Rajesh Pahariya and published by Philatelic Society of Rajasthan, Jaipur

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

e ZEP Newsletter http://www.ezep.de/zpj/zpj.html Editor : Dieter Leder email zpj@arcor.de website www.eZEP.de

SIPA Bulletin Editor - Mr G. Madan Mohan Das and published by South India Philatelists’ Association, Chennai website : http://www.sipa.org.in/

FILA Capsule – Editor : Ajit Dash and  published by EIPA, Bhubaneshwar.

GPA News – Editor- Ilias Patel and published by Gujarat Philatelists’ Association, Ahemadabad.

Kar Phila News published by Karnataka Philatelic Society & edited by by Akshay Borad

e–mail : akshayborad@hotmail.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. 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, ; International Stamp News ; Mansoor B.- Mangalore ; Ashwani Dubey, Dr Avinash Jagtap – Switzerland; Shrikant Parikh – Ahmedabad, Kasinath R. Tanjore (Tamil Nadu); Jagammath Mani – Bangalore ; Dr Eli Moallem- Israel; Prashant Pandya & Timir R Shah – Vadodara ; Pradip Jain - Patna

Address for communication:

Jeevan Jyoti, c / o Mr. Ajay Srivastav, Director, Great Himalayan National Park, Shamshi, Kullu (H.P.) PIN 175126 India

E-mail – j.jyoti9@gmail.com or rainbowstamp2008@gmail.com

Last date for receiving write ups – 25th of every month. Kindly send images in jpg compressed format & text in MS Word only.

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

A Request to Readers & Contributors-

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

Kindly specify your contribution such as article/News/ Reader’s Right / Beginners’ Section/ Lighter Side etc.

Please do not send forwarded messages for promotional section if you want to give any information for promotion please write personally with brief write up. As this newsletter is not used for any commercial purpose in any manner.

Attention -
Please send limited number of images in compressed jpg format only with your article. Please send text and images separately. Please do not send text or image for publication in PDF.

Any material from this newsletter may be reproduced only with the written permission from the editor.

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

Rainbow Stamp News is edited and published monthly by Jeevan Jyoti, from Kullu (Himachal Pradesh) India.