In the Footsteps of Guru Nanak: 515 Years Later on Kartik Purnima 2019 via stamps

Click here: Read about Guru Nanak Dev ji's visit to Haridwar during 1504 A.D.

Courtesy: Tarun Kumar, Haridwar.

Children's day and Stamp Collecting.

Children's Day is recognized on various days in many places around the world, to honor children globally. Universal Children's Day takes place annually on November 20. In India, Children's Day is celebrated on 14 November, the birthday of the country's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru born in 1889.

Jawaharlal Nehru, who was fondly called Chacha Nehru (Uncle Nehru) by the kids, emphasized the importance of giving love and affection to children, whom he saw as the bright future of India. This day is known as Baal Divas in Hindi.

Many functions are organized in schools, offices and other organizations. All over the country, various cultural and social institutions conduct competitions for children. Children's Day is seen as a day for the kids to engage in fun. Children take part in many sports organized for them.

India Post also celebrates Children’s Day by releasing special postage stamp every year on 14th November. Stamps issued on this occasion are the only stamps which are not designed by professional stamp designers of India Post.

India Post or Bhartiya Dak Vibhag as it is known as in Hindi holds drawing competition on all India level and the selected best entries gets its place as design of the commemorative postage stamp, first day cover and various other such items which are issued on 14th of November by the name of that particular school student.

It was in the year 1957 when India Post issued a set of three stamps for the first time on 14th November. First of the stamp was depicting a boy eating a Banana. The price of the stamp was 8 Paisa. The stamp was created from a candid photograph of a 8 year boy Shekhar Borker. The photograph was selected from 10000 entries. Shekhar became famous as 'Banana Boy' after the stamp was issued. Until 1966, the Children's Day stamps were created using a photograph. in 1971, instead of using a photograph, India Post started to use drawings and paintings by children, selected from all over India.

 (Stamps issued in 1957 in single color)

 

(Coloured stamp issued in 1973)

 
From 1973 India Post started to issue stamps in Multicolor and also the trend of using the children's painting was started.

2006

From the year 2006 India Post also started issuing Miniature sheets on the painting of Children.

2013

 

There has been no stamps issued in the year 2014 on this theme till date.

 Design a Stamp Competition

India Post Organizes 'Design a Stamp Competition' for School children. The competition is organized on national level and hundreds of thousands of school children from every corner of India take part in it. A theme is given and the competitors and they have to design it in ink, water color or oil paint. Winning design is selected to depict on Children's Day stamp. The competition is open for the student of Standard IV to Standard XII, and is divided in 3 groups. The winning entries from each group gets its place on Children’s day stamp, First Day Cover, Miniature sheet and various such other collectables by released by India Post every year on 14th November.

Many stamp collectors like to specialize themselves in a specific theme. Gandhi stamps are one of the most popular themes in the collectors of stamps. Now Children's day stamps also have become a popular theme amongst the collectors. It is notable thing that India post has issued a large number of stamps on both the themes.

Stamps on this theme are displayed in most of the philatelic exhibitions in India.I started collecting stamps in my school days and still continuing the same.

Deepak Narendra Ji Modi, JALNA.
Modi.philatelist@gmail.com

References: Articles in various news papers, internet and from personal collection.
Note: All the stamps released from 1957 to 2013 has not been included in this article due to space restriction.

Philately and the Internet - Article in Hindustan Times - Amitava Sanyal.

An Article published in the Delhi Edition of "The Hindustan Times" which throws light on the Hobby of Philately in the times of Internet.

To read the complete article click on the link below:

Article in Hindustan Times - Amitava Sanyal.

Do you want to take up Stamp Collecting?

Of recent, I am getting many mails especially from kids, young beginners and a few who want to start afresh, with collection from their school days, asking for help with stamp collecting.

Here I present a short article which may help all of you with the basics of stamp collecting.

Stamp collecting started almost with the first prepaid stamp Penny Black way back in 1840 and since then it is collected in many ways like mint, used etc. There are also many forms of stamps like miniature sheets, coils, etc., which come in various shapes.

First of all, what do you collect and from where? a beginner starts with used stamps from the letters he receives (which has become a rarity with the advance of modern technology like the telephone, internet etc.) one can also collect mint commemorative stamps from the Post Office or buy both used and mint stamps from dealers. A very good initiative is to join a local stamp club or collectors club where stamp collecting is practiced wherein you can meet like minded collectors and seniors who will impart valuable knowledge and guide you. It is also be helpful when you want to take part in a competitive exhibition. There are many websites and blogs which has news on different sections of stamp collecting.

What are the basic materials you need, well not much, a few envelopes, some cardboard box (which are better than plastic for your stamps) and stamp stock books as per your need. Stamp stock books are albums with 10 to 20 cardboard pages with thin film of transparent glass paper through which you can insert your stamps and also view it for future reference.

A magnifying glass to which helps to see you stamps better for hidden markings, date of issue etc. A pair of stamp tongs, these are not the tongs (tweezers) with sharp pointed end, but with flat, rounded end.

Finally an Album to store your stamps (these come in various types) specially those stamps which you want to retain with you forever. Loose-leaf Albums are better as you can add more leaves when required and also for re-arrange the pages. You can add some bits of information like the country (when it is printed in an alien language) or any interesting tidbits.

Here I would like to stress upon the fact that graph sheets are meant only for exhibiting your stamps in public exhibitions and are different from albums or album page. Many of the beginners who view the same in exhibitions end up pasting their stamps to the graph sheets, as the hinges or mounts are not visible.

With this hobby you can learn as you go along, and each person will develop their own ways of collecting, presenting, displaying and finding amazing stamps. You can pass this hobby to any person with out any age restriction, even kids can begin in a small way.

My personal advice to all beginners, do not try to build a collection overnight after visiting a stamp exhibition (many of the dealers lure you to buy ready-made collections) Exhibiting and winning medals should not be the sole aim of this hobby, but enjoy it by collecting stamps and other materials over the years by taking your own time and facing challenges, then you will have a special sentiment toward each stamp in your collection and this will be the true essence of Philately. Awards and Medals should only be a by-product because if you aim only for Medals, your interest wanes off after you achieve an award. Remember you are the best judge of your own collection.

Finally I welcome comments from other readers, bloggers and philatelists so that it can be of additional help to the beginners.

Hey! DODO.

This is a way you address a fool or a dumb person. Do you known that DODO was a bird that actually existed in the past?!!!

Dodo was a flightless bird native to the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It was a flightless member of the pigeon family, which weighed up to 23 kg. Portuguese became the first Europeans to discover the dodo in the year 1500. By 1680 it had been driven to extinction by humans who hunted it for flesh and later the dogs, pigs, rats, and monkeys introduced by Europeans to Mauritius.
Our present day knowledge of what the dodo looked like is based on several sources like the diaries and writings of the sailors and captains who landed on Mauritius in the 16th and17th century, drawings from the few humans who were able to witness them alive and the few fossils excavated from the island, which are kept at the British Museum, and a foot and a beak which are preserved at Oxford. The dodo was a large, plump bird covered in soft, grey feathers, with a plume of white at its tail. It had small wings that were far too weak to ever lift the dodo off the ground, dubbed the bird "dodo" which meant simpleton in Portuguese tongue (“doudo”).

Today the idiom "as dead as a dodo" means undoubtedly dead and "to go the way of the dodo" means to become extinct or obsolete, or to become a thing of the past.

The Dodo is a lesson in extinction. It is hoped that the lesson of the Dodo can help prevent similar extinctions, and aid us in preserving the diversity of life on earth.

The SS above was released along with 4 stamps set on 22 June 2007 by Mauritius. The above SS is painted by Julian Pender Hume, a Paleontologist by profession. The 4 stamps are also art work of different artist's view of the dodo.

Speed Post in Mangalore

Speed Post Business Office at Mangalore commenced on 18.01.1988 has completed its 20th year recently. It was launched at the Head Post Office Premises with a Manager, clerk and 2 postmen for the entire Mangalore City, has grown since with a Manager, 5 clerks, 5 postmen, 5 pickup men and 3 others working at the Main Office, besides it has 79 extension counters at various post offices in Mangalore. An average of 1000 articles is booked at the SPCC Counter daily and it has more than 200 BNPL (credit) Account holders. Besides Speed Post it provides services such as Express Parcel Post, Media Post, E-payment, Business Post, Retail Post, Speed Post Passport Service, Instant Money Order Service, Logistic Post, Handling Customer Grievances (web based) Management of Speed Post Credit Accounts etc. It has earned revenue of about Rupees 6 Crores for the year 2007-08.

A speed post article is booked and it reaches the destination, when it is received by the addressee, the postman makes him sign a card as Proof of Delivery (POD), if desired by the sender, and it is sent back to the sender. If the addressee is not available at the address, the postman then leaves back an intimation card. Recently the intimation card and POD has lost its importance as tracking facility is available through internet and intimation is made through phone, SMS etc.

Some interesting POD and intimation card which has pictures of local culture, tradition and historical places etc are depicted on one face of these cards.

The first intimation card depicts Thousand Pillar temple at Moodabidri and the second, Traditional Buffalo Race in Paddy Puddle.

The first POD depicts Picture of Postal Inspector with Speed Post banner atop "Kalapathar" with Mount Everest in the background and the second, "Yakshagana" A folk drama of Coastal Karnataka.
The New Intimation card has the advertisement of the various services provided by India Post.

Back side view of Intimation card and Proof of Delivery (POD)

Special Cover released on the ocassion of "Mangalapex", District level Philatelic exhibition, to celebrate 15 years of Speed Post Service at Mangalore - 17.01.2003.

Thanks to Mr.Joseph Rodrigues, Speed Post Manager, Mangalore. - spc.manglore@indiapost.gov.in

Permanent cancellation of Mangalore Philatelic Bureau.

Special permanent cancellation of Mangalore Bureau depicts the Mangalore Light House.

 Inauguration of Mangalore Philatelic Bureau.

Some Photos of the Light House. The Light House situated at the Heart of the City dating back to the 18th Century, built by the then King, Tipu Sulthan is now inactive. It is now located inside the Tagore Park. The raod leading to this Light House is named Light House Hill Road. The Light house is built of laterite, with clay, mud and lime is still being preserved.A few years back one could get a beautiful view of the sea and the city below from this Park, but the high rise buildings which has come up recently, has obstructed the view.