Rainbow Feb 2011

8/7/2019 Rainbow Feb 2011

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Shimla February 2011 Issue # 38 Vol. IV

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 writeups by the readers about their journals, societies, publications and philatelic requirements can besent for inclusion in this bulletin to [email protected] [email protected] and bypost to

Mrs. Jeevan Jyoti, c / o Mr. Ajay Srivastav, Director, Great Himalayan National Park, Shamshi, Distt.Kullu. PIN 175126. (H.P.) India
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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

Dear Reader,The Countdown for World Philatelic Exhibition INDIPEX 2011 has begun. The exhibition celebrates the

Centenary of the First Official Airmail Flight that took place in India on 18th February 1911. To make

this event very special A ceremonial flight would take place on 12th February 2011 from Allahabad to

Naini commemorating the 100 years of the Airmail flight. The flight would carry about 5000 First DaySpecial Covers with special postmark. India Post will issue a special Khadi Stamp and introduce

personalized stamp for the first time during the exhibition. This event will bring a great pleasure and

enthusiasm for philatelists, from India and abroad to meet at a common place. I wish all the participants

and organizers a grand success. Looking forward to meeting you all at INDIPEX 2011Pragati Maidan,New DelhiHave a Wonderful & Memorable Time at the World Philatelic Exhibition !! .

Till next monthHappy Collecting !!

. Jeevan JyotiSee More images onBlog

ContentsRecent Indian IssuesIn The NewsInterviewBeginners SectionSpecialized SectionSomething of interest, also for non-philatelistsNew Issues from Other CountriesReaders RightPhilatelic Library
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Philatelic Clubs and SocietiesBlogs & Websites on PhilatelyThe Lighter SidePromotional SectionCurrent Philatelic Magazines NewslettersEditors Mail Box

Recent Indian Issues15 Dec India Mexico Joint Issue Rs 5, Rs 20 + MS21 Dec Crafts Museum 2 stamps of Rs 5 each + MS22 Dec Yashwant Rao Chavan & Bhausaheb Hiray two stamps of Rs 5 each23 Dec Bhai Jeevan Singh & Central Bank of India two stamps of Rs 5 each24 Dec National Council of India & Dr Triguna Se- se-tenant pair Rs 5 each31 Dec two stamps - Immanuel Sekarnar & Lalit Kala Academy Rs 5 each15 January 2011 : Doot Rs 527 January 2011 : Krishnadevaraya Rs 5 + MS

2011 Stamp Issue programme of India Post is available at following link.

http://www.indiapost.gov.in/Netscape/PhilatelyCalendar2011.htm

Special Cover Postmark16 December 2010 : Mandipex 2010, Sundarnagar (HP) - Namdhari Shawl Badahan, Kullu

31 December 2010 : Golden Jubilee Year of National Geophysical Research Institute. Jama-I-Osmana PO

1 January 2011: Chennai - Centenary of South India Chambers of commerce & Industries.

4 January 2011 : 6th National Jamboree and Centenary year of Guiding in India, Shankarpally PO

5 January 2011 : Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary Permanent pictorial cancellation, Kamalapura


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6 January 2011 : 26th Scout Guide Jamborette af Karnataka , Tharalu

11 January 2011 : 150 Yrs of arrival of train at Vadodara

15 January 2011 : Sarpex 2011, Chupra Rajendra College

16 January 2011 : Sarpex 2011, Chupra Gajgrah Sonepur Fair

23 January 2011 : Chennai Builders Association of India, Southern Centre

In The News

Forthcoming Philatelic Exhibition

INDIPEX2011The world philatelic exhibition will be held in New Delhi from 12th to 18th Feb. 2011, to commemorate thecentenary of world's first airmail. It will be organized by INDIA POST in Collaboration with PCI and underPatronage of FIP and under auspices of FIAP (Federation Inter Asian Philately). The list of Indian Jury

members is given below :

Sunder Bahirwani - Secunderabad, A.P.

Ms. Damayanti Pittie - Mumbai

Mehta Dhirubhai - Mumbai

Mr. Dastur Vispi - Mumbai

Mr. Dilip Shah - Jabalpur

Mr. Ajeet Raj Singhee - , Hyderabad

Mr. Yogesh Kumar - Baralie (U.P.)

The details of INDIPEX 2011 can be found on following websites -

http://www.indipex2011.com/ &http://www.filatelista-tematico.net/india2011.html
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Special Highlights of INDIPEX - 2011Commemorative Flight on 100 years of Airmail

The exhibition will largely focus on Aerophilately as India Post celebrates the Centenary of the FirstOfficial Airmail Flight that took place in India on 18th February 1911. A ceremonial flight would takeplace on 12th February 2011 from Allahabad to Naini commemorating the 100 years of the Airmail flight.

The flight would carry about 5000 First Day Special Covers with special postmark; a collectors delightbeing limited editions. The special stamp carrying the special cancellation would be released on 12thFebruary, 2011 to commemorate the event.

The First Official Airmail Flight

Although airborne mail transport had occurred during the nineteenth century, the first Official Airmail wasflown in India in 1911.

On February 18, 1911, French pilot Henri Pequet (1888-1974) carried the official airmail; a sack with about6,000 cards and letters on his Humber biplane. The plane flew a distance of five miles, from an Allahabadpolo field, over the Yamuna River, to Naini. All mails were marked with a large magenta cachet showing aplane within a double lined circle, inscribed First Aerial Post 1911 U.P. Exhibition Allahabad.


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Pequet was in India flying demonstration flights for the United Provinces Exhibition in Allahabad. WalterWindham (1868-1942), a British aviation pioneer, organized the aerial demonstrations. The event markedthe first time airplanes flew in India.

Special Stamp ReleaseThe Khadi Stamp : Presentation Pack

India Post on the occasion of INDIPEX 2011 is bringing out a special stamp on Gandhi Ji tocommemorate the event. The stamp will be unique as it will be printed on "Khadi", the handspun cottonmaterial that Gandhi Ji held as the symbol of self determination and self reliance.

The Presentation Pack will be released by Smt. Pratibha Patil, the President of India on Saturday 12thFebruary 2011 at INDIPEX 2011, the World Philatelic Exhibition being held in New Delhi, the capital ofIndia.

The Presentation Pack

The Khadi Stamp will be available during the exhibition at the venue, as a Presentation Pack which willalso include a miniature sheet. The Presentation Pack is priced at Rs. 250 only and a maximum of 10stamps can be ordered by a single person.

Orders for this special stamps can be placed by writing directly toMr A.S. Kalaor pre-ordering them online.Outstation orders will be sent by Speed Post for which necessary charges will apply.

The deliveries would start from 12th February 2011. Read more details :http://www.indipex2011.com/?page_id=381#form

My Stamp

Your Personalized Stamp

One of the most exciting feature of the exhibition is the My Stamp which is being introduced byIndia Post for the first time in India. Also known as Personalised stamp, My Stamp is awonderful way to celebrate special occassions such as engagements, birth of a baby, or to sendas greetings to loved ones and friends.

Personlized Stamp in 3 Steps!

1 . Get your photograph clicked or carry any other photo on which you wish to create your personalisedstamp.2 . Choose the template and the theme.3 . Get your My Stamp ready in print.

The template on My Stamp would be printed on the six themes:

1 . Trains 2 . Aeroplanes 3 . Wildlife 4 . Panchatantra 5 . Sun Signs 6 . Taj Mahal

Each template is designed on one of the above themes and has 12 personalised stamps perferated on it.One can get their personalised stamps on their favourite photograph on all of the themes mentioned above.
http://www.indipex2011.com/?page_id=381#ASKalahttp://www.indipex2011.com/?page_id=381#ASKalahttp://www.indipex2011.com/?page_id=381#ASKalahttp://www.indipex2011.com/?page_id=381#formhttp://www.indipex2011.com/?page_id=381#formhttp://www.indipex2011.com/?page_id=381#formhttp://www.indipex2011.com/?page_id=381#ASKala


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The Philatelic Passport

Having more than 70 countries participating at this exhibition, with a Philatelic Passport, collectors need totravel from country to country by visiting sales booths to buy the stamps and obtain the special datestampcancellations of that participating country. When it is done, one will have completed his travel around theworld. This is very exciting as the activity of traveling through the world would take place at just one venuewhich is the World Philatelic Exhibition at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

The philatelic passport has stamps with full postal cancellations on each page. These stamps together withthe passport will be worth much more than the individual used stamps when removed. There are collectorsof these passports.

Philatelic Passport aims to create enthusiasm amogst children, stamp lovers, philatelists and visitors. Thepassport can be obtained from the exhibition directly.

Souvenir

See more details : http://www.indipex2011.com/?page_id=347

PHILANIPPON 2011World Stamp Exhibitions are held all over the world every year with aims to develop philately, openingworld-renowned stamp collections to the public and promote stamps of the member countries of the Fedration Internationale de Philatlie (FIP). In Japan, World Stamp Exhibition takes place once every tenyears and held in 1971, 1981 and 1991, and 2001, and will also be held in 2011.

The theme of PHILANIPPON 2011 is Stamps Link the World. It will be a rare opportunity for the first timein 10 years in Japan to promote philatelic culture in Japan, publicize Japanese stamps overseas andnurture cultural exchange and international friendship through stamp collection.

Date : July 28 August 2, 2011Venue : Pacifico Yokohama, Exhibition Hall.1-1-1.1 Minatomirai Nishi-ku,Yokohama 220-0012, JapanPatronage : Fdration Internationale de Philatlie (FIP)

Auspices : Federation of Inter-Asian Philately (FIAP)http://www.philanippon.jp/english/
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Namaste ! Hello from Royal Mail

Royal Mail have announced the issue of an Exhibition/Generic Smilers sheet for Indipex 2011 The

sheet consists of two identical halves each having images of old and new Delhi, and the British1969 Gandhi Centenary stamp, on labels alongside the self-adhesive Union Flag stamp.The sheetwill be on sale from the Royal Mail Philatelic Bureau and philatelic outlets from 12 February.

World Online Philatelic Agency - launches the first international face value stamp site

A dream has come true for stamp collectors around the world as it is now possible to buy at facevalue and on a single site (www.wopa-stamps.com) the new issues and all available stampproducts from a variety of postal administrations, including Aland, The Faeroe Islands, Gibraltar,Guernsey (with Alderney), Jersey and Isle of Man. Furthermore additional countries are being

added all the time and already confirmed to be available within the next weeks are Great Britain,Luxembourg, Israel and Portugal (with Azores and Madeira). The site will also offer philatelicaccessories related to the participating countries produced by the Dutch company DAVO.

Stamp Art FeverA game for stamp collectors

27 Jan. 2011 Pisa, Italy, Independent software developers Francesco Chessari and Nicola Pacini arepleased to introduce Stamp Art Fever 1.0.1, their new simulation game for iOS devices. In Stamp Art Fever,you are a stamp collector continuously searching for new pieces to add to your collection.

Probably as far back as 1839 Sir Rowland Hill did not think that its reform of the postal system would haveinspired the creators of this game for iPhone/iPod. The Famous Penny Black was the first of countlessstamps used around the world to send letters carrying news of all kinds. Soon, collectors around the worldbegan to take care of them and rare specimens acquired an enormous economic value.

Stamp Art Fever revolutionizes your virtual world, great graphics and a perfect game of chance allows thisapplication to become a must have. Download it immediately and begin to categorize your stamps. Youhave several ways to get the stamps you are looking for: the Philately and the Black Market. The game isenlivened by events, such as fire and theft, which could slow down your career.

Read More
http://appmodo.com/43342/stamp-art-fever-1-0-1-feel-the-collector-fever-in-this-new-ios-sim-game/http://appmodo.com/43342/stamp-art-fever-1-0-1-feel-the-collector-fever-in-this-new-ios-sim-game/http://appmodo.com/43342/stamp-art-fever-1-0-1-feel-the-collector-fever-in-this-new-ios-sim-game/


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Queen Victoria stamps set Hong Kong record

A quartet of the most important stamps in Hong Kong philately sold Sunday for a record 6.4 million HongKong dollars (US$820,000) to an anonymous Asian buyer.

The extremely rare 1865 96-cent stamps in mint condition features a profile of Queen Victoria. The image isbased on sketches made by Sir Hercules G. R. Robinson, governor of Hong Kong from 1859 to 1865 (thecitys Robinson Road is named after him).

The block was sold by Spink, a London-based auction house, during a sale of rare stamps, coins, banknotes, bonds and shares Saturday and Sunday at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong.

The block is noteworthy to collectors for three main reasons: It was printed in early 1865, when stamps andstamp collecting were in their infancy. Its color olive-bistre, in philately-speak was a mistake, due to anerror by the printing company De La Rue in London. Because of the color error they were supposed tobe a brownish-gray shade only 52 sheets were printed, which makes them rare: Only 48 unusedexamples of this particular stamp exist today, according to Spink. The other 36 are believed to be singlestamps, and this particular block of four the only multiple set of unused examples.

This block, highly coveted by collectors of Hong Kong stamps, was previously owned by well-knownphilatelists such as George Burghard of New York, Ryohei Ishikawa of Tokyo and Richard C.K. Chan ofHong Kong. It has appeared at auction only twice before, the last time in London in December 1980.

The purchase of this block by an anonymous Asian investor is part of a massive shift of Chinese collectibles

back to China from the West.

http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2011/01/25/the-820000-stamp/

Malaysia kicks off largest stamp fair

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- The largest stamp exhibition in Malaysia's history kicked off at theNational Museum in Kuala Lumpur , expecting to attract some 300,000 visitors to the fair that ends onMarch 25.
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Penny Black, the first adhesive postage stamp issued in Britain since 1840, and the signed-Malaysia stateroyal first day cover, the first of its kind introduced last year during the installation of a state ruler, are amongthe 50,000 philately on display at the museum.

The stamp exhibition also showcases stamps and first day covers from around the world, telling storiesabout historical events.

The museum, together with Malaysian Information, Communications and Culture Ministry, local postservices company and the National Philatelic Association jointly launched the exhibition in Kuala Lumpur onTuesday. The event has drawn attention of philatelists and curious crowd.

While some philatelists commemorated important events that happened in the Association of SoutheastAsian Nations (ASEAN), such as the admission of Cambodia into the regional bloc in 1999, othersbragged about the multi-ethnical and cultural environment in Malaysia.

Philatelic Exhibition on Railway theme at Vadodara

As a part of celebration of 150 years of arrival of railway at Vadodara, non competitive philatelic exhibitionon Railway theme was organized from 11th January to 13th January 2011 at Railway Auditorium by

Divisional Railway HQ, Western Railway, Vadodara with support of India Post and Baroda PhilatelicSociety. Shri R. N.Verma, General Manager of Western Railway inaugurated the exhibition.

Exhibits on railway theme were displayed in 18 Frames including one frame of Match Box labels on Railwaytheme. Original Print of Illustrated London News dated 23rd May 1863 which published news about theintroduction of Bullock Tram between Dabhoi - Miyagam in Baroda State in 1862 was also on display. IndiaPost has opened philatelic counter at the exhibition for sale of philatelic material.

A Special Cover was also released on the occasion to mark 150 years of arrival of railway at Vadodara.Special Cover was released by Postmaster General Lt. Col. D. K. S. Chauhan of Vadodara Region andpresented to Shri R. N.Verma, General Manager of Western Railway. Special Cover depicts old railwaystation of Vadodara, railway route of 1870 and newly constructed railway station building towards Alkapuri

(West Side of Vadodara). Cancellation design depicts newly constructed railway station building towardsAlkapuri. Special Cover and Cancellation were designed by Mr. Sapan Jhaveri and the concept of designswas of Mr. Prashant Pandya

Queens Head to Stay on Stamps


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The Queens head will remain on stamps regardless of who buys the Royal Mail after the UK Governmentdecided to amend its controversial privatisation legislation according to an article by Alan Jones on Britain'sPress and Journalwebsite.

Alan pens, "The government said that after listening to the views of members of both houses of parliamentand raising the matter with Buckingham Palace, it had decided to build in a new safeguard.The PostalServices Bill, which receives its third reading in the Commons on Wednesday, will be amended to giveministers the power to require an image of the Queen to appear on postage stamps."

Postal Affairs Minister Ed Davey is quoted in the piece as saying, At the moment there is no legalrequirement for stamps to use the Queens head. Royal Mail has always done this voluntarily by conventionas they are extremely proud of their royal connection."

Moya Greene, Royal Mails chief executive, is also quoted and points out, The monarchs head has been akey feature of Royal Mail stamps since the Penny Black was issued in 1840. We are very proud of ourlongstanding royal association. Its unthinkable that Royal Mail stamps would not have the image of themonarch so we strongly support any measure that fully protects that key feature of our stamps.

Shown above, the original 1966 photo of Queen Elizabeth II by John Hedgecoe which she approved for useon postage stamps in the UK and throughout the Commonwealth. Printed billions of times over the last fourdecades, it is likely that this is the most reproduced image in history.

Read More

NEW YEAR MEET OF CENTRAL INDIA PHILATELIC SOCIETY

Central India Philatelic Society is the leading Philatelic organization of M.P. It was established in the

year1974 and organized more than 20 National / Regional Philatelic Exhibitions at various places. Lot ofspecial covers, folders, souvenirs etc. have been published by this Society. Monthly meetings of the Societyare being organized on the first Sunday of the month at the residences of its members. New Year Meet andfirst Monthly meeting of the year 2011 was organized on Sunday 2nd Jan. 2011 at Satna (M.P.) at theresidence of Secretary Mr. Sudhir Jain. It was well attended by the members of Satna, Rewa, Maihar,Panna etc. Meeting was presided by the Society President Mr. Ramesh Lajpatrai. Joint Secretary Mr.Rajendra Agarwal "Shashi" welcomed all the members and P.R.O. Mr. Thakur Khilwani presented Report ofthe activities of the Society during the whole year 2010.
http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2082746?UserKey=#ixzz1Ae2RSggghttp://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2082746?UserKey=#ixzz1Ae2RSggghttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/TSsh3vkO6gI/AAAAAAAAEzE/ivnCRrED4Dc/s1600/Queens-Head.jpghttp://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2082746?UserKey=#ixzz1Ae2RSggg


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Promoting Philately in a different way ..

Mr RD Mathkar, a philatelist from Mumbai is doing a remarkable service for the promotion of philately.Recently he gifted packets containing about 3,500 stamps of India & other countries for distribution amongst school children of OurLady of Remedy High School,Poinsur, Kandivali (West) Mumbai. Apart from collecting stamps and exhibiting the exhibits on waterbirds in different stamp exhibitions, he tries to encourage school children in stamp collection. He believes that children shoulddevelop this hobby, to learn more about this beautiful world. Some renowned philatelists helped him in this endeavor. Mr Mathkarmay be contacted at email :[email protected]

Special Covers to be numbered

Various Postal Circles were issuing a huge number of special covers. One does not have any track onspecial covers. Now Department of Post has issued instructions to its Postal Circles that all the specialcovers should be serially numbered.

STAMP COLLECTORS MEETFebruary 12-14, 2011

Venue:National Sports Club of India, Opposite Pragati Maidan, Mathura Road, New Delhi 110001

Timings:

Feb 12 Saturday - 12 noon to 6pmFeb 13 Sunday 12 noon to 3 pm Feb 13 Sunday 3.30 pm onwards Auction

Feb 14 Monday 12 noon to 5 pm

Contacts: Ashish Talwar [email protected] ,

Rohit Prasad 09810304233

JAINISM PHILATELISTS MEETIND ON 15th FEB. 2011 AT DELHIA meeting of the Philatelists collecting JAINISM and allied theme is organized on Tuesday 15th Feb. 2011at 4 P.M. at the INDIPEX-2011 exhibition venue at Delhi. Philatelists are requested to attend the same.

Those who are planning to attend this meeting, please inform on the following mobile numbers or by [email protected] that we could know tentative number of participants-

09894252549 (Mr. Pramod Kumar Jain, Pondicherry)09425554530 ( Dr. Pradip Jain, Balod),09425174190 (Sudhir Jain, Satna)
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://lh3.ggpht.com/_Y_PrwNPjgkA/THuLweVO2PI/AAAAAAAANBU/LurcqEpNL1s/s1600-h/clip_image05011.jpgmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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INTERVIEW

Anil Dhir is a popular name in philatelic Community. His varied interests andachievements in different fields of philately make him very special. His short film The Last Post has wonmany awards at different exhibitions. He has written a detailed book Stamp Quizzes containing 1500questions and answers. His two books Famous Stamps of the World and A Glossary of Philatelic Terms.Besides his work in the field of Philatelic Literature he is also an ardent philatelist and has preparedextensive collection on Indian Classics, Great Britain and Mourning Covers. His exhibit Edged in Black isa specialized collection of Mourning Covers which has been awarded and highly appreciated in theexhibitions.

The latest book Famous Stamps The Romance of Rarities by Mr Anil Dhir is a very interesting book, fullof stories of some most famous and rarest stamps of the world. The best part of the book is that the storybehind rarity of the stamp has been narrated very well by Mr Dhir. Many of us know about rare stamps butthe detailed story behind that stamp is not known to us. Readers would find many interesting facts aboutworlds rarest stamps. This book contains details and stories of 50 famous stamps and covers of the world and it is a complete reference book for philatelists of every class and age groups . Those who are notstamp collectors would find this book amazing as they would come to know about philatelic rarities of theworld and interesting stories behind them.

Mr Dhir hails from Bhubaneshwar, is a finance executive and spends all his spare time in activities thatinvolve interaction with mavericks, downtrodden and the castaways. He has, over the years traveledextensively all over India, mostly off the beaten track. He has worked among the Juang and Kandha tribals

of Orissa, the fisher folk of coast. Indian National Army veterans.

It is a great pleasure to publish an interview with Mr Dhir. Here he explains some other

aspects of philately which readers would really like to know. - Editor

How I was introduced to Philately.

I was introduced to philately at the age of eight by my stamp collecting grandfather. He

had an album full of stamps and gave me the weeds. My first album was the simple Stamps


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of the World Album which had one page per country, and a few unmarked pages in the

end. I think it started with Aden and ended with Zanzibar. I remember that there was a

printed image of a stamp in each upper corner and underneath the countrys name and

little information on it. The continent, population, capital city, currency etc were printed

on the top of the page. It was so difficult to hinge the stamps them properly in the squares

provided.

I graduated to serious philately once I was in college. Ever since then, with a few

intermittent years, it has been journeys to Post offices, old record rooms, old palaces etc. I

have been lucky to get my hands on some excellent early India stamps, but I woe the many

that got away. I must have soaked off so many valuable covers in sheer ignorance. I had

the Lithos by the hundreds, but most of them were given away or exchanged.

It has been a continuous never ending journey.

Mr Anil Dhir may be contacted at email : [email protected]

Interview with Anil Dhir1. You have a variety of interests in philately....from writing, collecting to film making....How

were you inspired to film making ??

I have a variety of interests, just not philatelic but even otherwise. I will say that the film was not made, ithappened. I happened to be in the right place at the right time, one thing led to another and the film wasmade. Sometime I think back and realise how foolhardy I had been to venture into territories about which Idid not know anything. To make the 22 minutes film, I had to shoot nearly 40 hours of footage.

2. Your film Last Post has got immense popularity in India & abroad. How did you get theidea to make this film ??

It was something that was so unique that I wanted others to know about it. I could have written on The DakTonga, but the small picturesque town with its simple people and their stories, the old world charm of itsaging palaces and buildings all enthralled me. I wanted to capture the spirit behind this man and his tongaand translate it into imagery. You will be surprised to know that I have never handled a Camera before, itwas a first time that I was looking through the viewfinder.

I did write pages on the story of the Tonga man, his cart, the postal system and the little town and itshistory. The book is still unfinished, I tried to finish it, but strangely I make headway only when I visit the

place. During my last visit to Jeypore a month ago, I sat up the whole night and finished twenty pages.Maybe I will finish it this year. The book too will be called The Last Post.

Yes, the idea of filming his life came to me because I realised that whatever I wrote about him, be it a bookor an article, would be soon forgotten. A film would have a wider reach. However Nila Nayak was a veryreticent and a bitter man of very few words. He would just not open up. It took me a good one week tobefriend him. I still remember the nights when he would take me on a long Tonga ride along the JagganathSagar pond in the city. He would hit the bottle and then tell me his sad story. I being teetotaler had topretend that I too was drunk.(A empty beer bottle with sprite).
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I worked with him on the mail runs. I loaded the mail from the post office and carried it up the roof of thebuses. Nila would also hand me the reins and the horses too had accepted me. It was a pity that he did notget to see the film. His sudden death was a very saddening experience for me. More so, because he hadnot told me his entire story.

3. You have a nice collection of Mourning covers " Edged in Black " ?? Any specificreason to collect these covers ??

I have been a maverick all my life. I like treading on the untrodden path. A chance discovery of a Mourningcover with its black borders got me going. There was hardly any reference available. I found out thesignificance of the colour Black and mourning. I did a lot of study on Victorian customs and social mores. Ihave found out only two other persons in the world who collect Mourning Covers.

There are so many similarities in mourning all over the world. The custom of tearing and destroying lettersthat have conveyed messages of death is prevalent all over the world. People do not preserve funeralnotices and letters that have got messages of death. The difficulty of collecting these covers is somethingwhich goes over the heads of most of the Juries at the Exhibitions. I am surprised that the highest I have gotis a Large Silver. No body can understand how difficult it is to get together something which is customarilynever preserved.

Collecting Mourning covers is a very challenging endeavor. In no culture or country do people hold on tothese letters. It took me ten years to build up a five frame collection bit by bit. I have got nearly 5,000covers, postcards, funeral notices, elegiac letters, gravestone and coffin receipts. These span from a periodof 1823 to the present day and I have covers from 126 countries.

Many people have written to me and asked me why I have such a morbid hobby. Some have even told methat keeping such letters brings bad luck.I got a letter from Khuswant Singh commenting on the morbidity ofmy collection. In fact I took my collection and showed it to him at his house in Delhi. He was amused andextracted a promise from me that I would issue a cover on him after his death. If I outlive him, this is onepromise that I shall keep.

4. Would you please tell about some most important covers in your "Mourning Covers"collection .

I have a few Return to Sender covers of the World War I & II. They are so pathetic and tragic and have astory to tell. The missing in Action covers are also very heartbreaking. These are letter posted to soldiers,but could not be delivered as they had died in action. The Military Post would put black markings on theseletter and return them to the sender with the missives like Missing In Action: Presumed Dead.

I feel like a voyeur when I read the death messages, some of them are so sad and heart touching. Most ofthe covers I have had the original letters inside them. Some have stories to tell. One set of about 40 coverswere posted from the same person to the same address and contained forty letters spanning over twoyears. How a woman copes with the loss of her husband , how she gradually reconciled to grim reality ofdeath all unfold in the letters.

I had made a mourning cover on Saddam Hussein the day he was hanged. The covers were posted both toTony Blair and George Bush and the Washington Post and New York Times had both carried the story. Itseems I was the only person to mourn the death of Saddam Hussein officially. The cover now sells in eBayfor $100.

I have got a early cover with a strip of four Penny Blacks. The envelope was over stamped and the blackstamps and the Black borders complement each other. I was offered $5000 for it, but as of date it still staysin my collection.


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5. What are your other collecting interests besides collecting "mourning covers" ?

I have the early Indian Classics, Great Britain, Indian States, Early Philatelic Stationery, Ships and acornucopia of other philatelic materials. I have with me more than 100 letter boxes of all shapes and sizesdating from the last century. Besides I also have badges, weighing scales, hand stamps, uniforms,pedometers, post bags etc. I would like to give them away to form a museum as it is beyond my scope andlimit to do so. Besides I have got a library of more than 500 philatelic books.

6. You have written two books, one on Quizzes and other on famous stamps of the world. Itis a great achievement .What inspired you to write books on stamps?

I was inspired to write the book by Smt. Indira Krishna Kumar who was the Chief Postmaster General ofOdisha. The India Post officials would call me very often to conduct quizzes in Schools. I thought that if abook on quizzes was written, then it would be helpful for them, as they would be able to conduct the quizzesthemselves.

India Post purchased more than 500 copies of the book. In fact I sold out all the thousand copies in twoyears. I am reprinting a revised and updated edition later this year.

The second book was my tribute to this great hobby. I have written about famous stamps and given thestories behind them. This book too has been accepted well by the philatelic community. Two more booksare underway. One is on the INA Stamps and the other on the Scinde Dawks. I have also written amonograph on the stamps of Bamra which will soon be bought out.

7. Thematic Philately has emerged as the most dominant class in the exhibitions today andin all the exhibitions the judging of this class has always become very controversial.....Asoften many good exhibits in the exhibition do not get proper award and recognition. Whatis your opinion and suggestion to make changes in the system of judging so that theexhibits could be judged fairly.

The scope of Thematic Philately is limitless. Why not have a system where peer judging is done?Philatelists themselves too can give their marks to the exhibits while they go around the exhibits. The oldschool of Philatelists in India, who form most of the Jury Circles are a shortsighted peripatetic lot with verylimited knowledge of Postal history, thematic subjects, literature etc.

In my opinion, to be a good Judge, one has to study the hobby in theory. Just being a collector who haseither purchased or inherited a collection does not give the knowledge and depth that is required to judge aThematic collection. In India the syndrome of you scratch my back and Ill scratch yours is all prevalent inthe Jury selections.

8. A new trend has started of holding philatelic exhibitions by private clubs and societies.Do you think the exhibitions at private level should be organized ?? As limited finance and

frames are the main constraints in these exhibitions as compared to the exhibitionsorganized by Deptt. of Posts...So sometimes organizers fail to arrange required number offrames and some exhibits are left un - exhibited causing dissatisfaction among theparticipants .

The root of the problems lies with India Post. If they hold periodic exhibitions at the District, State andNational levels of fixed calendar basis, the need for private exhibitions would not arise. But the trend of late,(with due apologies to India Post) has been that these private exhibitions have drawn excellent responsefrom the philatelic community. It would not be wrong to say that these are being held in a very professionalmanner and the participants too are a happy lot.


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Understandably there is a financial constrain at the club and society level exhibition, but India Post shouldtake a few lessons from these events. Even with the limited resources, the private exhibitions being heldhave been a success. Stampmania, SINE etc are all recent examples. India Post spends a big budget for itsofficial events, but there are glitches galore.

It would be good if India Post funds these privately held exhibitions on a partnership basis. The harvest iseventually reaped by them, as the bucks stops there. Every event which promotes philately directly earnsrevenue for India Post.

9. What is your opinion about the quality & quantity of Indian Postage stamps and Postalstationery?? Do you think that number of stamps issued per year by India Post should bereduced and quality of the stamps and postal stationery need to be improved ??

The vast Diaspora that our Nation is, representation of its unique aspects on Stamps is limitless. Thenumber of Stamps issued should be increased, along with a marked improvement in the quality. The qualityof Postal Stationery is very poor, but we have to remember that the revenue earned on most of theStationery is very low.

10. Last but not the least ....Internet has become a good medium of information among

philatelists. But do you think if this hobby is really developing ??? Most of the exhibitionsand stamp fairs have become centre of business instead of an event to promote this hobby?

The hobby is stagnating and ossifying. Philately is a dying hobby if the new generation does not take up thehobby, it will end up as an investment tool, with people investing in stamps only for the financial gain theywould bring with age. Even today, financial consultants are recommending investors to put money instamps as the returns are relatively higher.

That the stamp fairs and exhibitions have become business centers is true. But on the flip side, this willbring many more people into the hobby. Internet has certainly helped in promoting philately. Now virtualstamps are the new catch word.

Beginners SectionA STAMP EXHIBITION AND YOU

- Vipan Kumar Thakur, Chandigarh

A philatelic exhibition is organized to promote and disseminate information about Philately. It is a wonderfulevent and a delightful thing to all the philatelic stake-holders, viz. the collectors, the dealers, the philatelic

journalists and publishers, the designers and security printers, and the postal administrations who issuestamps and stationery. It will stimulate a keen interest for philately. It is educative and will surely increaseyour G.K. It is also likely to create lasting friendship between you and philately.


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A philatelic exhibition is a great spectacle for all stamp lovers where the philatelists display their wide rangeof precious collections of stamps under one roof and is available for public viewing. This event is organizedat some important place in your city.

The philatelic event may be of World level, National level, State level or District level. The Worldlevel and National level Philatelic Exhibitions have thousands of frames. A first look at it, over whelmed youand registers a feeling of confusion in your mind, because you find yourself standing in a jungle of frames,which are planted in so many rows in different patterns. It might not be possible to see all the frames. Gothrough the programme of the exhibition and display plans. There are the number of exhibits, some onscience, some on history, some on culture, some on tradition, some on flora and fauna etc. Make aselective list. So make a more effective choice of what to see, and what not to see. This will help you inproperly planning your approach and enjoying the same to full extent.

Always start with those, which are related to your stamp collection and which attract you most. Theremight be exhibits of some prominent philatelists and some rare items on display, be sure to include in yourprogramme even though they may not be falling under your specialization. Reserve some time in yourschedule to see the classics exhibits, exhibits in invitation class, Court of Honour Class, Exhibits of PostalAdministrations, Collection of the members of the Jury (by invitation only, if any) and prize winning exhibitsafter the announcement of awards and of course do not forget to see the The Best Exhibit, prize winningexhibit.

Observe and examine the selected exhibits carefully and note down the following points:i. the items displayed on the themeii. the way it is presented.iii. the leading idea of the exhibit.iv. how they have been related to the theme.v. the way it has been written up.vi. General impression of the exhibit.

If it appears to you that there is something unique, uncommon or some new idea presented, and thenbookmark it in your mind.

Note down important points they will be in handy when your memory begins to fail you and theexhibition is long dismantled. Compare the exhibits and try to form your own views and judgments abouttheir relative merits. Note that even the common stamps become as useful as rare items on an exhibit onaccount of depth study and research done by the exhibitor. Similarly, relevant cancellations may also servethe purpose of stamps on an exhibit.

Examine the above thoughts and various other aspects of presentations. What you observe, see and learnfrom the exhibition is going to be a milestone in your serious and eventful philatelic career. After seeing aphilatelic exhibition it may appear to you that there is hardly anything that you can do with your stampcollection; after giving some thought, it is sure that there is something pleasant you can do with it, no matterwhat you have in your collection.

Sometime you can take time to compare your stamps with what you have seen at a philatelic exhibition,other times you may only be able to have a sight of them and be pleased, even though the same is for ashort time. Still other times the only thing you may be able to do is to change your own thinking about yourstamp collection and this can end up being a significant positive step and which may enthuse you to exhibityour collection in a better way.If you throw your hands in despair or frustration, it will not take you anywhere.The more effective choice is to know, without a doubt, that there is something you can do with your stamps,and to then get busy with them. A best stamp collection exhibit is made not by chance, but by choice.

God gave us two ends, one to sit on and one to think upon (about your stamp collection also) andact. Success depends on which one you use, head you win and tails, you do not lose. So not only think but


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explosives and bacterial science it was suggest that that possibility should have been be closelyinvestigated and watched. A thousand pigeons, each with a two ounce explosive capsule, landed atintervals on a specific target might be a seriously inconvenient surprise.

The ideas were not taken up by the committee, and in 1948 the UK military stated that pigeons were of nofurther use.

However, the UK security service M15 was still concerned about the use of pigeons by enemy forces. Inorder to prepare countermeasures, they arranged for 100 birds to be looked after by a civilian pigeonfancier, up until 1950.

CHINA 2005 - 16 WAR II PIGEON S/S BIRD

APOCRYPHAL TALES ABOUT PIGEON IS AS FOLLOWS

"G.I. JOE"

On 18 October 1943, the American homing pigeon "G.I. Joe" saved the Italian village of Colvi Veccia thatwas scheduled to be bombed by American forces. Communication equipment was down and the onlymeans of stopping the raid was to attach a hastily written message to G.I. Joe and send him to the alliedHQ. "G.I. Joe" delivered a message about the planned attack in time to stop the bombing. In order to do so,he flew 20 miles in 20 minutes and his this speedy delivery (within less than 5 minutes to spare whilst theplanes were taxiing on the runway) saved over a thousand towns people, as well as 150 British troops thatwere stationed there. G.I. Joe received the Dickin medal for his bravery.

" PADDY"

The Irish homing pigeon " Paddy" was awarded the Dickin Medal after being the first pigeon to arrive back

in England with news of the success of the D-Day invasion, out of hundreds dispatched. He flew 230 milesacross the English Channel in four hours and five minutes - the fastest recorded crossing.

The medal citation reads,For the best recorded time with a message from the Normandy Operations, whileserving with the RAF in June, 1944.


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FORCES FOR THE AUSTRALIAN, AND BRITISH ARMIES

British Army

32 pigeons were awarded the prestigious Dickin medal, Britiain's highest award for animal valor. Recipients

included a bird named "G.I. Joe," who flew 20 miles in 20 minutes with a message that stopped U.S. planesfrom bombing an Italian town that was occupied by British forces.

Australian Army

The Australian Army made extensive use of pigeons in WWII in New Guinea and the islands. Surroundedby rugged terrain and unusual atmospherics, wireless communications often failed. Bert Cornish was theAussie behind their pigeon forces. Some 13,500 birds were used in the Pacific theater by the AustralianArmy. They awarded two Dickin medals to pigeons that aided them in the war.

HONOR FOR WAR CARRIER PIGEONS :

Birds were used extensively during WW1 One homing pigeon, Cher Ami, was awarded the French Croixde guerre for his heroic service in delivering 12 important messages, despite having been very badlyinjured. During World War II, the Irish Paddy and the American G.I.Joe both received the Dickin Medal,and were among 32 pigeons to receive this medallion, for their gallantry and bravery in saving humanlives with their actions. Eighty-two homing

CHER AMI WWI PADDY WWII

pigeons were dropped into Holland with the First Airborne Division Signals as part of Operation MarketGarden in WW2. The pigeons' loft was located in London which would have required them to fly 240 milesto deliver their messages. Also in World War II, hundreds of homing pigeons with the Confidential PigeonService were air dropped into northwest Europe to serve as intelligence vectors for local resistanceagents. Birds played a vital part in the Invasion of Normandy as radios could not be used for fear of vitalinformation being intercepted by the enemy.


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SECRET POST OF WWII

22.02.41 card mailed from German occupied Warsaw,Poland to Rus Alexandre Herculano 41 inLisbon,Portugal. Hans Frank stamp with margins on two sides.

These are various secret addresses that were used during WWII to get mail to and from agencies in theAxis and Allied camps. They allowed people on different sides to correspond and conduct business.There are literally hundreds of such addressed, some to low value civilian organizations, and some toextremely important military agencies. The 22 February 1944 card above was mailed from German-occupied Warsaw, Poland, to Rus Alexandre Herculano 41 in Lisbon, Portugal. Since Lisbon was a hotbed of intrigue as a neutral country on the Continent, there are over 50 such addresses in that nationalone. This particular card would have been picked up and forwarded to the Polish Red Cross inLondon. This is a very important field and deserves consideration and exploration.

"Secret Office, at the General Post Office," London, England, 1844. Letters were opened and re-sealed in the Secret Office under the authority of the Secretary of State for the Home

Department. The Secret Office "is also used as the Money-Order Office. The ordinary businesstransacted in the room is the keeping of the accounts connected with the order department, and

the franking, &c., of official communications."


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Old secret military document of World War II. Carried by pigeon post

COMPONENTS OF PIGEON POST

THE PIGEONS :

HOMING PIGEON PRINTED STAMP ON COVER 1994,ROMANIA


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THE MAIL :

Details from a Programme for 'By Pigeon Post' at the Royal Artillery Theatre on the 29th of November1919 - Courtesy Leonie Williams.

INDIA PIGEON MISSIE NAAL WAR .LOOK

Original and actual message / missive carried by 1941 Pigeongram from Kalyan to Bombay. The last ParaState I therefore appeal to the public that the Souvenirs carried by the pigeon and thus help the Naval War

Purpose Fund. Rare. Full of advertisement text

CARE, MAINTENANCE AND TRAINING OF CARRIER PIGEONS :Maintenance of the carrier pigeons was not an easy task to do. Taking care of their feed, their medicalexamination and treatment, preparation of their lofts needed a specialized team .


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WW2: APO 545, LA, 280th Sig Pigeon Sqd. An 1943 APO 545 cover and letterhead from the 3rdPlatoon, 280th Signal Pigeon Company stationed at Camp Young, Indio, Calif. The letter talks about

training/handling birds and weapons testing. Truly a rare cover and letterhead

TRAINING OF PIGEONS :

Though the pigeons have natural instinct to return to their lofts but for specific purposes they neededtraining so that they might carry the messages safely and return to their home / loft well in time withoutany difficulty. They also needed to be trained for safety from the birds of prey and to fly above thebattlefield protecting themselves from the gunfire . They were also trained for long continuous flights and

to stay against different weather conditions. Along with the training of the pigeons, training for the pigeonmasters too was required.

1941: A Ministry of Information pigeon having a film canister attached to its wing examined. OriginalPublication: Picture Post - 724 - MOI Film Pigeons - unpub. (Photo by Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty

Images)


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These pigeon couriers are members of the last avian postal service in the world and could give Royal Maila few ideas. The birds, from the U.S. city of Fort Collins, Colorado transport digital images of intrepid whitewater rafters to be processed in what is known as the Pigeon Express. They fly from the top of the CacheLa Poudre River down to a base at the bottom where thrill-seekers can collect their snaps. The conceptharks back to the days before the telegram. The birds are owned and trained by Rocky MountainAdventures, who fly 19 pigeons five times every day, usually travelling a distance of between 20 and 40miles. Using the pigeons is quicker than driving down from the river and it solves the problem of producingphotographic memories for the white water rafting tourists. It takes them just 20 minutes. w/ photos

DISPATCH OF MAIL :After the message is tied with the pigeon leg or the microfilm roll is fixed or the chip is placed in the wingsof the pigeon properly the pigeon was freed / released for the return flight to its loft. Care was taken thatthe pigeon did not have any difficulty in flying. Care was taken to see that the weight and size of themessages container or the capsule or the tube did nor exceed the specified wt. and size

To be continued

Naresh Agarwal may be contacted at e mail :[email protected]

JAINISM

- Sudhir JainJAIN religion is very old religion. Its followers believe that Jainism is an Anaadi Anantareligion. Anaadimeans one which has no starting and Anantameans which has no ending. Jainism is a pre-aryan religionwhich is preached by the Tirthankars (Gods). Jains believe that in every cycle of times, there are 24Tirthankars. In the present era, Bhagwan Rishabhnath was the first Tirthankar and Bhagwan Mahaveerwas the last 24th Tirthankar.

Ahimsa(non-violence) and Anekantaare the most important principle of the Jainism. Ahimsa is non-injury,physical and mental. One should not hurt others in body, mind and speech, one should avoid directly

causing injury to a living being, one should not cause others to commit injury, nor should one consent to thecausing of injury. Injury is the hurt caused to a living being intentionally, through negligence or under theimpulses and emotional stress. The other important fundamental concept of Jainism is Anekanta. It statesthat reality is complex. It can be looked at from different point of views. Each point of view gives the pictureof reality which is as valid and real as the picture of reality received from other point of view.

Jainism has contributed to the philosophy of life in its insistence that the path way to perfection is threefold.Samyak-Darshana (right faith/right understanding) Samyak-Jnana (Right knowledge) and Samyak Charitra(right conduct).


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There are two main branches of Jain religion Digambar and Swetambar. Digambarword comprises Dig(Disha/direction) and Ambar (cover/sky). It means only directions are the cover/clothes i.e. without clothes.They worship idols of Tirthankars bearing no clothes. Their saints also do not bear any cloth. Swetambarword comprises swet(white) and Ambar(cover/sky). Their idols are dressed and decorated with ornamentsand their sents bear white clothes.

NAMOKAR MAHA MANTRANAMOKAR MAHA MANTRA is the principle Cult and Essence of Jainism. This prayer is chanted beforeevery pious work.

NAMO ARIHANTANAM - I bow before thy who conquered the all evils of KARMA - BANDHA.

NAMO SIDDHANAM - I bow before thy who relieved from the pains of REBIRTH, got ENLIGHTMENT andset in MOKSHA.

NAMO AYARIANAM - I bow before thy who teaches and enlightens us the path of MOKSHA.

NAMO UWAJJHAYANAM - I bow before thy who teaches us about RIGHT BELIEF, RIGHT KNOWLEDGE& RIGHT CONDUCT.

NAMO LOYE SAVVA SAHUNAM - I bow before thy who are saints and relieved themselves from theworldly affairs.AISO PANCH NAMOKARO SAVVA PAPPANASANO - This Panch Namaskar Mantra is the way to keep allthe sins away.

MANGALANANCH SAVVESIM PADAWAM HOI MANGALAM - Reading of this creates welfare of all.


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JAIN FLAG

During the 2500th Nirwan Anniversary of Bhagwan Mahaveer in the year 1974. this Jain flag was adopted

by all the Jain comunity of India. It consists of five different colours and each colour has it's own

significance. Red colour denotes Brevity, yellow denotes culture, white denotes peace, green denotes

character and blue denotes sacrifice. Jain Pratikais there in the centre.

JAIN PRATIKA

This Jain PRATIKA (Symbol) was also adopted at the time of 2500th Nirwan Anniversary of BhagwanMahaveer in the year 1974. The outer line of the symbol denotes the TRILOK(three words) - URDHWALOK(above sky) is at the top, MADHYA LOK (earth) at the centre and PATAL LOK (below earth) at thebottom. The palm denotes the fearlessness and forgiveness. The wheel is Dharma Chakrain the centre ofwhich word AHIMSA (non-violence) is written in Hindi. Swastika denotes prosperity on which three dots arethe characters of human being- SAMYAK DARSHAN(right belief), SAMYAK GYAN(right knowledge) andSAMYAK CHARITRA (right conduct). The crescent denotes the SIDDHA BHOOMI which is the place ofimmortal souls and the upper dot denotes the SIDDHA, the soul which will not take re-birth. In the bottom a


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Sanskrit phrase "PARASPAROPAGRAHO JIVANAM is written which means all the human beings helpeach other.

SWASTIKASWASTIKA is also an important and sacred symbol of Jainism which is the symbol of prosperity. Swastikais an ancient symbol often used as an ornament or a religious sign. It is in the form of a cross with the endsof the arms bent at right angles in a given direction, usually clockwise. The swastika has been found on old

buildings, inscriptions, monuments, and coins. Jains still use the swastika as a symbol of good fortune.They use it on doors and thresholds and on the first pages of account books.

Swastika was widely used symbol. The clockwise swastika was adopted in 1920 as the symbol of theNational Socialist Party of Germany. As such it came to be one of the most hated symbols in the history ofhumanity. It came to stand for all the evil associated with the Nazis as they gained control of Europe beforeand during World War II. After the Allies defeated Germany in 1945, they banned the display of theswastika emblem. It shows that a symbol has only the meaning that people have given it. Even a powerfulsymbol can lose its meaning if the society dishonors or ignores it for a period of time.

To be continued.

Sudhir Jain is Senior Executive in a large industry based at Satna (M.P.). He collects Stamps,Currency Notes, Match Boxes, Bells, News Papers, Jokers etc. and won medals at several PhilatelicExhibitions for his specialized collection on Jainism. He is Secretary of Central India Philatelic Society,Patron of Indore Philatelic Society and life member of P.C.I. He has written many articles on Philately and

edited number of Souvenirs. He is associated with Lions International since 1975 and also office bearerof various Social, Religious and Industrial Associations." Mr Sudhir Jain may be contacted at email:[email protected]

Something of interest, also for non-philatelists.

By Dr Avinash B. Jagtap

LORELEI. Also in India?

If you happen to visit Germany and have a chance to travel by ship on the river Rhine, from Mainz upwardsto Cologne, shortly before passing St. Goarshausen, you will see a stiff protruding rock, almost


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perpendicular to the current of water, with a majestic altitude of 132 meters. This is that scenic beauty ofLorelei on the Rhine (s.Fig.1).

Fig 1

Many years ago, the German writer Clemens Brentano (1778-1842) was much stirred up by a fantasticvision of Lore Ley. In one of his ballads he narrates a story of a beautiful damsel, who sitting on a loftyrock on the river Rhine attracts the passersby and cursing her own beauty, springs down into the river. TheLorelei has become almost immortal in the poem by the much reputed romantic poet Heinrich Heine (1797-1856). Today it is a part of Germany folklore. In his poem he describes Lorelei as a water nymph,transformed out of the mighty rock, overlooking the river Rhine, combing her beautiful blond hair andattracting thereby the sailors on the passing by boats.

Fig 2

The name Lorelei comes from the old German word luren, which means murmuring and the Celtic termLey is for Rock, So the translation of the word Lorelei, would be a murmuring rock. It is said that thereused to be a small waterfall in the area, which created the murmuring sound, combined with the special


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echo, which in turn was amplified by the rock to sound like a murmur, may be, due to urbanisation of thearea, this murmur ceased to exist with the time.

Fig 3

Since more than 150 years or more there existed in India, not far away from Quetta, a town called Loralai,which was at that time an important military base of the British garrison. This was situated about 30 milesaway from Harnai on the north or Sind-Pishin Railway Track (s. Fig. 2, reproduced from Murrays Handbookof India, Burma & Ceylon (1908), page 221). In order to prove the existence of a local post office with thesame name, I attach a scan of the front of a registered cover (s. Fig,3 ). The cover was sent in 1906 fromLoralai to Rajgarh in Alwar District of Rajputana, The die (on the rear) and the King Ed.VII postal adhesiveswere cancelled by a round date stamp LORALAI/ 10 MAR 06, with additional cachet R -LORALEI in arectangle.

The reason why this remote place, more than 6 thousand miles away from that German Lorelei has thesame sounding name, lies in the etymology of this magic word! Lure in Mohammedan language (Arabic?

Farsi? Urdu? ) means cunning or deceitful and Lei means Cliff or Sharp stone. If in those days theredid exist a Cunning sharp rock in that part of British India, could be an interesting subject for philologicalplus geological research!

New Issues from other countries

Denmark

6 January 2011 Danish Rheumatism Association Charity Stamp


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The annual charity stamp is being issued on behalf of the work of the Danish Rheumatism Association,which has been working since 1936 to secure a better quality of life for people with arthritis, and raisesfunds for research into rheumatic diseases. The DKK 0.50 surcharge per stamp sold will go to support thework of the association, and will benefit the many people affected by rheumatic diseases.

Estonia

1 Jan 2011 : Estonia's transition to the euro currency -1

Estonia joined the Euro zone as its newest member on 1st January 2011 and Estonian Post issued a stampto celebrate this occasion. The stamp issued to mark Estonia's transition to the euro currency is the firstEstonian stamp on which the face value with the symbolical denomination of 1 is indicated in euros alone.Stamps with the face value in kroons will be valid for postage until December 31, 2013; stamps with the

face value in two currencies will be valid for postage indefinitely.

Ireland

20 January 2011 Wedding stamp

The stamp, was specially designed for use on wedding stationery, features a classic black andwhite photographic image of a newly married couple.


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France

10 January 2011 : Heart stamps 2val

Jersey

8 February 2011 EUROPA 2011 4 val ( Only two out of 4 stamps bear EUROPA official logo)

Malaysia

18 January pets cared by children 3val + MS

Macau

5 January Lunar New Year 5 val


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Monaco

12 January 2011

CENTENARY OF THE BIRTH OF FANGIO -0.95

INDIANAPOLIS 500-MILE CENTENARY1.35

MONTE CARLO RALLY CENTENARY -1.40

Singapore

7 January Lunar Year of Rabbit 3 stamps + MS

USA

22 January 2011 Lunar New Year

27 January Kansas Statehood
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Readers RightEditors note- The aim of this stamp newsletter is to provide instant information and facts on philately to thereaders and not to hurt anyones feelings. Readers may express their views, anguish and resentmentthrough this column on philately. The platform is not used for any vested interest to cause derogatory tophilately. When writing your views be sure that it should be related to philately only. It should not be used toexpress personal feelings between persons or groups in any manner.

An AppealThe Last Post, a film made by me on the Dak Tonga Man of Jeypore in the Koraput District of Orissa wona Gold at the SINE recently. The film is a story of Nila Nayak, his two horses Budhhu and Sania, and therickety mail cart in which he carries the mailbags for the Post Office. He had been doing this for the last fortyyears, carrying on a tradition that he has inherited from his forefathers. It is a story of a small town man,caught up in the agony of existence, his own and his familys, a man who had sacrificed his present and hisfuture for the sake of the past.

India Post used to pay him only Rs 90 per day, however after the film was made; the Minister of Postsincreased his remunerations to Rs 250 per day. This was little respite for Nila, as he died soon after the filmwas made. However his son continues running the Tonga. Even the Rs 250/- is a measly amount, but theson is determined to continue the nearly century old tradition. The full story can be read in Rainbow StampNews Issue No 3, March 2008.

The film catapulted the Tonga man to fame. I got numerous letters from India and abroad and manymagazines carried the story. Coincidentally, I was in Jeypore last week and came to know that two of hishorses have died. He has one scraggly mare, which can hardly pull the Tonga. A new horse will cost him atleast Rs 10,000/-. I am trying to get him one horse but he needs a pair of horses to run the Tonga cart. Onewill not suffice.

If this horse dies, then the Tonga Cart will come to a stop for the first time in nearly one century. There isevery chance that once stopped, it would not be revived. Thus will end the story of the Last Dak Tonga ofIndia. I appeal to the philatelic community to please help him in getting another horse. I will send a CD ofthe film to anyone who sends him at least Rs 100/-. The amount can be sent by Money Order to ChanchalaNayak, w/o Late Nila Nayak (Dak Tonga Man) O/o The Senior Superintendent Post Offices, KoraputDivision, Jeypore 764 001.

- Anil Dhir

The Antiquities & Art Treasures Act 1972

Recently, while going through my news paper clipping collection, I chanced upon an article titled How oldis an antique written by Shobita Panja , way back in December 2003 in the Telegraph. It cropped up in mymind that it may be a good idea to share excerpts from the article with the readers as points to ponder. Iquote,

As a follow-up to the UNESCO convention of 1970 on the means of Prohibiting and Preventing IllegalImport, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, the Indian Parliament passed the Antiquitiesand Art Treasures Act of 1972. Section 1(1)(a) of this act provides an elaborate definition of antiquity; i) anycoin, sculpture, painting, epigraphy or other work of art or craft; ii) any article, object or thing detached from


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a building or cave; iii) any article, object, or thing illustrative of science, art, crafts, literature, religion,customs, morals, or politics in bygone days; iv) any article, object or thing of historical importance; v) anyarticle, object or thing declared by the Central government, by notification in the Official Gazette, to be anantiquity for the purpose of this act, which has been in existence for not less than one hundred years; andvi) any manuscript, record or other document which is of scientific, historical, literary or aesthetic valuewhich has been in existence not less than 75 years - is deemed to be an antiquity.

The ambiguity of the Indian Antiquities and Art Treasure Act of 1972 definition of an antiquity lies in thesentence no less than 100 years. And in section 23 of this act, only the director general of theArchaeological Survey of India holds the final decision to declaring an object an antiquity. This definitionsuggests that every year, millions of objects get added to this list of antiquities. A telescope made in 1903was not an antique two weeks ago but in 2004 in a matter of a day it will be an antique and you areobliged by the act to register it the ASI headquarters in Delhi.

In Kenya, for example, an antiquity is defined as an object of paleontological interest which comes intoexistence in or after the tear of 1800. Pakistans antiquities act VII of 1976 defined an antiquity as anyancient object and ancient means belonging or relating to any period prior to May 1857, it includes anyancient product of human activity, movable or immovable, etc. What I love is the exact dating of an antique

Our Indian act came force on April 5, 1975 and while amendments will someday be made by someone whoactually reads the law and clarifies its ambiguities, we need to follow the law that specifies the compulsoryregistration of notified categories of antiquities So if you can figure out if your legacy from yourgrandparents is of historic value and not less than 100 years old, please re gister it as soon as possiblewe dont want anyone to break the law, even if we cant understand it.

Unquote.

In tune with the above article I may add that all postage stamps are replicated (printed )artifacts produced inquantities, hence cannot be considered as unique ( a prerequisite for consideration as Antiquities) likeother human made artifacts. I understand an original Ravi Varma is a unique work of art but can anybody

proclaim a photographic or otherwise replicated Ravi Varma as also a unique work of art? Same logicshould also be applicable for postage stamps, saving perhaps the original artists sketch, the colour trials,etc. used for the production of stamps.

I totally disagree with the logic presented by Sri Anil Dhir in this respect. He argues that since somephilatelists after obtaining some higher medals in international exhibitions have sold their prized collectionsalong with items of Indian origin in abroad and the said items are not available with Indian dealers,therefore, Govt. of India should impose outright the antiquity laws on all philatelic items of 100 years old. Itseems to me ridicules, if not absurd. With this same logic perhaps, no Indian collector should have in his/hercollection for example, the worlds first postage stamp, the famous Penny Black produced in 1850 which

fortunately still available in plenty with N number of stamp dealers (for which no clearance is requirefrom the Govt. authorities) or for that matter any number of first issues genera ted in 19th century world-

wide. Most collectors word-wide. at some point of time or other decides to call it a day and looks foravenues where they can get back the maximum values against their collections, is not it natural? Withoutcreating unnecessary hullabaloo may I ask one simple question, what Mr. Dhir and his likes propose to dowith their hordes (including the century old items) once they decide to quit collection?

Under the ambit of Antiquities & Treasure Act Govt should only consider the un ique, I repeat, the uniqueheritage items of Indian origin of great historic values. The onus of keeping samples of actual stampsalong with the relevant art works, essentially lies with the Postal Museums, and Government archives, notthe collectors. Mind it stamps are sold for good and never sold to public on 100 year lease basis.


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Please dont forget, it is the stamp collectors who add value to individual stamps and occasionally madethem postal history items when used. Stamps were and are still sold by the Govt. without any pre-conditionthat after 100 years, if a discerning collector managed to keep the items shall be declared heritage items,thereby, ceasing the authority/ ownership of the collectors concerned.


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http://dorincard.blogspot.com Donicard Language: English Topics: maximum cards, stamps,postcardsDescription: Focus on wild mammals on (traditional or non-traditional) maximum cards..http://en.allexperts.com/q/Stamps-Philately-1610/indexExp_69442.htm - It is a site based onQuestion & Answers on Philately. Mr Prashant Pandya replies to queries.

Philatelic Clubs & SocietiesBaroda Philatelic Society - http://www.vadophil.org/

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/

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

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

The Lighter Side

SK Jain, Dehradun
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Exhibiting is FUN !

- Jagannath Mani, Bangalore

Most philatelists are quite satisfied to assemble and organize their collections in their own unique ways andfor the enjoyment of themselves and their families and friends. Then there are those that crave theexcitement of competition, displaying their collections to a wide appreciative audience of their fellowphilatelists at exhibitions around the country ... and around the world. We call these philatelists "Exhibitors".

If you've ever thought about exhibiting or merely wish to find out more about the topic, then I invite you toexplore further. Beginning in 1986 as a stamps collector and latter switch over to Olympic philatelist, andwon Bronze Medal in OLYMPLEX 2008 for my exhibit titled The Images of summer Olympics I like to writefew Tips for Exhibiting

Preparing an exhibit of your favorite theme for competition at any level stamp shows can be fun,challenging, educational, and at times a daunting experience. One must have patience and be prepared toembark on a process that can take many years before your creation matures to a level where it is receivingthe higher-level awards for your effort.

It is one thing to create an exhibit of your favorite topic for your own viewing pleasure but creating an exhibit

for competition at national / international level stamp shows is a much different process. That process is welldocumented in the judging manuals of various countries or federations and they serve as the guides bywhich jury members base their evaluations for awarding medals.

As my theme/topic Olympic comes under sports, in most cases sports exhibits will fall within a prescribedcategory called THEMATICS however, there are a few other categories where such material may be shown.

Over a period of time, this subject will continue to be expanded and be ready to exchange your knowledgewith others so you can improve your exhibit skill

Philatelist and readers are welcome to exchange their views and give their suggestions to promotethe philately.

- Jagannath Mani email :[email protected]

Promotional sectionYear Book 2011
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://c/Documents%20and%20Settings/abc/Local%20Settings/Temp/WindowsLiveWriter-429641856/supfiles5745C/image[292].pngmailto:[email protected]


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Mr Madan Middha is going to start work for Year Book 2011. Readers are requested to send theirsuggestions about contents of the new edition. Articles are also invited from the readers. Please contactMr Middia [email protected]

Permanent Pictorial cancellation & Special cover

1. Sloth Bear SanctuaryDaroji ( Cover & Pictorial cancellation)

2. Scout Jamboree ( Special Cover)

Lion Ajoy may be contacted for special covers at email :[email protected]

Year 2011 Calendar by India Post

In an innovative brand building measure, Department of Posts had brought out an India Post Calendar inthe year 2010 on the theme of Jayadev and Geetagovinda. The Calendar was designed on the popular setof eleven Dasavatar commemorative postage stamps issued by the Department of Posts (based onJayadevs 12th century epic Geetagovinda). The calendar was received very well by the public at large andwas widely appreciated in bureaucratic, corporate, media and philatelic circles.Enthused with the responseon India Post Calendar 2010, the Department of Posts has brought out its year 2011 Calendar which is onthe theme of Buddha.

More than 2500 years ago, a young man meditated on life and death and found enlightenment. That manwas Siddhartha Gautam whom we know as The Buddha. Buddha, in his first sermon after enlightenmentlaid out the Noble Eightfold Path, also known as the Middle Path, as the way leading to the cessation ofsuffering. Buddha preached commitment to a nonviolent way of life. A commitment that included a profoundconcern for the welfare of all. Buddha abhorred dogma and ritual, inequity and injustice. He preached thegospel of love and compassion and encouraged people to follow the path of righteousness, benevolenceand humanism.

India Post has celebrated the heritage of Buddha by issue of a number of postage stamps on his legacyfrom time to time. India Post 2011 Calendar is inspired by these postage stamps and includes imagesdrawn from the vast trove of Buddhist art and culture.The message of Buddha is relevant to each one of us even today. India Post dedicates its year 2011Calendar to this legacy of Buddha. The India Post 2011 Calendar is available in the philatelic bureaux at allstate capitals across the country for sale at the price of Rs.200/-

View more details :Calendar

Current Philatelic Magazines Newsletters

-Stamp of India Collectors Companion - Indias first and most updated weekly e-newsletter edited byMadhukar and Savita Jhingan from Stamps of India, New Delhi. E-mail:[email protected]: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
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.indiapost.gov.in/pdf/India_Post_2011_Calendar.pdfhttp://www.indiapost.gov.in/pdf/India_Post_2011_Calendar.pdfhttp://www.indiapost.gov.in/pdf/India_Post_2011_Calendar.pdfmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.stampsofindia.com/http://www.stampsofindia.com/http://itsstampnews.blogspot.com/http://itsstampnews.blogspot.com/http://itsstampnews.blogspot.com/http://www.stampsofindia.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.indiapost.gov.in/pdf/India_Post_2011_Calendar.pdfmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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

e ZEP Newsletterhttp://www.ezep.de/zpj/zpj.html Editor : Dieter Leder

[email protected]

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

email :[email protected]

Editors Mail BoxSudhir Jain, PatnaI have seen latest issue of Rainbow Stamp News. It is very attractive, informative and well prepared. Youhave given a new rise to Philately through this newsletter. Readers always wait for the same. Article THESTORY OF PIGEON POST is a research work and I appreciate the writer. I have learnt much by this article.Congratulations.

Shrikant Parikh , Ahmedabad

I cud go thru RSN Jan. issue only today. Its fantastic ! Interview with Prof.Yalvigi is interesting.I must admiretime and again the amazing work by Mr.Naresh Agrawal.Plz. convey my hearty congrates to him for hisconsistency and profound philatelic study.Ur efforts r as always superb and better and better with everyissue.Keep it up !

Dr. Ravindra Kumar (Awarded Padma Shri)Former Vice Chancellor, Meerut University;Editor, Global Peace International Journal;Consultant to United Nations UP GS

It is just a coincident I came across your work during a search on google about freedom fighter particularlyRavishankar Maharaj from Gujarat.I value your work! Congratulations!!!

RAINBOWSTAMPCLUBThis is a blog of e-stamp Club www.rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com . The idea of this blog is to extendphilatelic fraternity in all corners of the world. Readers may write about themselves with their collectinginterests and share new ideas with other philatelists. Those who are interested may send following details
http://www.vadophil.org/http://www.vadophil.org/http://www.vadophil.org/http://www.ezep.de/zpj/zpj.htmlhttp://www.ezep.de/zpj/zpj.htmlhttp://www.ezep.de/zpj/zpj.htmlmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.ezep.de/http://www.ezep.de/http://www.ezep.de/http://www.sipa.org.in/http://www.sipa.org.in/http://www.sipa.org.in/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com/http://www.rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com/http://www.rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.sipa.org.in/http://www.ezep.de/mailto:[email protected]://www.ezep.de/zpj/zpj.htmlhttp://www.vadophil.org/


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for publication on blog. If they wish they may also send their photo for publication. New Post on recentissues, news on stamp activities and Contribution by members are published every day on this blog.

NameCity/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 atRainbow Stamp Cub Blog. Philatelic Clubs and Societies may also send brief write ups. News about newissues 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 areafor inclusion in this Blog. - Editor

Courtesy- News and Image Resource to this issue - Stamps of India, DeepakModi Mobile Philately ; Mansoor B.- Mangalore, International Stamp News ; , Shrikant Parikh

Ahemedabad; Sreejesh Krishnan - Trivandum ; Ashwani Dubey & Sandeep Chaurasia Gorakhpur ;

Sirnivasan Thevarayan, Klang Malaysia; Muthu Kumaran, Chennai; Norvic Philatelics; LionAjoy Bangalore; Prashant Pandya, Vadodara

All the images of this issue have not been included here. For detailed images related to thisissue Please Visit: http://www.rainbowstampnews.blogspot.com/

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

E-mail [email protected] or [email protected]

Last date for receiving write ups 25th of every month. Kindly send images in jpgcompressed 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. Send your write ups in MS Word only.

Kindly specify your contribution such as article/News/ Readers Right / Beginners Section/ LighterSide etc.

Please do not send forwarded messages for promotional section if you want to give anyinformation for promotion please write personally with brief write up. As this newsletter isnot used for any commercial purpose in any manner.
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Attention -Please send limited number of images in compressed jpg format only with your article. Please sendtext and images separately. Please do not send text or image for publication in PDF.

Till Next Month ..Happy Collecting

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