Rainbow May 2009

8/8/2019 Rainbow May 2009

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Shim la May 2009Issue No. 17

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] or [email protected] and by postto

Mrs. Jeevan Jyoti, c / o Mr. Ajay Srivastav, Director, Great Himalayan National Park, Shamshi, Distt.

Kullu. PIN 175126. (H.P.) IndiaNote- 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 itregularly please reply giving the name of your city/country with the subject SUBSCRIBE RAINBOW

Dear Phi la t e l i s t ,

This is the 17th issue of Rainbow Stamp News. During the past months I have tried to bring out thisnewsletter timely and hope all of you have been enjoying it. Here is the season of InternationalExhibitions again. My best wishes to all the participants and congratulations to those who have won


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awards in China 2009. Its a great pleasure that I have received lot of response from India and abroadabout this newsletter. Some persons have also subscribed it who are not philatelists but tempted topick up this hobby after going through the newsletter. This is a real achievement for me that I am ableto reach non - philatelists too and making them to become a stamp lover through this newsletter. Thepurpose of this newsletter is to promote philately everywhere and among every class and age groupof people. As I mentioned in my first newsletter that it is not a very specialized newsletter or meantfor only serious collectors but for all the lovers of philately and of course for those who ever had thecharm and dream of collecting stamps in their childhood but could not continue it. Sometimes it maygive nostalgia to many people who in school days used to exchange stamps with their classmates orfriends. It may boost up many to revive this wonderful hobby. The main objective of this newsletter isto keep this hobby alive when we have very fast means of other entertainments and keep thecollectors updated about stamp collecting and making collection of beautiful postage stamps asthe part of everyday life.............This is all for this month....Till Next month .......Happy Collecting !

.J eevan J yo t i

See c l ea r images o f t h i s i s sue a t t he B log

Con ten t s

Recent Indian Issues In The News What one expects from India Post and its Philatelic Bureau Dr. Avinash B. Jagtap Beginners Section Specialized Section New Issues from Other Countries The Lighter Side Blogs & Websites on Philately Promotional Section Current Philatelic Magazines Newsletters Editors Mail Box

Rec en t Ind ian I s sues

6 March 2009 Pterospermum acerifolium Rs 5 12 March 2009 Krantiveer Shahid Baburao Puleshwar Shedmake Rs 5 13 March 2009 Dr Krishna Kumar Birla Rs. 5 29 April 2009 Spices of India - (Rs 5 x 4 + Rs 20) + M/s Rs 40 30 April 2009 R. Sankar Rs 5

New Stamp Booklets


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Bharatiya Dak Tikit Sangstha of Kolkata has brought out following 2 stamp booklets in the series ofStamp booklets on Cinema theme:

: Cinema Makeup -- Mae West

: Costume in Cinema - Marilyn Monroe

The booklets are designed by well known artist artist, Shri Dipok Dey and are released in the limitedquantity of 200 only. Available at Stamps of India

Special Cover Postm ark

Mar 8: Bidasar, Save Girl ChildMar 8 : Opening of Centenary building in memory of His Holiness Sri VR MahadesikanMar 19-20: Jaipur District Philatelic Exhibition, 2 CoversMar 24: Mumbai, Rotary Club of Bombay 80 Years20 April 2009 Trichy, 150 Years of Railways in South India,24 April 2009 Mumbai, Golden Jubilee of Indo American Society

I n T he N e w s

Hong Kong 2009The 23rd FIAP Asian International Stamp Exhibition is under the patronage of Federation of Inter AsiaPhilately (FIAP) and organized by the Hong Kong Philatelic Society. Hong Kong Post is the mainsponsor for this event. The Exhibition will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and ExhibitionCentre, Wanchai. Approximately 600 frames will be on display. The Exhibition will open on Thursday,May 14, 2009 and close on Sunday, May 17, 2009. Mr. Dhanjanay Desai of Ahmedabad is theNational Commissioner from India and Mr. Sunder Bahirwani of Hyderabad is the member of Juryfrom India. The list of exhibits from India and abroad can be viewed athttp://www.hkpsoc.com/hk2009/exhibits.html

This is a specialized FIAP exhibition in six exhibition classes only - total 800 exhibition framestentatively classified as below:

666 frames for competitive class in the Traditional Class, Postal History Class, ThematicPhilately Class, Youth Philately Class, One Frame Class and Philatelic Literature Class

48 frames for the Court of Honour 100 frames for 10th Inter-school stamp exhibits competition

Total of 814 frames of top class exhibits


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Venue : Hall 5G, Level 5, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wanchai.

Daily Theme:

14 May 2009 (Thurs): Youth Day 15 May 2009 (Fri): Friendship Day 16 May 2009 (Sat): Collector Day 17 May 2009 (Sun): Family Day

Date stamps : Four different pictorial postmarks, one for each day Hong Kong 2009Temporary Post Office date stamps

Sales of stamps and stamp products by Hong Kong Post: $50 Sheetlet and First dayCover on opening day 14 May 2009

Souvenir covers by the organizer:

A set of four souvenir covers titled "Board Games", one for each day will be released bythe organizer Hong Kong Philatelic Society for the exhibition. Tangram (Chinese: Qi QiaoBan) is a dissection puzzle made by cutting a square into seven pieces. The challenge isto put these pieces together to form different shapes, and the number and variety ofshapes that can be formed is only limited by imagination. Chinese Chess (Chinese:Xiang Qi) is widely played in Chinese communities. The board is a symbolicrepresentation of a battlefield with a river in the middle separating the two armies at thebeginning of the game. The objective is to capture the general of the opponent. ChineseChecker (Chinese: Dan Zi Tiao Qi) is a game for two to six players. The board is in theshape of a hexagram with holes for marbles to rest on. Each marble is moved by placingit in an adjacent hole or by jumping over another marble. The first player to move all hismarbles across the board to fill up the star point directly opposite is the winner. FlyingChess (Chinese: Fei Xing Qi) is a simple board game for two to four players. Each playerhas four plane pieces in his chosen colour. The objective is to fly all four planes to thedepot at the centre of the board. The players take turn in rolling the dice to determine thenumber of steps their planes move. The first player to land all his planes on the depotwins.

China 2 009


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If philately is alive & progressing it is in China. It (CHINA 2009) has established new landmark in organized Philately which will be difficult to beat by any country in many years to come'. This is my observation about China 2009 . - Yogesh Kumar, Member of Jury( Postal History Group) China 2009

An FIP General World Stamp Exhibition, China 2009, was held from April 10 to 16, 2009 in Luoyang

City, Henan Province, China. The exhibition marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of PRChina, and was staged in collaboration with the State Stamp Bureau of PR China. New Zealandissued a Miniature sheet to commemorate this event on 1 April 2009 . This grand exhibition wasvisited by about 6 million visitors, while the opening ceremony was attended by approx.50000 peoplewhich was held in a stadium. There were following participants from India.

.Name of Participants - Exhibits - Award - Marks

Ramalinga Rao - Railways - SB - (66)Santosh S . - The Lord of Jungle - B - (63)Gautam - Cycling - B - (63)Mirnal Mathur - Cars on Stamps - B - (60)Nikhil Mundra - Mahatam Gandhi`s world tour on Lufthansa air lines FF as always D - (55)Dheeraj Chaijanya Thotakura - Means of Transport D - (58)Chiranjie Chakraborty - Transport -B - (61)

Phi la Kore a 2009

24th Asian International Stamp Exhibition is going to be held in Seoul, Korea from July 30 Aug 4,2009. Mrs. Damyanti Pittie is the National Commissioner and Indian Juror for the exhibition.

Stamp Mania 2009

The First National One Frame Philatelic Exhibition Stampmania 2009" is going to be organized byBaroda Philatelic Society from 18th to 20th December 2009 at Vadodara. The venue of the exhibitionhas been selected. It will be held at Shree Saurashtra Leuva Patel Seva Samaj, Alembic Road,Vadodara. Approximately 400 frames (200 x 2 ) will be displayed in the exhibition. The officialwebsite of the exhibition www.stampmania2009.com has already been launched. Details of theExhibition Prospectus & Entry Forms in pdf format are now available at website. Collectors can getdetailed information at the website or may write to Mr. Prashant Pandya or Mr. Timir R. Shah . E-MailPrashant Pandya: [email protected] Timir R. Shah: [email protected]


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The options to download Entry Form in pdf format is provided on website, which you can fill and printelectronically. Printed Entry Form duly signed may be sent to STAMPMANIA 2009 Secretariat withparticulars of Entry Fees. Alternately you can fill online Entry Form at the website and for confirmationand for your record purpose print it and send one copy duly signed with particulars of fees toSTAMPMANIA 2009 Secretariat. Hit Submit button to submit the Entry Form online.

Three options for making payment of Entry Fees has been provided. You can send the fees byDemand Draft or AT PAR Cheque in favour of Baroda Philatelic Society, Can send fees by MoneyOrder or you can deposit the amount in any branch of BANK OF BARODA in Account No.01900100006809 of Baroda Philatelic Society.

Last Date for Submission of Entry Forms is 31.07.2009 Please v is i t w w w. s t a m p m a n i a 2 0 0 9 . c o m to r ead a r t i c l e s on w ha t i s One FrameExhib i t and Soc ia l Phi l a t e ly?

S tamp Exh ib i t ion in Cu t t ac k

The Cuttack Club,a heritage club of the Country established in 1865.This year it observed its 144thanniversary. A philatelic exhibition was organized among its members. Mr. Pradip Mohanty, Dr.Tanmay Mohanty and Mr. Lagnajit Roy organized the exhibition. It was continued from 2nd April to4th April 2009. Dr. Pradip Padhi and Md. Shakil, Members of Orissa Philatelic Association were alsoinvited to display their exhibits. One special cover was released with a special cancellation. APigeongramme was sent to commssioner of Police inviting him as Guest of Honor in the functionwhich was held on 4th April, 2009.The Exhibition was inaugurated by Major General Mr. B.P.DasAVSM (rtd) and he released the cover. Mr. Bimal Kishore Mohaptra, Mr.L.I. Parija and other seniormembers of the club were also present in the Function.

For details contact: Mr.Pradip Mohanty, Hon.Secretary ,Orissa Philatelic Association, KeonjharColony, Kanikachhak, Cuttack-753008e-mail: [email protected] & [email protected] Ph. 09861032965

New CD - Rom s tam p f rom Bhut an


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Bhutan Postal Corp. LTD announced its second issue on 21 February 2009 in a series of world's firstCD-ROM postage stamps with web portal. The stamps are mini-CDs that fit into exquisitelydecorated, self-adhesive envelopes. When affixed to a larger envelope, the CD-ROM stamp can beused as postage. When inserted into a computer, the CD-ROM plays an 8-minute video aboutBhutan, and also offers a web portal to www.BhutanToday.net, with news about Bhutan in real time.This is another unique stamp in the list of Extra ordinary stamps and a new item for collectors ofunique stamps.

N e w B l o gs

Recently two new beautiful blogs have been created by well known philatelists of Gujarat.These blogsare Prashant Pandya Ka Phila Jagat by Mr. Prashant Pandya of Vadodara andSe-tenant Stamps of India by Mr. Shrikant Parikh of Ahmedabad. Just log on to these beautiful

Blogs. Both of them are very nice and informative.

New Max CardHere is the new Max Card designed by our distinguished member Mr. Hemant Kumar Jain of

Jabalpur based on stamp issued on dt.10-12-08 to commemorate 60 Years of UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights". For more details about this beautiful card Contact Mr. H.K. JainE - Mail: [email protected]

Li fe ded ic a t ed t o Ph i l a t e ly

Li fe Time Ach ievemen t Aw ard


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The Indo French Philatelic and Numismatic Association (IFPNA) decided to honor two eminentpersons every year in order to recognize those who dedicate their life for philately by presenting theprestigious Life Time Achievement Award in Philately. Last year IFPNA honored two philatelists,Noren Singh Nahar of Pondicherry and Manmohan Singh of Bangalore.

Mr. Manmohan Singh is life member of various philately clubs and societies around India, born atAmritsar on 27th September 1946, His father Sardar Manohar Singh was also an eminent philatelistduring his time. He joined stamp trade in 1968. He runs a stamp shop in Bangalore. VannarpetViveknagar Post. Those who wish to meet Mr. Manmohan Singh may contact at - Mr. Manmohan Singh, No.955, 25th Cross, 22ndAMain, Opp.2nd Sector Park, HSR Layout, Bangalore-560115 INDIA Phone: +91 80 32919964 Mobile: +91 93412 13173 Email - [email protected]

Ut t a rakhand - A Ph i l a t e l i c J ourney

"Uttarakhand - A philatelic journey" is an ideal example of constructive collaboration betweenphilatelists and Postal officials. The book authored jointly by two well known philatelists of DehradunMr. Abhai Mishra & Mr. Rajesh Varma , is published by Uttarakhand Circle of India Post. Mr. AbhaiMishra is a senior scientist at Image Analysis Center, Dehradun and was a member of the 22ndIndian Antarctic Expedition in 2001-2002.

It covers the Uttarakhand region, starting from the hand struck postage stamps of Almora. The bookhas been developed in a Thematic manner so that it can be attractive to the general public. It coverstopics like Personalities of the region, National Parks, Educational Institutions, Flora & Fauna,Mountain Peaks, Places of pilgrimage etc.

The authors have tried to document all the philatelic exhibitions of Uttarakhand. Separate section onAPS covers is also available. Other than the commemorative stamps, it also lists all the specialcovers issued in the region. It is a profusely illustrated book, with lot of images. The book will behighly appreciated by not only the philatelic community but also by the public in general. The book isavailable at Philatelic Bureau, Dehradun and also can be obtained from Stamps of India

Beg inne r s Sec t i on

What is a First Day Cover?

A First Day Cover (FDC) is an envelope or card bearing a stamp which is cancelled on the day thestamp is initially placed on sale by the postal authorities. A FDC with the Lafayette stamp (A) i sshown with an Charleston, SC, First Day Of Issue cancel (B) and a cachet (C), pronounced ka-shay,which tells us something about the stamp.


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Little known facts about Stamps:

WHO IS FIRST (par t II )

- Dr.Satyendra Kumar Agrawal

In first part of this article I tried to compile the available information regarding postage stampforerunners of one Penny and two Pence stamps of Great Britain, went on sale on 1 May 1840 andbecame postally valid on 6 May 1840 crowned with the title of Worlds First Adhesive PostageStamp.

Along with these postage stamps, Mulready Envelope and Letter Sheets with imprinted stamps werealso made available to the public and also known as the First Postal Stationeries of the World. Arethey first?

1840 Mulready Sheet 1840 Mulready Envelope

AQ Sheets

The first postal stationery item issued by a government is thought to be the AQ Sheets, introduced bythe Republic of Venice in 1608, about two centuries prior to the Mulready Envelope and LetterSheets. According to July 1967 issue of Postal History Journal, In November 1608 the printing ofspecial postal stationery known as Taglio was decided by the Venetian government. Each Tagliocarried symbolization of the Winged Lion of St. Mark with the letter A on one side and the letter Qon the other. These two letters being an abridgment of the word Acqua designating the authoritywhich had originally requested the implementation of the programme No postal markings is knownon these sheets, but the writer of the article published in Postal History Journal, John F.Riderillustrated a September 4, 1609 usage of an AQ Letter sheet.


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For a long time it was considered to be postal stationery but according to Vito Salierno, II NuovoCorriere Filateico #19, October 1978, these sheets are rather revenue items introduced to raise fundsfor works of Lagoon following the many floods of nearby rivers.

Saradinia Stamped Postal Paper

The government of Sardinia, located off the western coast of Italy, issued stamped postal paper onNovember 7, 1818 at post offices and vendors of tobacco merchants (that earned a commission fortheir sale) across the island in three values 15, 25 & 50 centesimi denominations to account for thedistance a letter was to travel. The release was meant to tax private mail couriers. Anyone found

transporting mail not on these letter sheets was subject to fines and imprisonment.The stamps were imprinted in ink with round, oval and octagonal devices, each of which contained ahorse bearing a Cherub-like rider blowing a Post horn. Later these devices were embossed onornately watermarked sheets called Cavallini. They remained in use until March, 1836, when thepostal laws changed.

Though Sardinia sheets are assumed as for only taxes but the imprinted design of a boy blowing apost horn favours its possible postal use. It is interesting to note that even these days tobaccomerchants in Italy used to sell postage stamps for which postal department pay a commission.

Few examples and the original documents providing for their introduction and use are well preservedin the Swiss PTT Museum in Berne.

Treffenbergs Postal Wrapper

Philatelic literature also includes the Swedish army colonel, Curry Gabriel Treffenbergs proposals ofa postal wrapper of a writing paper size with two stamps as the value of the sheet side by side


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containing some appropriate emblems difficult to imitate. One stamp deeply pressed into the paperi.e. embossed and the other printed with ink.

Proposal got significant support when put in the Assembly of Swedish Nobles in 1823, but thegovernment rejected this idea.

Sydney Letter Sheet

New South Wales issued prepaid letter sheets in November 1838 with colourless embossed imagesimpressed on to the letter sheet of a design showing the Royal Coat of Arms on the seal of the colonywith the additional words GENERAL POST OFFICE It was an outcome of the initiative taken by thePostmaster General of the British Colony of New South Wales. This sold for 2d each or 1s3d perdozen including all charges for payment and delivery at the General Post Office and were valid forletter within the Sydney Local Post district and continued in use until May 1852. The Hanoverian coatof arms was approximately 29 mm in diameter. Since the embossing was hard to see in most of thecases, letter sheets were applied Crowned FREE frank, not because they were free but to avoidfurther charges to the addressee.

Many examples of this cover still exist and have pride of place in various philatelic collections. The

V.P. Manwood collection of New South Wale s 1838-1860 sold in an auction during 1995, haveexample of 5 letter sheets out of which two were unused and one the earliest known example ofNovember 29, 1839 piece.

Feather Letters

In the 18th century a system of attaching feathers to the seals of letters was introduced to indicate theneed for speed in the carriage of letters and is well known in early Finnish history (Since the 1760s)as well as Swedish. Sweden, however, had the interesting tradition of attaching two small feathers tothe letter by a wax seal. This indicated the need for speed in transit. If black and white feathers werecombined this implied "Very urgent. Travel night and day!"Can we put them also in this race of Who is First ?P


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LABELING MA ILS (POSTAL LAB ELS)- By Nare sh Aga rw a l (contd. from the last issue.)

2. NATURE OF DELIVERY: These labels highlight the nature of delivery of mail such as Expressmail delivery, Airmail Express mail delivery, Special delivery, Recorded delivery, Registered deliveryetc.

REGISTERED MAIL LABELS:

These labels are used on postal covers carried through registered mail. Significantly printed R,issuing post office name, registered number and the postage paid are normally highlighted on it.These may have printed numbers or hand written by the clerk, or may have computer print detailshighlighting this information. Nature of registration is also some times printed. Items must have aRegistered Mail bar code that allows the item to be tracked. Each item of Registered Mail purchasedand deposited at a post office must bear a bar coded Registered Mail Label.


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Registered labels affixed on covers

SPECIAL DELIVERY LABELS :These labels are used on the mail rated as Special Delivery. Special delivery refers to speedydelivery of the mail. Additional postage entitles the delivery of mail by a special messenger rather

than by scheduled delivery.This label highlights this class of delivery.

Cover affixed with Special Delivery label

EXPRESS DELIVERY LABELS :As the name suggests, express delivery is the fast delivery of mail. The label highlights the wordEXPRESS DELIVERY with express word being prominent.

In general, all express labels are printed in red color as opposed to airmail labels in blue. Above arethe labels from Royal Mail, UK.

RECORDED DELIVERY LABELS:

Recorded mail delivery labels highlight the recorded delivery with record slip /register number printedon it. It may also reflect the name or number of the recording office.


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Airlines and hotels have produced more elaborate designs, some quite attractive.

The airmail label may be omitted if airmail stamps are used on the letter, and in some cases even thisis not necessary if a country sends out all its foreign mail by air. In some countries, such as, theUnited Kingdom you may simply write "PAR AVION -- BY AIR MAIL" on the envelope, even thoughetiquettes are available free from post offices. As flying the mail becomes the rule rather than theexception, the airmail label also becomes superfluous and more collectible. Interesting on cover,these small (usually) Cinderellas also are sought after in their mint state. Not just aviation buffs canappreciate the adhesives that directed "Via Air Mail" in many different languages, styles and colors.)

Cover showing plain dark blue airmail Label Different Airmail Labels

ZEPPALINE MAIL LABELS:

As the name suggests, these labels are affixed on Zeppelin mail and normally depicts zeppelin onthem

Mail cover with Graff Zeppelin Label affixed

PARACHUTE MAIL LABEL:


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Historical Background

Extensive literature is available that discuss how our country achieved independence and thereforethe author does not wish to reproduce that detailed account for our struggle to achieve it. The authorfirmly believes that behind Gandhijis historical Dandi March there are cascade of events thatprompted Gandhiji to open a new front of war using his firm principles of non-violence. In the historyof world politics, Dandi March is the first mega event in which non-violence is used as a powerful toolto oppose the government.

The first organized attempt to achieve our independence was the revolt of 1857 which is popularlyknown as The Great Indian Revolt of 1857. It is called as a Sepoy Mutiny by the British historianswhereas historians of our country call it as First War of Independence. The revolt was a failure dueto improper planning and organization. On British side, it resulted in to transfer of powers from EastIndia Company to the British Crown and in 1858 India came under the British Rule during the reign ofQueen Victoria. With passage of time, the imperialism and racial policy adopted by the British ignitedmany national leaders of that time to start demonstrations and organize meetings to protect theirrights. During those early days of nationalism, there was no all India organization to protest againstthe British Government in India. Though it is hard to believe, the first person who came forward tohelp Indians was a Scottish. Allan Octavian Hume (1828-1912), than Secretary to the Govt. of Indiawas a sympathizer of Indians. His pronounced sympathies with the Indian people brought him in toconflict with the government and he was retired in 1882 without adequate reasons. In the very nextyear, he initiated moves for the creation of a political organization of the Indian people through whichthey could approach the British Government for constitutional reform and better treatment. It was atthe initiative of Mr. Hume that the Indian National Congress was founded in 1885. Soon IndianNational Congress (INC) became a powerful tool for political consciousness and supreme force fornational movement. It started its activities for independence by organizing its first meeting at Bombayunder the Presidentship of Shri W. C. Bonnerjee, which was attended by 72 members.

During the formation and consolidation stage of All Indian National Congress, Gandhiji was in SouthAfrica where destiny involved him in the politics of South Africa. It changed the course of action ofGandhijis life, which he took up sincerely and attained it wholly. In South Africa he organized Indiancommunity and tested his principles of non-violence rested on truth. Gandhiji returned to India onJanuary 9, 1915 and founded his Satyagraha Ashram at Kochrab, Ahmedabad on May 25, 1915.Later on he founded Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad in July 1917 and lived there from 1918 to1930. From this point to the declaration of Dandi March, several events took place that disturbedGandhiji but, only chronology of events in which he was actively involved is reproduced here below.

April 1917 - Champaran Satyagraha1918 - Ahmedabad Mill workers and Kheda Peasant Satyagraha.


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April 13, 1919 - Massacre at mass meeting at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Gandhiji implored people tocalm.

1920-21 - Khilafat and Non-cooperation Movements.Feb. 5, 1922 - Chauri Chaura incident and withdrawal of Non-co-operation Movement.Dec. 1924 - Presided over Belgaum Congress

Dec. 1928 - Attended Calcutta Congress where a draft Constitution of India was adopted onDecember 31, 1928.

Dec. 1929 - Gandhijis resolution on Complete Independence was adopted at open session ofLahore Congress along with immediate boycott of legislatures.

Salt Act (1882) and Salt Tax

As added information, Penal Section of the Salt Act which reads as under is reproduced:

- Any person convicted of an offence under Section 9, shall be punished with imprisonment for aterm which may extend to six months.

- All contraband salt, and every vessel, animal or conveyance used in carrying contraband salt shallbe liable to confiscation.

- Any salt-revenue officer guilty of cowardice shall on conviction before a magistrate be punishedwith imprisonment which may extend to three months.

The tax on locally produced salt was 240 pies on a mound of salt, which cost only 10 pies to produce.That is, the taxation rate was 2400 % and therefore, Gandhiji decided to break the Salt Law whichprohibited private individuals producing salt from seawater.

At midnight on December 31 1929, the Indian National Congress unfurled the flag of independenceon the banks of Ravi at Lahore. The Indian National Congress, led by Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru,issued the Declaration of Independence on January 26 1930. After proclaiming the Declaration ofIndependence of India on January 26, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi came to an impasse in his politicalcareer focused on freeing India from British rule. He was actively and impertinently searching a topicthat was most appropriate for his campaign against government.Beginning in February 1930, his thoughts swayed towards the British salt tax, one of many economicimproprieties used to generate revenue to support British rule, as the focal point of non-violentpolitical protest. The prominent reasons to select Salt Tax were; (i) absolute monopoly on saltproduction and sell by the British, (ii) in temperate climates of India, salt was invaluable to the people,many of whom were agricultural laborers and required the mineral for metabolism in an environmentof immense heat and humidity where sweating was profuse, and it was occurring throughout low-lying coastal zones of India, (iii) it was easily as well as readily accessible to them who were insteadforced to pay money for it which they could easily collect themselves for free, and (iv) mostimportantly it met the important criterion of appealing across regional, class, and ethnic boundaries.Everyone needed salt, and the British taxes on it had an impact on all of India.

Led by an "inner voice" during this period of strategical uncertainty, Gandhiji used the BritishGovernment's monopoly of the salt tax as a catalyst for a major "Satyagraha" campaign. One ofGandhi's principal concepts, "satyagraha" goes beyond mere "passive resistance"; by adding theSanskrit word "Agraha" (resolution) to "Satya" (Truth). For him, it was crucial that Satyagrahis foundstrength in their non-violent methods.

Choosing the salt tax as an injustice to the people of India was considered an ingenious choicebecause every peasant and every aristocrat understood the necessity of salt in everyday life. It wasalso a good choice because it did not alienate Congress moderates while simultaneously being an


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issue of enough importance to mobilize a mass following. The idea of defying salt-tax to achieveindependence was not palatable to the then President of INC Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (Ill. 1). Butwhen it turned out to be an unbelievable successful movement, he confessed very frankly about hisdoubts and praised about the capabilities of the Gandhiji in organized mass movement. Similar toPanditjis opinion, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (Ill. 2) was also in doubt about its success and was notagreed with it. In spite of his reservations, Sardar Patel took the responsibility of finalizing the route toDandi. Even this place Dandi was also selected by him with his colleagues Mohanlal Pandya andRavishankar Maharaj (Ill. 3) and he finalized the program of the entire route and made allarrangements. While finalizing the route, he was also delivering his speech for public awareness. Hewas arrested on March 7 at Ras village while making one such speech for which he was notpermitted by the authorities (pre-Dandi March arrest). The historical Dandi March took place on thisroute only and thus Gandhiji walked on Sardar Patels route.

The place selected by Gandhiji for his symbolic defiance of the provisions of the Salt law was Dandi,a seaside village in Gujarat. The main reason to select this was that that it was the farthest end ofGujarat seacoast and was surrounded by villages and town with the tried workers for satyagraha. Thepeople of Karadi, Navsari and nearby villages had shown special enthusiasm for the struggle. Thesecond intention was to extend travel time of the march so that it may gain wide publicity, spread tolarger extent and creates more public awareness within the country. He decided to march the entiredistance of about 385 kilometers (241 miles) from Ahmedabad. In an effort to amend the salt taxwithout breaking the law, on March 2, 1930 Gandhi wrote to the Viceroy, Lord Irwin: "If my letter makes no appeal to your heart, on the eleventh day of this month I shall proceed with such co-

workers of the Ashram as I can take, to disregard the provisions of the Salt Laws. I regard this tax to be the most iniquitous of all from the poor man's standpoint. As the Independence movement is essentially for the poorest in the land, the beginning will be made with this evil." The unfeeling replyfrom the Viceroy provoked Gandhiji to exclaim: On bended knees I asked for bread and I havereceived stone instead. On the eve of the historical march, in his evening prayer meeting Gandhijitook a pledge; I will die a crows death, I will die a dogs death; but I will not return to the Ashram empty handed, without Swaraj . In the same lecture he also said that there are all chances that this is being my last lecture to you. In the morning if I will be permitted to march by the government, even though, this is being my last lecture on the holy bank of the River Sabarmati, or otherwise, this may be the last lecture of my life . And Gandhiji never returned to Sabarmati. He was assassinated a fewmonths after independence and could never make the promised return to Sabarmati. What a great

misfortune!At the time of Dandi March, the age of the Gandhiji was 61 years. For smooth and ease in walkingduring the march with all his essentials carrying in his shoulder bag, Gandhiji selected a wooden stick54 inch long and 1 inch in thickness. Gandhiji with stick in his hand later on became his symbolicidentity (Ill. 4 and 5).


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Ill. 4 1969 issue Ill. 5 Enlarged view of canc.

To be con t d..

N e w I s s u es f r o m o t h e r c o u n t r i e s

Australia

1 April 2009 Indigenous Culture 5 val.400 Years of Cocos (Keeling Islands) 4 val.

Andorra

27 March 2009 Preserve the Polar Regions and Glaciers M/s

Azerbaijan

2 April 2009 ECO Summit


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13 April 2009 EUROPA Astronomy 2 Val + M/s

Belarus

15 April 2009 EUROPA 2009 Astronomy 2 val.

Bhutan

20 March 2009 Punakha Dzong Cantilever Bridge - val + M/sCanada

9 April 2009 Global Warming 2 x 54c

Croatia

27 March 2009 Save Poles and Glaciers 2 val + M/s

30 March 2009 Easter 3.50

Czech Republic

6 May 2009 EUROPA Astronomy 17 Kc

22 April 2009 150 th anniversary of the Former Pardubice Liberec South North German junctionline 10kc

Guernsey

28 May 2009 Europa 2009 Astronomy 2 val


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Hong Kong

7 April 2009 China 2009 1 M/s

Ireland

24 April 2009 Francis Bacon 55c

Lativia

2 April 2009 Europa 2009 Astronomy 2 val

Lithuania

25 April 2009 EUROPA 2009 2 x 2.45 Lt

New Zealand

1 April 2009 China 2009 M/s - 50c $1.00, $1.50, $2.00.

1May 2009 50th Anniversary - Auckland Harbour Bridge


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Pakistan

11 March 2009 10 th ECO Summit at Tehran - Rs. 5

23 March 2009 Golden Jubilee - Habib Public School Rs. 5

28 March 2009 National Year of Environment 4 val

Poland

22 April 2009 Polish Year in Israel M/s 3zt.

Portugal

11 March 2009 Eight hundred years of Franciscan Order 1val + M/s

24 April Biodiversity 4 v + 2 Min. sheet

Sri Lanka

5 March 2009 Moors Sports Club Rs 5 + A. P. De Zoysa Rs 5


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9 Mach 2009 Railway Running Shed Dematagoda Rs 5

13 March 2009 Gate Mudalyar M.S. Kariapper Rs 5

31 March 2009 University of Vocational Technology Rs 5

Ukraine

17 April 2009 Astronomy 2 val

Reader s Right

Editors note- The aim of this stamp newsletter is to provide instant information and facts on philatelyto the readers and not to hurt anyones feelings. Readers may express their views, anguish andresentment through this column on philately. The platform is not used for any vested interest to causederogatory to philately. When writing your views be sure that it should be related to philately only. Itshould not be used to express personal feelings between persons or groups in any manner. Please

send your postal address and Ph. No. and if possible a photo too when writing on any controversialissue.

Inve r t ed J enny. In t e r e s t i ng r e l a t ed s t o ryJust received the recent Rainbow stamps Newsletter and noted the item on a British auction of themost famous 'Inverted Jenny' US error stamp. Here are two interesting related items. First one isrelated to George W Bush's second term Presidential 'election-balloting' and received a great deal ofpublicity. The second is a 'copycat attempt' to issue three US commemorative stamps on theoccasion of a philatelic convention. It has three different pictures which are intentionally printed

upside down. - Hemant V. Kulk arni , USA

Pl . v i ew c lea r New s c l ipp ing a t Blog


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Georges Herpin . Georges Herpin was a French stamp collector who wrote "The Collectionof Postage Stamps" in November of 1864. He was the first President of the French PhilatelicSociety

Do you kn ow ?

-The first postage stamps did not come with a sticky back. People used their own glueor paste or figured out other ways to keep the stamp on the envelope.

-The most popular US postage stamp sold over 120 million copies. It was a 1993stamp of rock singer Elvis Presley.

-The only country to print stamps without its name on them is Great Britain. This isokay because they invented the stamp.

-The first postcards were released on January 1 1872. The text on each postcard read:"The postal authorities are not responsible for the contents of the letter".

Blogs & Webs i t e s on Ph i l a t e ly

http://setenantsofindia.blogspot.com This is a new blog on se-tenants stamps of India by Mr.Shrikant Parikh of Ahmedabad.

http://prashantpandya.blogspot.com - A new Blog in Hindi by Mr. Prashant Pandya of Vadodara. It isthe only blog for philately in Hindi and created to have awareness about philately amongst philatelistsas well as non philatelists.

www.stampsofindia.com This is the website of India with complete information on Indian stamps.

http://stampcollectingroundup.blogspot.com - Interesting news, resources and links about stamps,stamp collecting and postal operations.

www.rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com This is the e Stamp Club Blog to bring philatelists togetheron blogosphere and share views with each other.

http://www.myfavouritestamps.blogspot.com - A blog on my favourite stamps.

ZEPPELIN STUDY GROUP - meet ing a t PIPEX 2009 s t amp show a t Por t land, The ZEPPELIN STUDY GROUP is meeting at PIPEX 2009 stamp show at Portland, Orgeon (USA).Meeting date is Sunday May 24, 2009. If you plan to attend that meeting, please get in touch withDickson Preston who is organizing the meeting. Dickson can be reached by email


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[email protected] Further details online at http://www.ezep.de/meet/pip.html

w w w .eZEPta lk .de - new board for zeppe l in ma i l and a i r sh ip memorab i l i aA new board for zeppelin mail and airship memorabilia was launched some days ago. Atwww.eZEPtalk.de you will find a board where you can post and discuss everything about zeppelinmail and airship memorabilia. If you have a question or if you simply want to share a nice cover,please do so at eZEPtalk.de. You can also respond to questions or participate in discussions startedby other board members.

On-l ine Ex hibi t on In t ernat ional Vir t ua l Phi la t e l ic Ex hibi t ion EXPONET

h t tp : / /www.expone t . in fo /

ht tp : / /www.japhi la .cz /hof /exponet_menu.htm

Promo t io n al s ec t i o n

N e w M a x C a r ds

Here are some new Max Cards on Kalka - Shimla Railway.The 105-year-old railway line thatmeanders through the hills between Kalka and Shimla, covering 102 tunnels and 800 bridges, hasbeen officially declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.The Kalka-Shimla railway line was built in1898 during British rule to connect the then summer capital of India, Shimla, with other parts of thecountry. The two-feet-six-inches narrow gauge railway line that covers a distance of 96 km was

officially opened for traffic Nov 9, 1903. It is a big attraction for the tourists visiting Shimla. These MaxCards have been prepared by Mr. Mahendra Sharma of Guwahati .

-Ten anniversary of Japhila e-zine: http://www.japhila.cz/2009/pictures/10_japhila.jpg Printingsheet on sale: 16 eur with R-postage / 10 pieces 15 eur with R-postageWrite on: [email protected]

-P.K. Prathapchandran E Mail [email protected]

I am a senior engineer aged 67 & also senior philatelist. I am a Life Member of The Religious StampExchange Club of Kochi, One of the earliest Philatelic clubs in Kerala, started in the early Seventies. Iwas in the club from the beginning, along with M/s. V.O. Antony, O.B. Menon, Louis brothers, M.R.Pai etc.. Of the over 1,000 members now my membership No. is 27, most of those seniors to me 26are not with us now! The club functions even now actively with regular monthly meetings andpublishing informative journal, periodic postal auction etc. I am interested in getting some Block-of-Four India Stamps. I have a lot of India First Day Covers for disposal & request if any one isinterested in covers may contact me.

Cur ren t Ph i l a t e l i c Magazines New s le t t e r s


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Stamp of India Col lec t ors Companion - Indias first and most updated weekly e-newsletteredited by Madhukar and Savita Jhingan from Stamps of India, New Delhi. E-mail:[email protected] Website: www.stampsofindia.com

ITS S tamp New s Jan March 2009, Quarterly Newsletter - Editor -Suraj Jaitly, Published byIndian Thematic Society, Ludhiana E Mail [email protected]

Phi la Pos t Jan - Mar 2009, Quarterly Philately Journal, Executive Editor: Manju Kumar, Director,Philately Division, India PostPublished by L.B. Associates (Pvt.) Ltd., H-108 Sector 63, Noida- 201301. Subscription Rs. 40 byM.O. for 4 issues.

Edi t or s Mai l Box

Dr. Avinash B. Jagt ap , Sw i t zer land

Thank you very much for forwarding me the April issue of Rainbow Stamp News. The article by Dr.

Satyendra Agrawal, is very interesting and informative to all philatelists. As your magazine contains alot of illustrations of the stamps and other philatelic materials, and that too, in original colours, itmakes the reading not only interesting but also useful. I must thank you and appreciate your selflessdedication to the growth of philately in India.

Prashant Pandya, Vadodara

I have gone through your news letter. You have given very nice information in it. It is good that youare providing information about stamps of foreign countries with images. That helps to thematiccollectors. Dr. Jagtap's article is also very good article on Indian Stamps. Beginners' Section isalways helpful to new comers and especially school children. Other articles are also very good. I amhappy that philatelists are coming forward to give articles in newsletters.

RAINBOW STAMP CLUB

This is a blog of e-stamp Club www.rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com . The idea of this blog is toextend philatelic fraternity in all corners of the world. Readers may write about themselves with theircollecting interests and share new ideas with other philatelists. Those who are interested may sendfollowing details for publication on blog. If they wish they may also send their photo for publication.New Post on recent issues, news on stamp activities and Contribution by members are publishedeveryday on this blog.

NameCity/Country..E-Mail..Postal Address.Collecting Interests.Brief write up about yourself


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Readers may also express their views on any philatelic matter which will be published under ClubNews at Rainbow Stamp Cub Blog. Philatelic Clubs and Societies may also send brief write ups.News about new issues of India and abroad and other information related with Philately are regularlyposted on this blog. Readers may send reports on new issues, special covers, cancellations &philatelic activities of their area for inclusion in this Blog. - Editor

Cour t e s y- News and Image Resource to this issue - Stamps of India, Dipok Dey Kolkata,Yogesh Kumar Bareilly, Jagannath Mani Bangalore; Abhai Mishra- Dehradun Shrikant Parikh-Ahmadabad, Prashat H. Pandya-Vadodara , Pradip Jain- Patna; Hemant Kumar Jain- Jabalpur,Mobile Philately Deepak Modi

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

For PDF Version of Rainbow Stamp News reply with the subject SubscribeRainbow PDF

A d d re s s f o r c o m m u n i c a t i o n : Mrs. Jeevan Jyoti, c / o Mr. Ajay Srivastav, Director, GreatHimalayan National Park, Shamshi, Kullu (H.P.) PIN 175126

E-mail [email protected] & [email protected]

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

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

A Reques t t o Reader s & Con t r ibu to r s -

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

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

Please send limited number of images in compressed jpg format only with yourarticle.Please send text and images separately.


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"The philatelist will tell you that stamps are educational, that they are valuable, that they are beautiful. This is only part of the truth. My notation is that the collection is a hedge, a comfort, a shelter into which the sorely beset mind can withdraw. It is orderly, it grows towards completion, it is something that can't be taken away from us" -

Ti ll Ne x t Mo nt h H ap py Col le c t in g..

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

Documents

Rainbow May 2009