Barrel Mail..

 

  

Date of Issue : 6 August 2013

A new stamp released by the Cocos (Keeling) Islands is dedicated to barrel mail. From around 1909 mail and other essential items were delivered to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands within barrels lowered or dropped from passing P&O and Orient Line ships. The approaching liner would notify the cable station on Direction Island and staff members would collect the barrel from their jukongs.

At the same time, outgoing mail was sealed in a tin can and attached to a line trailing from the ship making the drop. Some mail dispatched to and from the islands in this way carried a range of postal markings and cachets such as “Tin Can Mail” or “Orion Barrel” (in reference to the RMS Orion).

A regular air service, first introduced in 1952, put an end to barrel and tin can mail in 1954.

Read More

New Special cover from Dehradun

 

A new special cover on Nanda Devi Rajjaat Yatra will be released on 20 August 20 13 at Dehradun.

 

Release of Special Cover & Special Cancellation

Venur : Hotel Madhuban, Rajpur Road, Dehradun

Date : 20 August 2013 at 5 PM

: Abhai Mishra – Dehradun

The Nanda Raj Jat offers an unparalleled and complete experience to the travelers with interest in local cultural and religious traditions of Uttarakhand as well as to those who are decent trekking enthusiasts. Its sanctity for locals is equal to Kumbh and it is one of the most lively and colourful festivals in the region.

Nanda devi - the daughter of Kings of mountains, and the consort of Lord Shiva - is the supreme spiritual goddess of the locals of Garhwal and Kumaon region. She visits her maternal dwelling in these Himalayan heights in the Bhadrapad (months of August - September) - and this festive break is celebrated by the natives.

The Nanda Raj Jat takes place once every twelve years - the journey starts from Nauti village accompanying a mythical four-horned sheep and Doli and all sorts of gifts for Nanda Devi, who is treated as a daughter revisiting her mother.

Read More…

Read More

Yala National Park of Sri Lanka..

 

Date of Issue : 28 July2013

The Philatelic Bureau of Sri Lanka issued six new postage stamps in the denominations of Rs. 5.00, Rs 15.00, Rs. 30.00, Rs. 40.00 and Rs. 50.00 depicting six selected animals living in the Yala National Park to coincide with the completion of seventy five years of the network of Wild Life Reserves in Sri Lanka, as the fourth issue in the series of stamps on Sri Lanka’s National Parks.

As for the objectives of the Wild Life Reserves Network of Sri Lanka which has evolved for a period of seventy five years now since February, 1938, in addition to the long term protection of Wild Life resources, it contributes to a large extent to the national economy of the country as well.

 

 

1.Hawks-bill Turtle ( Eretmochelys imbricate)

Growing to about 3 feet in length, this member is one of eight species of sea turtles recognized in the world, and one of the five that inhabit the coastal waters of Sri Lanka. All turtles are considered globally threatened and live by feeding on sea weeds, grasses, jellyfish, corals etc. They come ashore to lay eggs in a nest dug in the sand with their flippers. A total of 20-40 or more nicely round white eggs are laid in the dugout cavity at night when they beach for nesting. The eggs are covered with sand using  the flippers and pressed with body thumping. The nestlings hatch out in approximately 23-26 days and head out straight to sea. The yolk sac in the belly is supposed to provide the initial energy for the hatchlings to swim as far as possible to the reef areas. They do not come back to land until mature and ready to breed, the age of which has  not yet been established. The nesting beach is believed to be the same area from where  it left as a hatchling. The use of its carapace scales for ornamental accessories by humans  is the biggest threat to its survival.

2.Swamp Crocodile( Crocodylus palustris )

Crocodiles are members of the reptilian group, and are considered to be in the direct line of evolution to birds. They possess a heart with a left aortic blood vessel like the birds and different from the other reptiles. Sri Lanka is blessed with two species – the marsh or swamp crocodile and the larger and more aggressive estuarine crocodile – Crocodylus porosus inhabiting  generally the salt waters.  The swamp crocodile grows to about 10 - 12 feet, with webbed fingers, dorsal nares and a nasal track separated from the mouth by a palate. They are efficient swimmers paddling with the dorso-ventrally flattened tail.  Crocodiles build nests in dug-up cavities in the embankments of rivers etc. in which they lay eggs that are hatched by the addition of decaying vegetation. Crocodiles are very protective of their young and are most aggressive during the period when the young hatchlings are around.  They are carnivorous and feed of dead carcasses or captured animals.

3.Elephant( Elephas maximus )

The largest animal on the Asian continent, the elephant is related to the African elephant in being in the same Family Proboscidea. The main feature of recognition is the presence of the prehensile nose or proboscis. An average animal can grow up to about 7-9 feet at the shoulder. They are herbivorous and need around 1/3rd their body weight in foliage per day. The Sri Lankan elephant feeds 70% on grasses and balance on vegetation plants of around 10cm in diameter at breast height.  Thus it has been recognized as an “edge species”  loitering and feeding in high densities in forest with heavy scrub, open grasslands and water. The cause for damage to property, crops and consequently even to human life is believed mainly due to this preference of food and  a unique feature in its feeding biology. The grinding capacity of the molar teeth that replaces over the years fails to be effective and efficient  in old age and a preference for softer lush “agricultural” food draws them to human habitation. The continued encroachments of their territory by humans have compounded the conflict further. The elephant tamed by us has become  part of our culture and religious practices. Among the Asian elephant  it is only the male that bears the magnificent tusks, a sad cause for its state of threatened status.

 

4.Black-necked Stork( Ephippiorhynchus asiatucus )

The tallest bird of Sri Lanka with a height  over  5 ft. It inhabits coastal wetlands such as marshes, lagoons,  estuaries and large water bodies. A bird that had a distribution in the North West and East of Sri Lanka is presently,  sighted often in the wetlands of the Yala National Park Complex. There has been numerous sightings of birds caring sticks for nesting and  juvenile birds, yet no documented nest has yet been seen in the country  in the last 50 years or more. It is known to nest in tall trees away from the coastline in forests.

5.The Wild Boar (Sus scrofa)

An interesting member of the hoofed family - Artiodactyla, they live in small sires, numbering around 4- 5 animals. Moving through the soft earth, like a plough they dig up for yams and grub worms etc. The area left behind after a successful feeding bout is a completely upturned soil. They like to wallow in mud. The babies are lined with black horizontal marks and number up to even 10 in a pack. The male has a fairly large pair of tushes and the females too sometimes have smaller pairs. The adult animals are very protective of their babies and will not hesitate to take  on even a leopard if it happens to stalk the babies.  

6.The Spotted Deer (Axis axis)

The most common mammal is in the dry and semi arid forest in the country.  Generally they are observed in herds of half a dozen to a hundred or more, of both sexes and all ages .   

Spotted deer spends much of its time grazing upon various grasses and herbs in open areas in the forests. They browse on the leaves of bushes, saplings and scrub vegetation also. They are also very fond of the fruits and flowers that fall from the forest trees.

The main predators of this beautiful animal are leopard and crocodile. Their vision and hearing are exceedingly acute and their sense of smell is very well developed. These adaptations help them to escape from predators.

: Sri Lanka Post

New Stamps from Oman

Omani crafts Day 2013 !!

: Pradip Jain – Patna

Read More

Greetings on Eid

 

Eid Mubarak

Greetings to all on festive occasion of Eid !!

Eid is a day of merriment and thanksgiving. Members of the Muslim community celebrate by gathering with friends and family, preparing delicacies, wearing new clothes, giving each other gifts and putting up lights and other decorations in their homes.

Eid -ul-Fitr  "festival of breaking of the fast"), also called Feast of Breaking the Fast, Eid, is an important religious festival celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramazan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). The religious Eid is a single day and Muslims are not permitted to fast on that day. The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramazan. The day of Eid, therefore, falls on the first day of the month of Shawwal. This is a day when Muslims around the world show a common goal of unity. The date for the start of any lunar Hijri month varies based on the observation of new moon by local religious authorities, so the exact day of celebration varies by locality.

Read More

Stamps on children’s songs of Israel

 

Date of Issue : 26 August 2013

Israel Post will issue a sheetlet with 12 stamps on most popular Children’s songs of Israel. These songs have been published in books, numerous versions have been recorded by Israel’s finest artists and to this day they continue to be played on radio and television and in the theater. But most of all, these songs have been preserved thanks to preschool and kindergarten teachers.

As Hebrew culture began to flourish a new and the People of Israel returned to their homeland, children’s songs served as a crucial means to instill language and common values. This stamp series includes a dozen well known children’s songs that are sung by all and passed from one generation to the next. Songs about nature and animals, time and space, family, pain and hope.

The children’s songs are an important part of Israeli music and they provide insight into the world of Israel’s children.

Merry Choir: this happy and optimistic song describes a concert performed by a bird orchestra.

I Am Always Me: This is an enchanting song about a world of contradictions, at the center of which is a boy who always remains himself. This song is identified with play songs and word games.

A Brave Clock: This song about a vigorous clock was based on a foreign-language poem.

What Do the Does Do?: This song bears the name of a children’s book written by poet Leah Goldberg, Israel Prize recipient for literature in 1970.

I Wanted You to Know: This song participated in the 1977 Children’s Song Festival, as the dream of peace between Israel and Egypt became a reality. Although it did not win the competition, the song has become timeless.

Buba Zehava (Doll): this song was written by the poet Miriam Yalan-Shteklis, Israel Prize recipient for children’s literature 1956.

Why Does the Zebra Wear Pajamas?: Author, poet and landscape artist Omer Hillel wrote many stories and songs for children. Musician Dubi Seltzer, 2009 Israel Prize recipient for Israeli music composed the music for this song in the early 1960′s for his wife, singer Geula Gil.

The Prettiest Girl in Kindergarten: This song appeared in the book HaKeves Hashisha Asar (The 16th Sheep), written by poet Yehonatan Geffen.

The Post Van: Naomi Shemer was an Israeli songwriter, composer and singer and Israel Prize recipient for Israeli music 1983. Some of her first songs, such as The Post Van and Our Little Brother were written when she taught children rhythmics.

My Dad: This was the first song written by songwriter Talma Aligon. The song describes the admiration a little girl feels for her father and the immense disappointment she experiences when he falls asleep while she sings him his favorite song.

Horse Rider: National poet Chaim Nachman Bialik wrote this poem in 1922, but it was only published a decade later in his book Poems and Songs for Children (1933).

Brave Danny: This song was written in 1943 and was first published in the book Danny.

Read More

New Stamp from India

 

Kerala Legislative Assembly

Date of Issue : 7 August 2013

India Post issued a commemorative stamp on Kerala Legislative Assembly.

: Sreejesh Krishnan – Trivandrum

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 7 (UNI) A stamp, brought out by the Union Postal Department to mark the 125th year of the Kerala Legislative Assembly, was released by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy here today.
   The Chief Minister received the Stamp from the Chief Postmaster General Santi Nair. In his address, the Chief Minister said the Stamp marking the anniversary was indeed an honour for the Assembly.
   He also said the Kerala Legislative Assembly has set benchmarks for other assemblies in India to emulate. The Kerala Legislative Assembly that has witnessed several discussions and presentation of bills has a lot of historic significance, he added.

Read More

My recent covers..

 

Covers from Germany

Thanks to Mr Wolfgang Beyer for the nice covers with special pictorial cancellations from Germany.

     

 

Cover from Mongolia

Thanks to  J. Enkhbold , Mongolia  for this nice cover and card.

The cover and stamp on right hand side features Green Tara, known as the Buddha of enlightened activity.  This cover was posted on 13th June but it arrived here today !!

Read More

International Year of Statistics 2013

 

 

Date of Issue : 24 May 2013

Portugal Post issued a set of two stamps and a miniature sheet to commemorate International Year of Statistics 2013 .

The International Year of Statistics (Statistics2013) is a global initiative, now encompassing more than 1400 participating organizations from 108 countries, which aims to celebrate and recognize the powerful contributions of statistical science to the lives of each one of us, on our everyday chores.

    

Through the combined effort of many organizations specializing in this area, the event "Statistics2013" aims to promote the importance of statistics, not only for the scientific community in the broad sense, but also for the business community, the government, the media and the public in general.

The objectives of this comprehensive celebration are:
- To increase public awareness of Statistics as a fundamental tool in all aspects of life in society.
- To promote Statistics as a career, especially among young people.
- To support and encourage creativity and development in Probability and Statistics sciences.

Nowadays the notions of Statistics and of (the Theory of) Probability are well differentiated. In a synthetic form, it can be said that the Theory of Probability is the study of mathematical models suitable for the description of random experiments, i.e., involving uncertainty (the so-called probabilistic or stochastic models). And that Statistics is the science of collecting, organizing, analysing, interpreting and transmitting data, i.e. measurements or observations taken from the real world, as well as the prediction of new data. Thus, Statistic is an area of science, separated from Mathematics but in many aspects (in obtaining inferences and predictions) it is based on it and dependent on Computing. Depending on the many different approaches we may have Descriptive Statistics, Statistical Inference, Statistical Prediction, Statistical Decision, Official Statistics, Mathematical Statistics, Computational Statistics, Frequentist Statistics and Bayesian Statistics.

Special Folder : Portugal Gastronomy

Date of Issue : 7 July 2013

 

Read More

Thailand 2013–World Stamp Exhibition

 

      

On  2nd of August Thailand 2013 World Stamp Exhibition opened its door to the philatelists from all over the world. World Stamp Exhibition, Thailand 2013 is being held during 2 – 14 August 2013 at Royal Paragon Hall, 5th floor, Siam Paragon Shopping Center under the patronage of H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn

She has  allowed to present her personal collections in the exhibition under one main theme “ART AND HAPPINESS”, including stamp collections concerning art heritage among different and colorful branches of arts.  The precious stamps and collectibles all over the world will be gathered here, creating the Paragon Hall to be a gorgeous art gallery for opening the new way of learning, knowing Thai Arts from stamps.

The remarkable highlights are “Royal Arts Gallery” presenting His Majesty the King,   Her Majesty the Queen and HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s talents on arts and cultures, the exhibition of THAILAND 2013 Commemorative Stamp (1st- 3rd series): Folk Thai Arts, Traditional Thai Arts and Contemporary Thai Arts and all masterpieces from the winners of Thai crafts Competition of the year 2013 -2014.  Additionally, the demonstration and commercial booths of Traditional Thai crafts from The Royal Craftsmen College and Royal Vocational Skill College for women, the Royal Goldsmith and folk craftsmen are also included.

Regarding the philatelic items, except for the world’s rarest stamps, the competition of more than 2,400 frames from philatelists all over the world is the outstanding issues, including stamps and collectibles’ commercial booths from local traders and foreign countries.

On the occasion of the 130th anniversary of Thai Postal services and the First Thai postage stamp, the exhibits presenting the postal history will be presented along with the exhibits and booths of ASEAN member countries. Many workshops and different circulated shows are also available during the exhibition.

To inaugurate the opening of the Thailand 2013 World Stamp Exhibition on the 2 of August Thai post issued the third series of stamps dedicated to this event. Thailand 2013 – World Stamp Exhibition will be held under the concept “Arts and Happiness” to promote value of Thai artisans’ works from various branches.

Mr Ajeet Singhi from India is member of Jury and Mr RD Binani is National Commissioner for this exhibition.

List of Indian Participants

India

4018    1494-1498    Virendra Sharma   4  British India Queen Victoria Postal Stationery

7111     1704-1708    Birajlaxmi Mohanty   7A    Raptors of the World

7228       1909A-190    9E      Rajesh Bhura  7B   Mahatma Gandhi

7317        2001A-200   1E      Brijmohan Modi  7C  The History Of Architecture With Culture And Heritage.

8002        2010-2014  Pradip Mohanty   8    Bills

10209      2188-2192  Mrinal   Mathur  10B   From Wheel To Car

10304       2226-2230   Chiranjib Chakraborty   10C  Transportation Modality – The Modes of Transportation

L112 Bibhudatta Mishra and Shanti Swarup Rath  11A  Dakatikata Sangraha & An UNIQUE FLOW OF KNOWLEDGE

L113  Ramachandirann K  11A  Indian Postal History - Focus on Tamil Nadu

Thailand 2013 - Website : http://thailand2013.com/

Rajasthan Youth Association, Chennai

Chennai : 14 July 2013

: Ankit Agarwal : email : 3dankit@gmail.com

Read More

Remembering …Kishore Kumar

 

Philatelic Tributes to Kishore Kumar

Born on August 4, 1929, Kishore Kumar became one of the most celebrated singers of Bollywood with his inimitable style and versatile voice. This Post is dedicated to his 84th birthday.

Kishore Kumar  (4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987), was a popular Indian film playback singer. He is also known as an actor, lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenplay writer and scriptwriter. Kishore Kumar sang in many Indian languages He won 8 Filmfare Awards for Best Male Playback Singer and holds the record for most number of Filmfare Awards won in that category. He was awarded the "Lata Mangeshkar Award" by the Madhya Pradesh government and from that year onwards, the Madhya Pradesh Government initiated a new award called the "Kishore Kumar Award" for contributions to Hindi cinema.

India Post released a postage stamp on 15th May to commemorate the music legend Kishore Kumar. The release was made along with the stamps that commemorated 3 other legends, Mohd Rafi, Mukesh and Hemant Kumar.

 

A special cover was released in Kolkata on his death anniversary, 13th October 2012.

 

Best of Kishore Kumar…

New stamp on Cultural heritage…

Date of Issue : 3 August 2013

Estonia Post issued a beautiful souvenir sheet with a round  stamp on 3rd  August featuring Cultural Heritage year'.The aim of the heritage year is to make the people aware and to interpret cultural heritage among the wide public, both among young and old people. The scope of the year is wide and it embraces both isolated cultural monuments, as well as intangible heritage, including that of minority groups.

The Cultural Heritage Year as well as the tenth anniversary of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage adopted by the UNESCO General Conference on 17 October 2003, which entered into force from June 2006. It has been marked in Estonia by the issue of this thematic souvenir sheet.

My recent Cover

From Germany

Many Thanks to  Mr Wolfgang Beyer of Germany for this nice cover.

Read More

New stamps from Poland..

 

Date of Issue : 3 August 2013

Here are some new stamps issued by Poczta Polska. A new Souvenir sheet was issued on 3rd August 2013 to commemorate “Rally of Great Sailing Ships Szczecin 2013 ”.This is a nice item for Ship theme collectors.

Rally of Great Sailing Ships Szczecin 2013

 

Woodstock Festival

Love, Friendship and Music

Date of Issue : 1 August 2013

Przystanek Woodstock is the biggest open-air festival in Europe–an annual free rock music festival in Poland, inspired by and named for the Woodstock Festival, that has taken place since 1995. The festival’s motto is “Love, Friendship, and Music”. It is organized by the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity foundation as a way of thanking its volunteers. Generally a weekend-long event, its two stages are in continuous use from early afternoon to dawn, featuring performances by around 30 bands every year. Along with the concerts on two stages there are many other events organized during the festival – like the Academy Of The Finest Arts which is a place where young people meet with well-known politicians, artists, journalists, musicians, actors and religious leaders.

The second Polish Satellite

Date of Issue : 31 July 2013

Poczta Polska issued a souvenir sheet  featuring the second Polish satellite.The second Polish scientific satellite – BRITE-PL Heweliusz – is currently undergoing assembly. The satellite will be probable launched before the end of 2014. BRITE-PL is the name of a Polish scientific satellite project which consists of two satellites: BRITE-PL Lem and BRITE-PL Heweliusz. The two are part of a bigger scientific BRITE (BRIght-star Target Explorer) consortium. The BRITE-PL Lem satellite is already assembled and fully tested. Before the end of this year the BRITE-PL Lem should be launched into orbit onboard a Dnepr rocket.

Read More

New Special Cover

 

Kerala Postal Circle of India Post released a Special Cover on 28-07-2013 on the occasion of Death Centenary of Servant of God Mother Eliswa   1913-2013.

Mother Eliswa was born on 15^th October 1831 at Ochanthuruth in Ernakulam District, Kerala.  She was a valiant woman who left behind the legacy of a religious culture for women which was unfamiliar in her time – 19^th Century  – in Kerala.  She was not only the foundress of religious congregation but also of the first school for girls, boarding  houses, orphanages attached to the school for girl students.  It was one of the first women educational  reformative movements in Kerala.  She was taken to heavenly abode on 18^th July 1913 at the age of 82 years.  In recognition of her contribution to the society n Kerala.

 

Death Centenary of Servant of God Mother Eliswa   (1913-2013)

Edappally  : 28 July 2013

: Sreejesh Krishnan : email :  sreejesh.nt@gmail.com

Club News

Commemorative postage stamps on 100 years of Indian Cinema issued by India Post will be available for sale at the Philatelic Bureaus in third week of August 2013.

Read More