Stamps of India Collectors Companion
The First, Free & Only Email Newsletter on Philately & Postal Services of India
AWARDS: Silver Medal with ‘Felicitations of the Jury’ at BELGICA 2001 World Stamp Exhibition
Subscribe Archives
July 1, 2004 Forthcoming Stamp Issues New Stamps Released Postal Stationery Update New & Recent Special Postmarks Recent & Forthcoming Events P M Medhora Remembered New Series of Stamp Papers Fake Stamp Scam Updates The Calendar of Worldwide Philatelic Auctions Indian Princely States China Destroys Billons of Stamps
FORTHCOMING STAMP ISSUES
There are no stamps scheduled for release in the month of July 2004. The next issue likely is the set of 4 on Athens Olympics in August 2004. NEW STAMPS RELEASED
THE GREAT TRIGONOMETRICAL SURVEY
India Post released a set of 3 stamps in the denomination of Rs.5 and a miniature sheet to commemorate the 200 years of the ‘The Great Arc’, also known as the ‘Great Trigonometrical Survey’ on June 28, 2004.
The presentation function to release the stamps was organized at a record 900 places in India.
The stamps depict two of the greatest contributors to the survey - Radhanath Sikdar, Nain Singh and the theodolites and other instruments.
The Great Arc, regarded as the longest measurement of the earth’s surface ever to have been attempted, was commenced from St Thomas Mount in Madras. It triangulated its way across the entire length of the Indian subcontinent establishing the highest point above sea level on earth, the Mount Everest. The survey nearly took 50 years to complete and covered inhospitable and perilous terrain from the southern most tip of the Indian sub-continent to the frozen wastes of the Himalayas. The Great Arc made it possible to map the entire sub-continent.
Kamleshwar Singh designed the stamp, Miniature Sheet, and the First Day Cover and Alka Sharma designed the pictorial first day postmark. Brochure containing write-up and technical data was issued on the occasion. The First Day Cover and the Brochure are priced at Rs2 each. Calcutta Security Printers printed the stamps by Photo Offset in the quantity of 0.8 million each. The miniature sheet was printed in the quantity of 50,000 only.
AACHARYA BHIKSHU
The Vice-President of India, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat released a commemorative postage stamp in the denomination of Rs.5 on Aacharya Bhikshu at a function in New Delhi on June 30, 2004. The Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology Dr. Shakeel Ahmad was present on the occasion.
Aacharya Bhikshu, the founder of Jain Swetamber Terapanth Sect, was a man of revolutionary ideas who was propelled to react after he made an intense study of ancient texts and became acutely aware of not only their misinterpretation, but also the distorted version of religion prevalent in society. It was after the sudden demise of his father and wife in quick succession that he took to ascetic life under the guidance of Aacharya Raghunathji. He set out from the village of Bagadi expressing his disenchantment with conservative fundamentalists, false beliefs and blind faith and reached Kelba in Mewar, Rajasthan. There he took a vow and established the Terapanth religious Sangha on June 28, 1760. Aacharya Bhikshu was a philosopher saint, perceptive writer, sensitive poet and social reformer. He composed about 38000 shlokas and his writings have been compiled in two volumes as “Bhikshu Granth Ratnakar”. Among his compositions, “Nav Padarth Sadbhav”, is regarded as a significant philosophical composition that deals exhaustively with the nine gems of Jain philosophy. It advocated a society free of exploitation. He was the harbinger of a religious revolution and plodded to rid society of several evils. He advocated strongly the purity of means in achieving the goal. He said neither the fear of punishment nor the temptation of reward can make a religion work. For this a transformation of the heart is essential.
Alka Sharma designed the stamp, the First Day Cover and the pictorial first day postmark. Brochure containing write-up and technical data was issued on the occasion. The First Day Cover and the Brochure are priced at Rs2 each. India Security Press printed the stamps by Photo Gravure in the quantity of 0.4 million.
Visit the following link for illustrations:
http://www.stampsofindia.com/News/2004/175a.htm POSTAL STATIONERY NEW ISSUES
The following postal stationery with advertisement is scheduled for release in July 2004.
The information in the listing is presented in following format:
Date, Printer, Language, Message, Quantity in million, Remarks
‘M’ denotes multicolor printing.
Postcard
05, SPP, Hindi, Cataract, 1
05, SPP, Tamil, Cataract, 1
05, SPP, Telugu, Cataract, 1
Inland Letter Card
05, ISP, Hindi, Cataract, 0.5, M
05, ISP, Gujarati, Cataract, 0.5, M
05, SPP, Hindi, Cataract, 1
05, SPP, Marathi, Cataract, 1
09, ISP, Tamil, xxxxx, 1, M
09, ISP, Telugu, xxxxx, 0.5, M
09, ISP, Tamil, xxxxx, 1, M
Aerogram
28, ISP, Goa Tourism, 1, M POSTAL STATIONERY UPDATE
Following two Meghdoot post cards were recently released:
Ad in Hindi – Bihar Government, Public Health Engineering Department
Ad in Hindi – Education for all, Bihar Shiksha Pariyojana Parishad
Visit the following link for illustrations:
http://www.stampsofindia.com/News/2004/175b.htm NEW & RECENT SPECIAL POSTMARKS
June 28, New Delhi,
Panchsheel 50th Anniversary
Designed by Kamleshwar Singh & produced by Stamps of India
Completely sold out at the Philatelic Bureau, New Delhi
June 30, New Delhi,
Weapons & Electronics Systems Engineering Exhibition, New Delhi
Available at the Philatelic Bureau, Sansad Marg, New Delhi 110001
Visit the following link for illustrations:
http://www.stampsofindia.com/News/2004/175c.htm RECENT & FORTHCOMING EVENTS
August 12-15, Kolkata, Stamp Fair
Art Gallery, Charnock City, Salt Lake City
TANAPEX - Tamilnadu State Level
Please ignore the incorrect info regarding the venue and the dates in issue # 174. We await the correct info. P M MEDHORA REMEMBERED
The octogenarian Medhora and his wife were the unfortunate victims of the riots in Mumbai in 1993. They were killed when a mob torched their home.
Medhora was the acknowledged professional expert on Indian Princely States. He also was the editor of the India’s Stamp Journal for 20 years after taking over the reins on the demise of the legendary Jal Cooper in 1972.
Abdul Aziz Khan, a fellow philatelist and Urdu fiction writer is bringing out a collection of mini-short stories compiled from over 1,200 published between 1984 and 1990 in the Urdu daily Hindustan. One of the story deals with the death of Medhoras.
“Just hours before he was burnt alive, Medhora had called me, asking me not to step out of my house. Sadly, he himself became a victim to the madness. I was distressed and I poured my heart into this small story,” he recalls, “I will dedicate my book to him.” NEW SERIES OF STAMP PAPERS
The India Security Press (ISP) will issue a new series of stamp papers from July 1 with enhanced security features for all denominations.
According to the ISP general manager Prakash Narayan the new stamp papers will carry a distinct serial number for all denominations and the name of the state that indents it. Currently, only stamp papers of denominations higher than Rs 10,000 carry serial numbers. None carry the name of the state that buys it from the ISP.
While most of the states have placed orders for the new series of stamp papers, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka had not done so, Narayan said. The two are against the old practice of selling stamp papers to the public and collecting money while legal deeds drawn up on these are registered later. They have called to make sale of stamp paper and registration of deeds simultaneous. The states might, therefore, cut back on purchase from the ISP.
Besides, Andhra collects revenue through banks that sell stamp papers in places where there is no state treasury. The two states will buy partly from ISP and stocks of their treasuries and banks.
The new series comes even as the ISP is grappling with the fallout of the fake stamp paper scam. Narayan’s predecessor, Ganga Prakash, and several officials were arrested by the CBI for allegedly colluding with Abdul Karim Telgi and selling him a printing machine without dismantling security features. FAKE STAMP SCAM UPDATES
The prime accused Abdul Karim Telgi and other accused in the multi-billion fake stamp scam were produced before a special court at Pune and remanded to further magisterial custody till July 17, 2004. Telgi was brought to the court amid tight security and produced before special Judge S M Shembole by the CBI along with other police officers following expiry of his remand. Other accused that were produced in the court included the former Deputy Commissioner of Mumbai police Pradeep Sawant, former Assistant Commissioner of police M C Mulani, and other police officers. Others who were produced in the court also included former TDP MLA C Krishna Yadav, Samajwadi Janata Party MLA Anil Gote, Telgi's advocate Rashid Kulkarni and others.
Meanwhile, Telgi filed an application in the court seeking medical reports of the tests conducted on him which was agreed by the court. In the earlier hearing in Pune, Telgi had complained to the court of "ill treatment" by the jail authorities of Yerawada jail. He had filed an application in the court through his counsel seeking his transfer from the cell in which he was kept on the ground that he was having breathing problems. His allegation of ill treatment was, however, denied by the jail authorities who told the court that his allegations were baseless.
The CBI arrested a person in Mumbai on June 24, 2004 who is allegedly the key aide of stamp scam prime accused Abdul Karim Telgi and was involved in spreading the counterfeit racket in Madhya Pradesh and the national capital. CBI spokesman said that Abdul Gaffoor Mujahid was arrested in Mumbai after an agency team from Bhopal gathered evidence against him. According to the CBI FIR, the accused was allegedly instrumental in opening of several offices of Telgi in Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. Gafoor is wanted in several cases in Mumbai, Bhopal and Delhi. THE CALENDAR OF WORLDWIDE PHILATELIC AUCTIONS
The Calendar for July 2004 has been updated and is now available at http://www.stampsofindia.com/Content/Auctions/a702.htm
This information is provided by special arrangement with Charles E. Cwiakala and updates to this information are available at their comprehensive Website www.cwiakala.com
|