by catpaw | 25 Feb, 2023 | country Stamps, Stamps
Oh the beauty of India! Its complex history and culture is a constant source of excitement for me. And, I think I can finally do justice to India’s stamps this year. My frustration with the chaotic India Post website tended to bleed through in my previous posts, but this year, I have the best images ready and I prepped with even more research. Already, India has outdone itself, with a celebration of Bridal Costumes from across the country.
The stamps and cover were created by stalwart Indian Post designer Smt Gulistaan, who brings amazing colour and life to the images. Her placement of India’s famous textiles on the cover pulls the set together. I think it’s one of the best designs coming out of India in years. This bodes well for India’s 2023 stamps & covers.
I’m dedicating this article to my late, beloved professor of Indian politics, Khalid bin Sayeed. I started out taking one course with him, not intending to study politics or India, and ended up changing paths & taking everything he offered. He was brilliant in his ability to spark excitement about a country that was, for someone coming from small town Canada, a vastly different world. It was through his lectures, special seminars and unfettered passion for teaching that I acquired a life long love of the subcontinent.
Sayeed taught a number of important lessons – the foremost was respecting differences in culture, literature and history. As a result, he instilled in me a life long love of India’s history and diversity. He was a firm believer you could not study a country without reading the books and newspapers from local authors. To that end, he always included contemporary literature from India on every syllabus and encouraged students to read newspapers written by people from India to gain a better understanding of the issues.
So, here I am, hopefully sharing this same passion for India and her complexities. I will spend the rest of my life learning about India, and remain happy in the knowledge, that there will always be something else to discover.
Cheers
Catpaw
January
Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University
Topics: education
1 stamp, sheets of 12
Sorry, couldn’t get a good scan of a single stamp or cover
Release date: January 3, 2023
Surakshit Jayen Prashishit Jayen – Go Safe and Go Trained
Topics: education | travel
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
wet offset
This stamp is aimed at educating the public on the dangers facing illegal immigrants.
Designer: Mrs. Nenu Gupta
Release date: January 9, 2023,
Major Durga Mall
Topics: people | history | history of India
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
offset
Remembering Major Durga Malla – The Darjeeling Chronicle
Designer: Ms. Neetu Arora
Cancel designer: Smt. Nenu Gupta
Release date: January 23, 2023
The Ganges & the Nile – India Egypt Diplomatic Relations, 75 Years
Topics: joint issues | history | diplomacy
2 stamps, souvenir sheet, FDC, cancel
Release date: January 25, 2023
Servo Lubricants & Greases
Topics: advertisements
1 stamp, sheets of 12
Release date: January 28, 2023
February
150th Birth Anniversary of Ram Chandra Maharaj (1873-1931)
Topics: people | history | history of India
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
wet offset
A coin was also issued to coincide with this anniversary
Ram Chandra Maharaj (1873-1931) of Fatehgarh, UP was the first spiritual master or the Adi-Guru of the Sahaj Marg of Raja Yoga meditation. He was affectionately known as Lalaji Maharaj. He imparted yogic training through transmission, where the master transmits divine energy into the heart of the seeker to accelerate spiritual progress and achieve the highest expansion of consciousness. India Post Information Bulletin 150th Birth Anniversary of Ram Chandra Maharaj
Heartfulness Announces 150 th Birth Anniversary of the Founder of Shri Ram Chandra Mission (newkerala.com)
Designer: Ms. Anjali
Cancel designer: Smt. Nenu Gupta
Release date: February 2, 2023
General K. S. Thimayya, DSO, ADC (1906 – 1964)
Topics: people | history | history of India | military
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
wet offset
General Kodandera Subayya Thimayya – The General K.S. Thimayya Memorial Trust (genthimayya.org)
Designer: Mrs Nenu Gupta
Release date: February 4, 2023
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – India’s Independence
Topics: history | history of India
2 stamps, FDC, cancel
India’s 75th Anniversary of Independence Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Ministry of Culture, Government of India
Release date: February 7, 2023
Bridal Costumes of India
Topics: people | history | history of India | fashion
8 stamps on 2 souvenir sheets, FDC, cancel
wet offset
India Post featured bridal costumes in a 4 stamp set in 1980.
Designer: Smt Gulistaan
Cancel: Smt Nenu Gupta
Photographs: Smt. Gulistaan, Sh. Amit Pandey and Sh. Ashish Raina
Release date: February 12, 2023
Agricultural Goods
Topics: agriculture | flora
12 stamps, sheet of 12
offset
- Kashmir Saffron
- Himachali Chulli Oil
- Ganjam Kewda
- Kaji Nemu
- Mahabaleshwar Strawberry
- Allahabad Surkha Guava
- Shahi Litchi of Bihar
- Naga Tree Tomato
- Gir Kesar Mango
- Bangalore Blur Grapes
- Vazhakulam Pineapple
- Eathomozhy Tall coconut
Release date: February 13, 2023
Aero India 2023
Topics: fight
1 stamp on sheets of 12
14th Aviation airshow
Release date: February 13, 2023
Rao Birender Singh
Topics: people | history | history of India
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
Release date: February 20, 2023
225 Glorious Years 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (Special Force)
Topics: history | history of India | military
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
wet offset
Designer: Smt. Nenu Gupta
Release date: February 24, 2023
New Delhi Book Fair 2023
Topic: literature
sheetlet of 12
wet offset
Welcome to National Book Trust of India – New Delhi World Book Fair 2023 (nbtindia.gov.in)
Release date: February 24, 2023
March
Central Base Post Office
Topic: history | philately
1 stamp, FDC, cancel, brochure
wet offset
Release date: March 1, 2023
Indian Bureau of Mines
Topics: business
sheetlet of 12
wet offset
Release date: March 1, 2023
National Water Mission
sheetlet of 12
wet offset
Release date: March 4, 2023
India Luxembourg Joint Issue
Topics: art | history
2 stamps, souvenir sheet
75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Amar Nath Segal (1922-2007) and his sculptures are featured on both stamps and the souvenir sheet. Campbellpur, Punjab born Amar started his career as an engineer before switching to art after 1947. In 1979, he moved to Luxembourg, setting up a studio as well as maintaining his Indian home.
There are a number of ok videos covering Amar Nath Segal’s life, but I enjoyed the one below best. It includes interviews with Segal talking about his philosophy and out look on life, as well as explores his work.
Two artists were involved in the design of this set:
Luxembourgish Drawing: Anne Mélan (LU)
Indian Drawing: India Post (IN)
Layout: Ierace Dechmann + Partners (LU)
Release date: March 14, 2023
International Year of Millets
Topics: food | UN
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
wet offset
Official logo for UN Year of Millets
The United Nations designated 2023 as the Year of Millets.
Millets are cereal crops and small seed grasses, which are widely used in African and Asian countries. Since ages, these small crops were used for human consumption as well as a fodder for animals. Majorly cultivated in the semiarid tropical regions of Africa and Asia, around 97 percent of world’s overall millet production happens in these regions. What are millets? Types of millets, their health benefits and interesting recipes – Food & Recipes (timesofindia.com)
Designer: Shri Brahm Prakash
Cancel Designer: Smt Nenu Gupta
Release date: March 18, 2023
Parshuram
1 stamp
offset
The 6th avatar of Lord Vishnu.
Indian myths are a challenging and AWESOME areas to explore. For beginners, it can be very frustrating because many of the resources online can be a bit muddled and disorganised. As well, many of the better sites assume the reader already has a historical and cultural grounding in the stories. The following animation is one of the better explanations of Pashuram. It’s subtitled, which makes it easy to follow. If you have better links, please leave me a comment or hit me up with the contact form.
Release date: March 19, 2023
Holy Cross College, Tiruchirappalli
sheet of 12
Release date: March 29, 2023
Legends of Odisha
4 stamps, sheet of four
Odisha was previously called Orissa. If you’d like to explore this state, History Of Odisha – Important Events, Kingdoms, British Raj, And Paika Rebellion – Incredible Odisha has a decent thumbnail look at the areas long history. This overview will give you a reasonable start. The website History of Odisha – Story of Pasts of Odisha has a large selection of interesting articles about Odisha’s history and culture as well.
- Parbati Ghose (1942 – 2018) – actress, director
“In the early days of Odia cinema, she single-handedly uplifted Odia cinema to a new level. She was really a symbol of women empowerment when ideas like empowerment was unheard of. Her departure is a great loss to our industry and the world of silver screen.” Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik
Parbati Ghose (gourparbati.com)
- Kelucharan Mohapatra (1926 – 2006) – classical Indian dancer & choreographer renowned for his Odissi dance – A Brief History of Odissi Dance | Sahapedia
“Kelubabu was earmarked by destiny to play a big role in the establishment of Odissi as a dance form. His life story is the story of Odissi as the form grew and developed and his life’s journey represents the milestones of the form.” Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra | Sahapedia
- Akshya Kumar Mohanty (1936 – 2002) – singer, composer, writer (short stories and novels), musician. He was music director for 75 films and wrote dozens of popular songs.
“He was a pioneer of non-film modern Odia (Oriya) songs, basically based on contemporary themes and ballads based on popular legends in Odisha (Orissa). Apart from this he has also penned a few Odia (Oriya) novels, Odia short stories, poems etc. He had also co-directed a Odia (Oriya) movie and has also acted in three Cinemas.” Famous Odia Oriya Singer Akshya Mohanty Biography, Photos-NuaOdisha
- Kantakabi Lakshmikanta Mohapatra (1888 – 1953) – poet, writer, artist and freedom fighter for Indian independence. Sorry, but this was the best website I could find English Releases (pib.gov.in)
Designer: not listed
Release date: March 30, 2023
April
Central Bureau of Investigation
1 stamp, FDC, cancel, brochure
Release date: April 3, 2023
Gauhati High Court
1 stamp, FDC, cancel, brochure
Release date: April 5, 2023
Swami Dayanand (1824-1883)
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
wet offset
India Post issued an extensive write up on Swami Dayanand. This excerpt is from their 2023 brochure on this set:
In the 17th and 18th century, Swami Dayanand Saraswati emerged as a torchbearer in the Indian society and raised his powerful voice among the masses – men and women, illiterate and educated, people living in the cities as well as in the rural areas. He worked in many spheres and in various facets of life but his contribution in the revival of Vedic tradition is the greatest.
He gave a clarion call, Back to the Vedas and enthused Hindu society. At such a time when Vedas were considered
as ancient relics of our civilization and when western scholars had started misinterpreting them, Swami Dayanand made
a serious attempt to discover the genius of Vedic tradition by adopting the ancient and original methodology for proper
interpretation of the Vedas which had fallen into disuse and misuse, during the decadence period.
You can download the brochure here.
Raj Kumar’s Essays on Modern India contains a chapter on Dayanand, Swami Dayanand Saraswati His Life and Works pp62-70. This brief overview examines some of his fundamental beliefs and how they evolved. You can read it online here: Essays on Modern India – Raj Kumar – Google Books
Swami Dayanand previously appeared on a 1962 stamp.
Designer: Anuj Zood
Designer cancel: Nenu Gupt
Release date: April 7, 2023
75th Year of Indian Army Day
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
wet offset
Officially formed January 15, 1949 under the command of General K.M. Cariappa.
Designer: Ms Gulistaan
Designer cancel: Nenu Gupt
Release date: April 19, 2023
Mann Ki Baat
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
wet offset
Designer: Nenu Gupt
Release date: April 19, 2023
250th Birth Anniversary of Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833)
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
wet offset
Designer: Sankha Samanta
Release date: May 22, 2023
Parliament Complex
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
wet offset
Designer: Brahm Prakash
Designer cancel: Nenu Gupta
Release date: May 28, 202
June
SCO Council of Heads of State
Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit
Release date: June 15, 2023
Raj Bhavan, Uttar Pradesh
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
wet offset
Designer: Ms. Gulistaan
Cancel designer: Smt. Nenu Gupta
Release date: June 20, 2023
July
Sardar Antaji Mankeshwar Gandhe
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
wet offset
Designer: Ms. Himani
Cancel designer: Smt. Nenu Gupta
Release date: July 4, 2023
G20 Leaders’ Summit, New Delhi 2023
1 stamps on souvenir sheet, FDC, cancel
wet offset
India hosted this year’s G20 summit. They chose the theme “One Earth · One Family · One Future”.
Designer Shri Suresh Kumar
Cancel Designer: Smt. Nenu Gupta
Release date: July 26, 2023
High Court of Orissa
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
wet offset
Designer: Sh. Suresh Kumar
Cancel Designer: Smt. Nenu Gupta
Release date: July 26, 2023
September
Dada J P Vaswani
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
wet offset
Designer: Ms. Gulistaan
Cancel Designer: Smt. Nenu Gupta
Release date: September 12, 2023
by catpaw | 27 Mar, 2021 | Stamps
2021 stamps from India are coming out and India Post is going to make us work to see every one of them. I have a soft spot for Indian stamps and India in general. The country is on my top ‘need to visit’ wish list. In the meantime, my little collection brings me a great deal of joy. India Post does a wonderful job presenting both modern and ancient history, but it’s unfortunate the website is so disorganised. It took hours to find enough material to post.
The issue calendar is out of date and I had to visit link after link to find semi-decent images and information. If you’re patient, you will be rewarded with richly detailed brochures for each issue. India Post issues these pdfs that include the history behind the stamp, designer information and images. But the site is late issuing new brochures. I ended up scouring Indian newspapers for special commemorative events just to figure out what may be coming.
Cancels & Special Covers
India produces many special cancels but tracking them down is a lesson in futility. I still haven’t found all of them. Nor have I managed to coral all the FDC and special covers. I used the word chaotic in a previous post to describe some post office websites, well that applies beautifully to India Post. It’s a shame because India has such a deep, rich history to explore and Indian stamps are so much fun to collect, I wish they made it easier. I suspect finding everything will take the better part of the year.
Patience is the keyword.
Another thing lacking is information on designers. When the brochures are released, I’ll be able to update the table below.
2021 Indian stamps – January
World Braille Day
Cancel, limited edition cover
Release date: Jan. 4, 2021
125th Birth Anniversary Year of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
1 stamp, FDC, 2 cancels, brochure, postcard, maxi card
Designer: Sh. Kamelshwar Singh
Previous designs include 2018 Security Forces, 2017 Nanniah Court Poet, 2014 Jagjiit Singh,
Cancel designer: Smt. Alka Sharma
Release date: Jan. 23, 2021
Table Tennis Tournament Outbreak of COVID-19 Health Special Cover
special cover, cancel
Release date: Jan. 23, 2021
Himachal Pradesh – 50 Years of Full Statehood
1 stamp, FDC, cancel, blocks
Designer: Vinita Sinha
Cancel Designer: Alka Sharma
Release date: Jan 25, 2021
Feb 2021 stamps from India
50th Anniversary Aeronautics Research and Development Board
1 stamp, se-tenant labels, FDC, sheetlet
Release date: Feb 3, 2021
100th Anniversary of the Chauri Chaura Incident
1 stamp, se-tenant labels
Release date: Feb. 4, 2021
High Court of Gujarat Diamond Jubilee
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
Designer: Smt. Alka Sharma
Release date: Feb. 6, 2021
Honey and Bee Wax Collection in Sunderban
cancel, special cover
Release date: Feb. 26, 2021
March
Women’s Day
Special Cover, cancel
Released in Bohpal
Release date: Mar. 3, 2021
100th Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s First Visit to Odisha
1 stamp, blocks, sheets of 28, FDC, cancel
Designer: Shri. Sankha Samanta
Release date: Mar. 23, 2021
Rajyogini Dadi Janki
Dadi Janki’s First Anniversary of Death
1 stamp, sheetlet, FDC, cancel
Sheetlet designer: Alka Sharma
Stamp/FDC/Cancel/Brochure designer: Nenu Gupta
Release date: April. 4, 2021
Note: the release date was change. Thanks to @Sanjitkeshri for his eagle eye and letting me know about the change. Also a big thanks for recommending (3) Ananthapuri Philatelic Association | Facebook.
India Bangladesh Friendship
Golden Jubilee Year
1 stamp, sheet of 27, FDC, cancel
POSTMARK PLACE: New Delhi
Designer: Smt. Nenu Gupta
Release date: Mar. 27, 2021
70 Years of Diplomatic relations between India and Germany
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
Germany issued a stamp as well on the same day
Designer: Ms. Gulistaan
Release date: June 10, 2021
Golden Jubilee Year – Gayatri Teerth, Shantikunj
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
Designer: Nenu Gupta
Release date: June 20, 2021
August
Mananiya Chaman Lal, Social Worker
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
Designers:
Sankha Samanta – stamp
Nenu Gupta – FDC, brochure
Release date: August 8, 2021
Rao Jaimal Rathore
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
Stamp in his memory released in Kashmir, Jaimal Rathore was killed by Akbar, also admired by Emperor – The Dispatch
Designer:
Sankha Samanta – stamp, FDC, brochure
Nenu Gupta – cancel
Release date: September 17, 2021
October
Solapur Martyrs
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
- Mallappa Dhanshetti
- Shrikisan Sarada
- Jagannath Shinde
- Abdul Rasul Kurban Hussain
Designer: Alka Sharma
Release date: October 2, 2021
Deccan College Bicentenary
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
Designer: Sankha Shemanta using material supplied by Deccan College
Release date: October 6, 2021
November
Dattopant Thengaddi
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
wet offset
Designer: Ms. Gulistaan
Release date: November 10, 2021
S.C.B. Medical College & Hospital, Cuttack
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
wet offset
Designer: Shri Brahm Prakash
Cancel: Smt. Nenu Gupta
Release date: November 24, 2021
December
75 Years of Mahindra Group
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
wet offset
Mahindra Group | Mahindra Rise | Mahindra Official Website | Mahindra
Designer: Nenu Gupta
Release date: December 1, 2021
Swarnim Vijay Vash 1971-2021
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
wet offset
Designer: Nenu Gupta
Golden Jubilee of Indian Victory in the 1971 Indo-Pak War
Release date: December 16, 2021
Need more stamps? Try Lunar New Year 2021:
2021 Year of the Ox stamps worldwide
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by catpaw | 9 Feb, 2016 | Catpaw's Picks, country Stamps, Espresso fueled mumblings, Stamps
Over the years, attempts at using innovative technology to deliver messages has been tried. There’s nothing new about co-opting technology to improve the speed and efficiency of communications. Mail is no different. Everything from pigeon post, pneumatic tubes, rockets, and cats have been tried. Early attempts at rocket mail were conducted by Germans Reinhold Tilingand Gerhard Zucker in the late 1920s and early 30s, with mixed success. There’s something awe inspiring about the thought of tucking thousands of letters into a missile packed with explosives and booming them across the air. Tiling had some success but died in ’33 after an explosion in his lab, leaving Zucker as the pre-eminent European engineer advocating the use of rocket.
Less than successful Hebridean rocket mail launch
The one that cracks me up every time is the Hebridean rocket launch. Zucker moved to the UK sometime around 1933 or 34 and tried to convince the Royal Mail that rockets were the future of delivery. Several demonstrations were held, including one in Sussex. The most memorable attempt took place in the Hebrides, west Scotland. 1,200 letters were packed into a rocket with the intent of sending them across the islands of Harris and Scarp. The first attempt failed, so the letters were scooped up (those that survived), packed into a second rocket and re-launched.
The photo on the left was taken during one of the attempts. Look closely and you’ll see envelopes scattering to the winds. Incinerating the letters wasn’t the intent, but that seemed to have been the result. Occasionally, one of the surviving letters pops up at auction, but they are out of my limited budget. This was the end of Gerhard’s rocket experiments in the UK, and he was deported from the island back to Germany.
I love the sense of exploration and ingenuity behind the attempts. The people involved weren’t crackpots – they were pioneers, brilliant men looking to push the boundaries. Rockets were new and exciting. It made sense to explore their use. In this day of instant communication, it’s easy to dismiss how exciting it must have been to receive an airmail or Paquebot letter. Reaching out to your friends and family hasn’t always so instantaneous.
India experiments with rocket mail
As far as I’m concerned, India ranks right up there as one of the best designers of airmail stamps. Here’s a modern stamp – issued to celebrate 100 years of airmail delivery.
But the gentleman to the right, Stephen Smith, was a true pioneer. Rocket mail was experimented with all over the world, but my personal favourite is India. Stephen Hector Taylor-Smith, the father of Aerophilately in India, was an enthusiastic supporter of rocket mail, conducting somewhere around 80 experimental mail flights around the sub-continent. He launched over 250 rocket experiments as well. He sent letters, parcels, livestock (both hen and rooster survived, no word on whether the hen ever laid eggs again) to areas under served. From 1934-1944, Smith, with active encouragement of Indian officials, pushed the use of rockets. Although they never proved to be as cost effective and reliable as hoped, they did usher in some spectacular unofficial stamps.
Stephen Smith Crdit Superior Galleries – Indian Rocket Mail
Imaginative stamps issued for the 1930s rocket mail experiments
Indian Rocket Mail – ship to shore rocket mail stamp
This particular stamp was never used, but the flight took place 1935 (June 29) over the Damoodar River, which flows between West Bengal and Jharkhand. The rocket was used to fire mail from ship to shore during the night, hence the wicked little bats in the corner. It was issued 1934 for the Sagar ISLAND in the Bay of Bengal firing.
This next stamp was used to ship livestock across a river. It’s an unused one, I’m not lucky enough to have a used livestock stamp. Too bad, that would be a real gem.
R no 65 livestock flight – did the chicken make it?
Another flight took place in Sikkhim in 1935 for the Sikkim Durbar Rocket Experiments. This one has an overprint, so it’s easy to distinguish it from the first flight with the same design. The earlier stamps are much harder to find, with most being destroyed after the flight. No idea which flight this was intended for, a couple were planned and it’s pretty much impossible to tell unless they are on an envelope and duly cancelled.
I have more Indian Rocket mail, which I’ll post sometime in the future. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for them. They often come with a moderately expensive price tag, but once in a blue moon, you can find one stuck in an old collection of Cinderella, unrecognised and unloved.
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Check out my growing list of stamp issues for 2021 -> Stamps By Country 2021 | Bitter Grounds Magazine
