Issued by India

Issued on Oct 24, 2025

Issued for : The Department of Posts is proud to release a commemorative stamp celebrating 80 years of the United Nations. This stamp symbolises India’s commitment to global cooperation, peace, and the shared ideals of the United Nations over eight decades.

Design : To celebrate 80 Years of the United Nations, a nationwide stamp design competition was organized by the Department of Posts in collaboration with Ministry of External Affairs and MyGov. Approximately 7.4 lakh students participated, creatively expressing India’s vision of global leadership and multilateralism. The design by Ms. Shrestha Majumdar is featured on the commemorative stamp. Additionally, artworks by Ms. Anshika Jain and Ms. Rollie Sharma have been selected for the First Day Cover and Brochure. This initiative reflects young India’s commitment to peace, unity, and sustainable global progress.

Credits :
Stamp/FDC/Brochure/Cancellation Cachet : Shri Suresh Kumar

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 205686

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

About : 

• The United Nations (UN) has stood as a symbol of multilateralism and international cooperation. India’s deepening engagement with the UN is based on its steadfast commitment to multilateralism and dialogue as the key for achieving shared goals and addressing common challenges faced by the global community.
• Department of Posts has previously released commemorative postage stamps on the UN’s 9^th, 40^th, 50^th, and 75^th anniversaries in 1954, 1985, 1995, and 2020, respectively. Department of Posts and the United Nations Postal Administration jointly issued stamps for the UN Women HeForShe solidarity movement in 2016. United Nations Postal Administration released a commemorative Diwali stamp in 2018 and a definitive stamp on the occasion of the 150^th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in 2019.
• India and the UN share a commitment to multilateralism and dialogue, viewing them as essential to meeting global challenges. As the world’s largest democracy and an active member of the UN, India has advanced UN goals in peacebuilding and peacekeeping, sustainable development, poverty alleviation, climate action, disarmament, human rights, health, migration, cybersecurity, space, and frontier technologies like Artificial Intelligence.
• Over recent years, India’s engagement with the UN has expanded in scope. In 2025, India hosted the “Conference on Women Peacekeepers from the Global South” in New Delhi, bringing together women peacekeepers from 35 countries to address gender-inclusive peace operations. India remains one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping, with more than 290,000 Indian peacekeepers deployed on over 50 missions to date.
• Milestones in this relationship include :
  • 1945 : India became a signatory to the United Nations Charter
  • 1948 : India endorsed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
  • 1950 : India was first elected to the UN Security Council
  • 1973 : India acceded to the Biological Weapons Convention
  • 1980 : India ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
  • 1993 : India joined the Chemical Weapons Convention
  • 2000 : India adopted the Millennium Declaration
  • 2007 : 2 October, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, was declared the International Day of Non-Violence
  • 2014 : 21 June was declared the International Day of Yoga
  • 2015 : India endorsed the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change
  • 2021-22 : India’s eighth term in the UN Security Council, as a rule-abiding democracy and a positive contributor to the security of the global commons.
• India’s global conduct, which is rooted in the fundamental principle of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,’ – which means ‘world is one family’ – resonates powerfully in the halls of the United Nations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, India upheld this principle by providing essential medicines and vaccines to more than 150 countries. At the 80^th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2025, India urged that every member state that can make this world a better place must have the opportunity to do its utmost.
  
• Text : Referenced from the content provided by the Ministry of External Affairs.

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Issued by India

Issued on Jan 31, 2024

Issued for : Department of Posts is delighted to issue commemorative postage stamp on Bombay Sappers War Memorial and salutes the Group for their prowess in battle and in the development of the nation.

Credits :
Stamp/FDC/Brochure : Smt. Vinita Sinha
Cancellation Cachet : Smt. Nenu Gupta

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 302350

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

About : 

• The Bombay Engineer Group, popularly known as ‘The Bombay Sappers’, is one of the three Groups of the Corps of Engineers. The origin of the Group can be traced back to a company of Pioneer Lascars raised in Bombay in 1777 as a part of the Bombay Presidency. However, according to the officially accepted records, the history of the Bombay Engineer Group dates back to 1820, when the Pioneer Lascars were re-organized into Sappers and Miners. Recognizing the services rendered by the Group during the First World War, the title ‘Royal’ was awarded to it in 1921.
• The Bombay Sappers and Miners earned their first Battle Honour, Beni-Boo-Ali, in Arabia in 1821 i.e. within a year of reorganizing. Since then, the Group has given an excellent account of itself with 34 Battle Honours and 25 Theatre Honours during the pre-independence era and three Battle Honours and six Theatre Honours, 10 COAS Unit Citations, two COAS Certificate of Appreciation, two VCOAS Unit Appreciation 50 GOC-in-C Unit Citations and one GOC-in-C Certificate of Appreciation after independence, besides six Governor Citations which are a testimony to the devotion and dedication of the gallant soldiers of the Group.
• The Group is accredited with the Victoria Cross awarded to 2Lt (later Lt Gen) PS Bhagat for the most conspicuous gallantry in the Middle East in World War II, the Param Vir Chakra awarded to 2Lt (later Maj) RR Rane for clearing of mine fields and road blocks in Rajouri sector during 1948 Indo-Pak War and the Ashok Chakra awarded to Nb Sub Gurnam Singh posthumously on 23 Sep 1973 for saving the lives of men under his command during a demonstration for visiting staff and student officers of the Defence Services Staff College. Thus, the Group has the distinction of winning the three highest awards for individual bravery – this is something unique in the annals of the Indian Army.
• The Bombay Sappers joined the club of a select few, when they received the Regimental Colours from Shri R Venkataraman, the then President of India, on 21 Feb 1990.
• Over the past two centuries, the Bombay Sappers have carved a special niche for themselves in the chronicles of the Indian Army. They have not only proved their prowess in battle, but have also utilised their military and technical skills in the development of the nation.
• The Bombay Sappers War Memorial proudly adorns the entrance to the Parade Ground in remembrance of the officers and men who laid down their lives during the First World War. The foundation was laid on 17^th Feb 1923 by Col BB Russel, DSO, RE, who was Commandant of the Centre from 1905-1909 and who had come specifically for this event.
• Unveiled by the Governor of Bombay on 10 Sep 1924, the Memorial was built entirely by men of the Corps and comprises a stone cenotaph with inscriptions in English, Urdu, Gurmukhi and Marathi.
• In Aug 1979, the base has been extended and stone satellites adorn four corners, each satellite is having four faces of marble on which new inscriptions can be etched, as it had long been desired to periodically update the inscription on the War Memorial so as to cover subsequent operation also. These four satellites have been ceremoniously fenced with an opening on each side to enable memorial services to be conducted.
• In 2023, ascending walls adorned with the names of the Bravehearts have been added, to pay tribute to the fallen comrades and commemorate a century of existence of this iconic memorial.
• The Bombay Sappers War Memorial is completing 100 years of its existence in 2024 and is a place of reverence over the years. Since 1984, the War Memorial is also used as a logo/symbol of the Bombay Sappers replacing the British Crown adopted during the raising.
• An inseparable part of The Bombay Sappers History and Legacy, the Memorial is central to all ceremonial and commemoration parades with a solemn memorial service preceding all other events and activities.
• Text : Referenced from content provided by Proponent.

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Issued by India

Issued on Jul 26, 2018

Issued for : Department of Posts is proud to release a set of two Commemorative Postage Stamps between India and South Africa on the theme “125^th Year of Mahatma Gandhi’s Pietermaritzburg Station Incident & Birth Centenary of Nelson Mandela” depicting images of “Mahatma Gandhi” from India and “Nelson Mandela” from South Africa on these stamps.

Credits :
Stamps/Miniature Sheet : Thea Clemons and Alan Ainslie from South African Post Office and Nenu Gupta from India Post.
First Day Cover/Brochure/Cancellation Cachet : Nenu Gupta

Type : Miniature Sheet, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 2500, 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 5.0 Lakh each

Miniature Sheet Printed : 1.2 Lakh

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

Name : Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

Born on 18 Jul, 1918 at Mvezo, South Africa

Died on 5 Dec, 2013 at Houghton Estate, Johannesburg, South Africa

About : 

• India’s relations with South Africa date back several centuries. India was the first country to sever trade relations with the apartheid Government in 1946. Diplomatic and consular relations with South Africa were restored in November 1993. Since then India–South Africa relations have been growing from strength to strength. A number of bilateral agreements have been concluded between the two countries since 1993 in several areas including economic and commercial cooperation, defence, culture, health, human settlements, public administration, science and technology and education. The year 2018 marks 25 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and South Africa, the 125^th year of the Pietermaritzburg railway station incident involving Mahatma Gandhi and the birth centenary of Nelson Mandela.
• Under the IBSA & BRICS initiatives, both countries interact regularly at all levels. India is the fourth largest trade partner of South Africa. About 150 Indian companies have their presence in South Africa, with an estimated investment of about US$ 10 billion. The South African Indian origin community numbers around 1.5 million which constitutes about 3% of South Africa’s total population. South Africans of Indian origin are well-represented in government, business, media, legal and other professions. The year 2010 marked the 150^th anniversary of the first arrival of Indians in South Africa. The year 2014 marked 100 years of Gandhiji’s final departure to India from South Africa which date is commemorated annually as Pravasi Bhartiya Divas.
• Birth Centenary of Nelson Mandela:
  • Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on 18 July, 1918 in Mvezo, a village near Mthatha, Eastern Cape, South Africa. He was an anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader and philanthropist, who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country’s first black Head of State and the first elected President in a fully representative democratic election. He served as the President of the African National Congress (ANC) party from 1991 to 1997.
  • In 1962, Mandela was arrested for conspiring to overthrow the state and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rivonia Trial. After serving 27 years of prison, he was released on 11 February, 1990, nine days after the unbanning of the ANC. He immersed himself in official talks to end white minority rule and in 1991, was elected ANC President. In 1993, Nelson Mandela and President F.W. de Klerk jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize. On 10 May, 1994 he was inaugurated as South Africa’s first democratically elected President.
  • Mandela stepped down in 1999 after one term as President. He continued to work with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund he set up in 1995 and established the Nelson Mandela Foundation and The Mandela Rhodes Foundation. He died at his home in Johannesburg on 5 December, 2013.
  • Nelson Mandela first visited India in 1990 when he was honoured with the “Bharat Ratna” soon after his release from imprisonment. In March 1997, Nelson Mandela and Indian Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda signed the Red Fort Declaration on the India–South Africa Strategic Partnership during Mandela’s official visit to India. Nelson Mandela received the International Gandhi Peace Prize for social, economic and political transformation from Indian President K. R. Narayanan in 2001.
• Text : Based on the information received from Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

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Issued by India

Issued on Jul 26, 2018

Issued for : Department of Posts is proud to release a set of two Commemorative Postage Stamps between India and South Africa on the theme “125^th Year of Mahatma Gandhi’s Pietermaritzburg Station Incident & Birth Centenary of Nelson Mandela” depicting images of “Mahatma Gandhi” from India and “Nelson Mandela” from South Africa on these stamps.

Credits :
Stamps/Miniature Sheet : Thea Clemons and Alan Ainslie from South African Post Office and Nenu Gupta from India Post.
First Day Cover/Brochure/Cancellation Cachet : Nenu Gupta

Type : Miniature Sheet, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 2500, 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 5.0 Lakh each

Miniature Sheet Printed : 1.2 Lakh

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

Name : Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Born on 2 Oct, 1869 at Porbandar, Gujarat, India

Died on 30 Jan, 1948 at New Delhi, India

About : 

• India’s relations with South Africa date back several centuries. India was the first country to sever trade relations with the apartheid Government in 1946. Diplomatic and consular relations with South Africa were restored in November 1993. Since then India–South Africa relations have been growing from strength to strength. A number of bilateral agreements have been concluded between the two countries since 1993 in several areas including economic and commercial cooperation, defence, culture, health, human settlements, public administration, science and technology and education. The year 2018 marks 25 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and South Africa, the 125^th year of the Pietermaritzburg railway station incident involving Mahatma Gandhi and the birth centenary of Nelson Mandela.
• Under the IBSA & BRICS initiatives, both countries interact regularly at all levels. India is the fourth largest trade partner of South Africa. About 150 Indian companies have their presence in South Africa, with an estimated investment of about US$ 10 billion. The South African Indian origin community numbers around 1.5 million which constitutes about 3% of South Africa’s total population. South Africans of Indian origin are well-represented in government, business, media, legal and other professions. The year 2010 marked the 150^th anniversary of the first arrival of Indians in South Africa. The year 2014 marked 100 years of Gandhiji’s final departure to India from South Africa which date is commemorated annually as Pravasi Bhartiya Divas.
• 125^th Year of Mahatma Gandhi’s Pietermaritzburg Station Incident:
  • Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2 October, 1869, at Porbandar, a small town in Gujarat, on the sea coast of Western India. He studied initially at an elementary school in Porbandar and then at primary and high schools in Rajkot. He sailed to England on 4 September, 1888 at the age of 18 and was enrolled in The Inner Temple. He passed his examinations and was called to Bar on 10 June, 1891. An offer from Dada Abdulla & Company to go to South Africa to instruct their consul in a lawsuit opened up a new chapter in his life. In South Africa, Gandhiji had a bitter experience of racial discrimination during his journey from Durban to Pretoria, where his presence was required in connection with the lawsuit.
  • On 7 June, 1893, Mahatma Gandhi was on his way to Pretoria sitting in the first class compartment of the train. When the train reached Pietermaritzburg Railway Station late in the evening, a white man objected to Gandhiji’s presence in a first-class carriage because of his colour and he was ordered to move to the van compartment, was unceremoniously turned out of the carriage at Pietermaritzburg Railway Station. It was a bitterly cold night as he went to an unlit waiting-room of the Station and pondered over what had happened and whether he should return to India or protest for his rights.
  • As fallout of the incident, Gandhiji made the momentous decision to stay on in South Africa and fight the racial discrimination against Indians there. From that hour, he decided that he will not accept injustice. Out of that struggle, emerged his unique version of nonviolent resistance, Satyagraha.
• Text : Based on the information received from Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

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Issued by India

Issued on Sep 4, 2016

Issued for : Department of Posts is pleased to issue a commemorative postage stamp on Saint Teresa on the occasion of her Canonization.

Credits :
Stamp / Souvenir Sheet / FDC / Cancellation Cachet : Ms. Alka Sharma

Type : Souvenir Sheet, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 5000 Paise

Souvenir Sheet Printed : 0.4 million

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

Name : Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu

Born on Aug 26, 1910 at Üsküp, Kosovo Vilayet, Ottoman Empire [now Skopje, Republic of Macedonia]

Died on Sep 5, 1997 at Calcutta, West Bengal, India

About : 

• Mother Teresa was an icon of God’s tender mercy, radiating the light of God’s love to so many through her works of mercy, both spiritual and material.
  
• Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910 to an ethnic Albanian family in Skopje, in what is now part of Macedonia, Mother Teresa came to India as a Sister of Loreto in 1929. On her arrival in India, she began working as a teacher. On 24 May 1937, Sister Teresa made her Final Profession of Vows, becoming, as she said, the “spouse of Jesus” for “all eternity”. From that time on she was called Mother Teresa. She continued teaching at St. Mary‘s and in 1944 became the school’s principal. A person of profound prayer and deep love for her religious sisters and her students, Mother Teresa‘s twenty years in Loreto were filled with profound happiness. Noted for her charity, unselfishness and courage, her capacity for hard work and a natural talent for organization, she lived out her consecration to Jesus, in the midst of her companions, with fidelity and joy.
  
• However, the widespread poverty around her made a deep impression on her; and this led to her starting a new order called “The Missionaries of Charity”. The primary objective of this mission was to look after people, who nobody else was prepared to look after. Receiving what she described as a “call within a call”, she began her missionary work with the poor and laid the foundation for what would become the Missionaries of Charity.
  
• The Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic (Latin Church) religious congregation was established in 1950 by Mother Teresa. In 2012 it consisted of over 4,500 religious sisters. A member of the congregation must adhere to the vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, and the fourth vow, to give “wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor”. Today, the order consists of both contemplative and active branches in several countries. Missionaries care for those in need of care and assistance. They have schools run by volunteers to educate street children and run soup kitchens as well as other services as are required by the community. They have 19 homes in Kolkata (Calcutta) itself and services are provided, without charge, to people regardless of their religion or social status.
  
• In 1965, by granting a Decree of Praise, Pope Paul VI granted Mother Teresa‘s request to expand her congregation to other countries. The Congregation grew rapidly, with new homes opening all over the globe. The congregation’s first house outside India was in Venezuela, and others followed in Rome and Tanzania, and eventually in many countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe, including Albania.
  
• Following her death in 1997, St John Paul II waived the usual five-year waiting period and allowed the opening of the process to declare her sainthood. She was beatified in 2003.
  
• According to the norms, the Catholic Church requires one “medical” miracle before a deceased Catholic can be declared “blessed”, and another such miracle, occurring after that declaration, before he or she can be canonized as a saint.
  
• Mother Teresa, who will now be a Saint of the Roman Catholic Church, was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2003. This was the first step towards sainthood. In 2002, the Vatican officially recognised the first miracle she was said to have carried out after her death. On December 20, 2015, Pope Francis recognised a second miracle attributed to the Mother in Brazil, where, according to a write-up handed out by the Missionaries of Charity, a man with an incurable bacterial brain infection was cured on December 9, 2008 after his wife prayed to Mother Teresa in a parish church.
  
• Mother Teresa‘s work has been recognised and acclaimed throughout the world and she received a number of awards and distinctions, including the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize (1971) and the Nehru Prize for her promotion of international peace and understanding (1972). She also received the Balzan Prize (1979) and the Templeton and Magsaysay awards. Mother Teresa was awarded The Nobel Peace Prize for humanitarian work in 1979.
  
• The date of Mother Teresa‘s canonization will coincide with the conclusion of the Year of Mercy pilgrimage for workers and ministers engaged in works of mercy. With the canonization of Mother Teresa, the Church presents her as an inspiration to those who like her, “long to light the fire of love and peace throughout the world”. She assisted the poor, the sick and the abandoned with tireless dedication, offering smiles and simple gestures, finding strength to preserve with her vocation through prayer and trust in God.
  
• Text : Based on information available on internet.

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Issued by Hong Kong

Issued on Feb 28, 2013

Issued for : Established in 1863, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral and independent organisation whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance. To mark the 150^th anniversary of the ICRC, Hongkong Post issues a set of commemorative stamps to commend the ICRC for its humanitarian contributions. Perforations in the shape of a cross are used for the first time to highlight the emblem of the ICRC.

Designs :
$1.40 – Protection, $2.40 – Assistance, $3.00 – Prevention and $5.00 – Cooperation.

Designed by : MOU Pui–kay, LEUNG Pak–keung

Type : Stamps, Mint condition

Watermark : No

Colour : Multicolour

Denomination : 1.40, 2.40, 3 & 5 Dollar

Stamp Size : 3.50 x 3.50 cms.

Perforation : 13.75 (one cross-shaped perforation on each vertical)

Paper : Paper with security fibres

Stamp Layout : Pane of 25 stamps

Printer : Cartor Security Printing, France

Printing Process : Lithography

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Issued by India

Issued on Dec 11, 1986

Issued for : The Department of Posts is happy to issue a set of two stamps on the occasion of the 40^th Anniversary of UNICEF.

Description of Designs : The set of two stamps of 50 p and 500 p denominations depicting the themes “immunization of the Child” and “growth monitoring” have been designed by India Security Press, Nashik Road. The First Day Cover depicts the UNICEF logo. The cancellation design depicting the 40^th anniversary logo has been prepared by Miss Nenu Bagga.

Type : Stamps, Postal Used

Colour : Multi colour

Denomination : 50 & 500 Paise

Overall size : 3.91 x 2.90 cms.

Printing size : 3.55 x 2.54 cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Paper : Imported unwatermarked adhesive gravure coated stamp paper

Number Printed : 15,00,000

Number per issue sheet : 35

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printed at : India Security Press

About : 

• On December 11, 1986, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) completes 40 years of work on behalf of children. During those four decades, UNICEF has worked steadily with national governments to protect the lives of children and to promote their development.
• UNICEF was created at the first session of the United Nations General Assembly. For its first several years – when it was the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund – UNICEF’s resources were largely devoted to meeting the urgent needs of children in post-war Europe and China for food, drugs and clothing. But it became increasingly evident that the needs of children in many other countries constituted another, more ‘silent’, emergency. In December 1950, the General Assembly redirected the Fund’s mandate to programmes of long-range benefit ti children in developing countries. In October 1953, the General Assembly decided that UNICEF should continue this work indefinitely and changed its name to United Nations Children’s Fund, although the well-known acronym “UNICEF” was retained.
• In 1965, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to UNICEF, recognizing that the well-being of today’s children is inseparable from the peace of tomorrow’s world. UNICEF has worked closely with the Government of India since 1949. Its programme of cooperation in India constitutes its largest commitment to any single country among the 118 with whom it now works. Among the important programmes of cooperation are the push for comprehensive immunization and the control of diarrhoea. India has begun a determined national offensive against the six preventable diseases that now kill nearly one million of its children every year before they reach the age of one. A dynamic five-year crusade to immunize all infants during their first year of life, and all pregnant women, started on 19^th November 1985, late Mrs. Indira Gandhi‘s birth anniversary. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi pledged this programme as a “living memorial” to her concern for the very young.
• India‘s historic new initiatives for her children’s future are being actively supported by UNICEF. This includes a funding commitment for 1985-89 of $ 29 million for the nation-wide immunization measures. The many other spheres of UNICEF cooperation in India also include water and environment sanitation, community education and special training for women. UNICEF’s work depends entirely on voluntary contributions. Government of India’s generous contribution ranks 16^th worldwide.

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Issued by India

Issued on Aug 27, 1980

Issued for : Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department feels honoured to issue a stamp to commemorate the noble work of Mother Teresa and her band of devoted associations.

Description of Design : The stamp carries the portrait of Mother Teresa along with the facsimile of the reverse of the Nobel Peace Prize medallion. The first day cover designed by Charanjit Lal is a collage of her portraits with her message. The cancellation includes a line drawing showing her with a child.

Type : Stamp, Postal Used

Colour : Ultramarine Blue 

Denomination : 30 Paise

Overall size : 3.91 X 2.90 cms.

Printing size : 3.55 X 2.54 cms.

Watermark : Printed on watermarked adhesive stamp paper

Number printed : 20,00,000

Number per issue sheet : 35

Printing process : Photogravure

Designed and printed at : India Security Press

Name : Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu 

Born on Aug 26, 1910 at Skopje, Republic of Macedonia

Died on Sep 5, 1997 at Kolkata, India

About : 

• Her face deeply seamed with the passing years, Mother Teresa in her blue-bordered, coarse cotton white sari is a familiar figure on the streets of Calcutta and is held in deep affection by the people not only of Calcutta but of the whole country.
• She was born on 27 August 1910 to Albanian parents in Skopje (Yugoslavia) and was baptized Agnes. From an early age, she cherished the desire to “go out and give the love of Christ“. Inspired by the tales of work done in Bengal by the Irish Order of the Sisters of Loreto, she joined the Order at the age of 18. She came out to India on 6 January 1929 and began teaching Geography at St. Mary’s High School in Calcutta. On a train ride on 10 September 1946 to Darjeeling for the annual retreat, she felt the touch of a divine command. The message was to leave her cloistered existence and plunge into bustling Calcutta to care for “the poorest of poor”. When the Church granted her permissions to lay aside her habit, she donned the now well-known blue-bordered, white coarse cotton sari and left the cloistered arbours of the convent on 18 August 1948, never to return. All she shed with her then was five rupees, her unfailing faith and tremendous determination.
• She founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta on 7 October 1950 and her simple blue-edged white sari came to be its uniform. The Missionaries of Charity have since grown into a worldwide order numbering more than 1800 nuns, 250 brothers and thousands of lay co-workers, who serve the sick and the poor in 30 countries. The order has built leprosariums, children’s homes, havens for women, the handicapped and the old. For every kind of tragedy, Mother Teresa and her nuns manage to create a measure of consolation. The deepest consolation offered, though, is something that goes beyond physical care. “For me each one is an individual“, Mother Teresa once explained. “I can give my whole heart to that person for that moment in an exchange of love. It is not social work. We must love each other. It involves emotional involvement, making people feel they are wanted“.
• The enormous and compassionate work evoked worldwide recognition. Award following award, from the Padmashree (1962), the Magsaysay Award (1962), the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize (1971), the John F. Kennedy International Award (1971), the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding (1972), the Order of St. Francis of Assisi (1974), to the Nobel Peace Prize (1979).
• (The above text is based on material published elsewhere and/or supplied by the sponsors).

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Issued by Israel

Issued on 26 Mar, 1979

Designer : The stamp & the souvenir sheet were designed by R. & A. Hecht

Photos : A. Ganor

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi colour

Denomination : 10 Pound

About : 

• Peace has always been the supreme Jewish ideal, to be expressed both in the relationship between individuals and between groups – especially nations. From its outset, Judaism stressed this virtue in its scale of values, and its significance was further accentuated by the external circumstances of Jewish life. In ancient times, the Jews, as a small nation surrounded by great powers, needed peace, while subsequently during the many centuries of the Diaspora, as a scattered and frequently persecuted minority, they continued to yearn for peace. Any contravention of peace always boded tragedy for the Jews.
• The Hebrew for peace – “Shalom” – became one of the most important words in the Jewish vocabulary. It derives from a root meaning “to be whole, or complete” and it has always been the standard Jewish greeting – the highest wish to one’s fellow-man.
• Already in the Bible (where “peace” is mentioned over 200 times), the special Jewish attitude to peace emerges. It is not merely the absence of war but is a positive concept – mutual help and trust between man and man, the wellbeing and prosperity of nations. “Seek peace and pursue it” says the Psalmist and this became a common maxim. Moses’ brother Aaron was seen as the embodiment of peace and therefore as a prototype to be emulated.
• The vision of universal peace, first conceived by the Biblical prophets has served as an inspiration to mankind. The motto outside the United Nations building in New York is taken from Isaiah’s description of the era of perfection when “they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks: Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more”.
• For the rabbis of the Talmudic Era, peace constituted one of the most exalted of ideals. The stability and happiness of any community, they said, could only be assured when it rested on a foundation of peace. “By three things the world is preserved – by truth, by judgement and by peace” is one of their most frequently quoted sayings, but is one of many examples that can be cited. Scripture, we are told, was only given to mankind in order to establish peace, while peace is the climax of all blessings. Especial praise is bestowed on the peacemaker, while the essential role of scholars is to bring peace to the world. The rabbinic teaching is summarized in the dictum “Great is peace, because all blessings are contained in it”.
• A number of rabbinic works were written which were devoted entirely to the subject of peace. Best-known is the second-third century “Tractate on Peace”, in which each section begins with the words “Great is Peace”. Its subject-matter is the centrality of peace in Jewish thought – between man and man, between nation and nation, and even cosmically (the celestial realm and angels, it is explained, could not function without it). Its saying “When the Messiah is revealed, his first tidings will be of peace” reflects a widespread belief that international peace is part of a utopian messianism. The first act to be expected of the Messiah – the “Prince of Peace” – was the institution of universal peace.
• Peace is a keynote of the Jewish liturgy. Every major blessing and prayer ends with a petition for peace. Thus the blessing of the priests, dating back to Temple times and still recited in the synagogue, concludes “May the Lord turn His face unto thee – and grant thee peace”.
• The passion for peace as the greatest good runs through all Jewish thought and writings. Post-talmudic thinkers dwelt on its positive aspects as representing a dynamic striving for universal harmony. It is seen as one of the main ethical values, motivated by the active pursuit of human brotherhood, social justice and truth – extending to all mankind.
• To modern Jewish thinkers of all backgrounds, only the peace-loving Jew is a true follower of the prophets. The greatest sacrifice, they held, should be made in order to avoid war. They point out that the Jewish religion, history and mission all pledge the Jew to peace. Peace is seen as a natural law – “one mountain and another can never get together but one man and another can”.
• The traditional Jewish longing for peace has only been intensified in the State of Israel where it was regarded as tragic that the re-establishment of a Jewish state could only be accomplished through fighting and that its subsequent existence should necessitate further wars. The prospect of a peace agreement with any of its neighbours engendered a great feeling of hope in the country, recalling the saying of the eighteenth century rabbi, Nachman of Bratslav: “Whenever a treaty of peace is signed, God is present”.
• The Western Wall in Jerusalem has for nineteen centuries been the Jews’ holiest site as the only remaining part of the Temple. Jews would pray in front of it and write down their dearest wish on a piece of paper which they would stuff into one of its crevices. The stamp shows a crevice in the wall with a white sheet of paper, symbolising the dearest wish of an entire people – Peace.
• Dr. Geoffrey Wigoder

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Issued by Pakistan

Issued on May 8, 1978

Issued for : As a mark of tribute to the memory of Henry Dunant Pakistan Post Office is issuing a Commemorative Postage Stamp of Re. 1/- on his 150^th birth anniversary which fails on 8^th May, 1978.

Description : The portrait of Henry Dunant appears in an oval frame within the insignia of the Red Cross. The insignia of the Red Crescent appears on the top right corner.

Designer : Adil Salahuddin

Type : Stamp, Postal Used

Denomination : Re. 1/-

Colours : Blue, Black, Red, Yellow

Size of Stamp : 36.77 x 36.77 m.m.

Size of Print : 33.77 x 33.77 m.m.

Perforation Gauge : 14 C

Quantity : 5,00,000

No. of Stamps in a sheet : 50 Stamps

Process of Printing : Litho Offset

Printer : The Pakistan Security Printing Corporation Ltd., Karachi

Name : Jean–Henri Dunant

Born on May 8, 1828 at Geneva, Switzerland

Died on Oct 30, 1910 at Heiden, Switzerland

About : 

• One man founded the Red Cross: Henry Dunant of Geneva. While travelling in Italy in 1859, he arrived at Solferino, just after the French and Sardinian armies had clashed with the Austrian troops in a short but bloody engagement : 40,000 dead and wounded were left on the battlefield – left to die.
• In his pathetic and touching account titled “A memory of Solferino”, he suggested that voluntary aid be encouraged by setting up relief societies to assist the army medical services. Soon many governments were seized of this idea and the “First Geneva Conference” met in 1863 with delegates from 16 nations including representatives from learned societies and welfare organizations. Out of this conference grew two basic tenets :–
  • 1. The need for formation of volunteer civilian organizations to render aid to the wounded in wartime.
  • 2. Proclamation of neutrality in wartime for the wounded, for the volunteers going to their assistance and for the materials and equipment needed in this work.
• The relief societies created shortly after eventually became the national Red Cross Societies and since 1919, they have been linked in a worldwide federation, the League of Red Cross, Red Crescent, Red Lion and Sun Societies. As a tribute to the memory of its founder his birth day each year is celebrated as ‘Red Cross Day’ with a special slogan to emphasize the ideals of the Red Crescent movement.
• The theme chosen this year is “Join Red Crescent for more Humanity”.
• Issued by: The Director General, Pakistan Post Office, Karachi.

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