Issued by India

Issued on Aug 15, 2017

Issued for : Department of Posts is pleased to release a miniature sheet and a set of two Commemorative Postage Stamps on Beautiful India on the selected entries.

Credits :
Stamps/Miniature Sheet/FDC/Brochure/Cancellation Cachet : Ms. Nenu Gupta, based on selected entries received from participant.

Type : Stamps, Miniature Sheet, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 1500 Paise (2)

Stamps Printed : 0.5 million each

Miniature Sheet Printed : 0.1 million

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

About : 

• Department of Posts is conducting stamp design competition on various themes from 2015 on the occasion of Republic Day, Independence Day and Children’s Day at national level. Based on the entries received from the participants, stamps are designed and released. Selected participants are given cash awards for first three places. As a novel exercise this time, a nationwide photography competition on theme “Beautiful India” was conducted on the occasion of Independence Day, 2017. Based on the best entries, stamps, First Day Cover and Brochure have been designed. The first three places won in Photography Competition are by Sh. K. Narayanaswamy, Mr. Pulkit Tyagi and Sh. Mihir Singh. Entries received from Sh. K. Narayanaswamy, Mr. Pulkit Tyagi and Sh. Mihir Singh, Ms. Surya R. G. and Smt. Chamah Sharma have been used for designing the Stamp, FDC and Brochure.
• India is a unique country with rich diversity in geography, diversity in languages, diversity in food, diversity in clothes, diversity in festivals and so on which uniquely represents the mosaic of our country and its people. India‘s astounding diversity of religions, languages and cultures is unique and unparalleled. The culture of the vast subcontinent, varied and complex in its rich heritage is among the oldest in the world. Five thousand years of history have nourished the growth of our great civilization. It has been vitalized through cross cultural contacts and characterized by unity in diversity.
• The selected photographs depict the various natural and beautiful aspects of India. The tree laden with yellow flowers at both sides of road and girls going to school is a nice visual. The hills of Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh and photograph of Tajmahal snapped from the garden brings a refreshing angle to a popular subject. The photo of Saryulsar Lake, Kullu and the scenery of a pond circled with hyacinth and filled with innumerable number of small water birds are indeed visual treats.
• Text : Based on the information available on internet.

The post Beautiful India 2017 appeared first on iStampGallery.

Issued by India

Issued on Nov 11, 2006

Issued for : The Department of Posts is happy to issue a commemorative postage stamp on the legendary photographer Lala Deen Dayal.

Credits :
Stamp & FDC : Sankha Samanta
Cancellation : Nenu Gupta

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multicolour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 0.4 Million

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nashik

Name : Lala Deen Dayal

Born on 1844 at Sardhana, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India

Died on Jul 5, 1910 at Mumbai, India

About : 

• The pioneer of photography in India, Lala Deen Dayal left a brilliant visual record of the lifestyle, events and monuments of late nineteenth century, displaying ingenuity and artistry, so that his photography were seen as expressions of fine arts, competing with traditional paintings and even replacing many other forms of printing art.
• Lala Deen Dayal was born at Sardhana near Meerut in 1844. After studying at Thomson’s Civil Engineering College at Roorkee, he became an estimator and draughtsman in the Department of Works in the Secretariat in Indore in 1866. Soon, he developed a keen interest in photography. He was encouraged by Sir Henry Daly, the Agent to the Governor General for Central India, who assigned him the task of photographing the royal visit of the Prince of Wales in 1875. Impressed by his talent, Sir Henry took Deen Dayal along with him on his tour of Bundelkhand. In 1882-83 Deen Dayal again toured Bundelkhand with Sir Lepel Griffin who was the Agent at that time. Eighty nine of his photographs of palaces, forts and temples in Gwalior, Khajuraho, Rewa and Sanchi were splendidly reproduced by the Autotype carbon process in Sir Lepel Griffin’s “Famous Monuments of Central India”. Lala Deen Dayal had the opportunity to photograph the Viceroy, Lord Dufferin and Lady Dufferin, and he was appointed as a photographer to His Excellency the Viceroy. Soon he resigned from Government service and became a full time photographer.
• Gradually his reputation grew, and the Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Mahbub Ali Khan appointed him as his court photographer and also conferred upon him the title of ‘Raja Musavir Jung’. In 1897, Lala Deen Dayal was granted the Royal Warrant appointing him Photographer to Her Imperial Majesty Queen Victoria.
• He set up studios in Indore, Secunderabad and Bombay. In 1893 his display of views of India received a special award at the World Colombian Exposition in Chicago. Subsequently he received several awards at photographic exhibitions held in Jaipur, Calcutta, London and Poona.
• He travelled far and wide in India, visited all the important places of interest and took more than 6000 photographs, which is supposed to be the largest collection ever held by any single photographer, amateur or professional in those times.
• He expired in Bombay on 5^th July 1905 at the age of 61.
• The true-to-life quality of Lala Deen Dayal’s photographs provide a rare pictorial glimpse into a bygone era, the picturesque opulence, genteel grandeur and gracious charm of 19^th century India, with whiskered nobility, hookah bearers, royal palaces, royal hunts, and parades, elephant carriages; golden moments’ captured on silver plates for posterity.
• Major part of his work now rests with the IGNCA, New Delhi.
• Text : Based on the material provided by the proponent.

The post Lala Deen Dayal appeared first on iStampGallery.

Issued by India

Issued on Dec 18, 2005

Issued for : The Department of Posts is proud to issue a commemorative postage stamp in honour of M. S. Subbulakshmi, who had mesmerised packed audiences the world over with her consummate mastery of carnatic music for almost six decades.

Credits :
Stamp : Designed by Sh. Sankha Samanta based on photographs provided by Mr. Yoga.
FDC : Sankha Samanta
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multicolour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 0.6 Million

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nashik

Name : Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi

Born on Sep 16, 1916 at Madurai, Madras Presidency, British India

Died on Dec 11, 2004 at Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

About : 

• Mudurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi popularly known as M.S. was a renowned carnatic vocalist. She was one of the great woman artistes of India who had been able to move the hearts of millions and millions of men and women and was the most beloved idol of the public in the recent annals of Indian Music.
  
• Subbulakshmi was born on September 16, 1916 at Madurai to Smt. Shanmukhavadivu, a celebrated veena artiste of her times. At the tender age of 13, she made her maiden public recital with her mother, who was also her Guru. She studied under Srinivasa Iyengar of Madurai who taught her upto the ‘varnam’ stage. In the later years she had the good fortune to learn from several great musicians like Musiri Subramanya Iyer and Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer. In 1940, she married T. Sadasivam, a freedom fighter and a film director. She gained in him a friend, philosopher and mentor.
  
• Two events brought Subbulakshmi early into national prominence. The first was her participation in the All India Dance Conference in Mumbai in 1944 where her performance created a great sensation. The second was her appearance in the lead-role in the film ‘Meera’ produced by her husband where she sang and acted, which brought her instant all-India-fame. So overwhelming was her music that Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru crowned her as “Queen of Song” and Sarojini Naidu, a poet and leader of our freedom movement praised her for the beauty of her voice and the magic of her personality.
  
• Subbulakshmi known for her extraordinary vocal range never exceeded the demand of the composition of the song. She breathed music twenty-four hours a day and was also deeply religious. Her famous renditions include Bhajagovindam, Vishnu Sahasranamam and Venkateswara Suprabhatham. Gandhiji loved her rendition of North Indian Bhajans and requested her to sing some for his 78^th birthday on October 2, 1947. Gandhiji particularly wanted to hear “Hari Tuma Haro” whose haunting refrain translates, “Oh Lord, take away the pain from mankind”. Not knowing this bhajan, she suggested another singer, but he refused, saying that he would rather listen her speak the words than another sing them. Such was the influence of the divine voice of Subbulakshmi.
  
• She was India’s cultural ambassador. She has travelled widely to places like London, New York, Canada, the Far East to give concerts. In 1963, Subbulakshmi was invited to participate in the most popular event ‘Edinburgh Festival’. In October 1966, Subbulakshmi sang at United Nations as India’s representative on the occasion of United Nations Day celebrations. Hers was the inaugural concert at the Festival of India in London in 1982 and in the Soviet Union in 1987.
  
• Subbulakshmi has rendered more than 200 benefit performances in aid of several national, social, religious and cultural causes and raised over a crore rupees. She has received several titles and awards the world over. She was awarded ‘Padma Bhushan’ in 1954, when the national awards were first instituted. She was also honoured with title ‘Sangeetha Kalanidhi’. She was awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award in the year 1974 and the entire amount of US$ 10,000 has been donated to the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai, the V.H.S. Hospital etc. She was honoured with ‘Padma Vibhushan’ title in 1975. She was conferred Doctorate Degree “Desikottama” by Visva Bharathi University, Shanthiniketan, in 1981. She was awarded ‘Bharat Ratna’, the highest civilian award of Govt. of India in the year 1998. In addition, she received many other awards conferred Doctorate, the list of which will be exhaustive.
  
• Subbulakshmi’s music was unique in that it had universal appeal. In addition to its technical perfection, it was full of devotion to God. She had the ability to harmonise strict standards and popular appeal to do justice to the Music of South and the North. She used to point out that Ragas and Bhajans have been composed for the “purpose of directing the minds of the listeners towards God and his manifestations” and that “one’s singing comes through one’s own experience and it is this depth of feeling that enables one to communicate with the audience”.
  
• M. S. Subbulakshmi gave lot of importance to mastering pronunciation, proper intonation. She always believed in hard work and that there was no short cut and advocated gurukula system of learning. Subbulakshmi advocated compulsory teaching of music at all levels of education, from primary through University for she believed that just as the study of science leads to the growth of knowledge, the study of music would bring serenity of mind.
  
• The great musician attained Lord’s abode on 11^th December 2004.

The post M. S. Subbulakshmi appeared first on iStampGallery.

Issued by India

Issued on Dec 29, 1998

Issued for : The Department of Posts commemorates the Indian Musical tradition with issue of a set of four stamps on Indian Musical Instruments with a backdrop of panels from ancient stone carvings, featuring the particular instrument. Two of the stamps feature stringed instruments; Rudra veena and Sarod. The third stamp features Pakhawaj a percussion instrument and the fourth, Bansuri a wind instrument.

The First Day Cover depicts a 15^th century Kangra painting, “Lady dancing to the tune of the dholak“.

Credits :
Stamp design : Sankha Samanta, based on photographs of the musical instruments from “Sharan Rani Backliwal Gallery of Musical Instruments”, National Museum, New Delhi. The designs were evolved in association with Smt. Sharan Rani.
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Stamps, Postal Used

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 200, 600, 800 & 1000 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 Gr. Coated Stamp Paper in Sheets 50.8 x 53.5 cms.

Stamps Printed : 0.7 Million

Number per issue sheet : 35

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nasik

About : 

• The evolution of the musical tradition of India can be traced through ancient manuscripts and visual depictions of musical instruments in sculpture, paintings and objects from archaeological excavations. Musical instruments were classified into 4 main categories in the ‘Natya Shastra’ compiled by Bharat Muni (dated 200 BC-200 AD). This grouping done on the basis of how sound is produced, is universally accepted :–
  
• Tata Vadya or Chordophones (stretched stringed instruments both plucked and bowled) :
  The sound is produced by the vibrations of strings, plucked by the fingers or a plectrum by means of friction. The various forms of the Veena including the ‘been’ of the north and ‘veena’ of the south, sarod, santoor, rabab, surbahar, sitar, gottuvadyam, tanpura are examples of stringed instruments. When the stone age caves of Bhimbetka, believed to be 10,000 years old, were discovered, the walls were found to have several layers of painting. The bow shaped harp seen in these paintings is said to be more than five thousand years old, perhaps the earliest evidence of stringed instruments in India.
  
• Sushira or Aerophones (hollow or wind instruments) :
  The sound is produced by vibration of air. Two of the oldest instruments are Sankh and the ‘Bansuri’ also called ‘Murali’. Varieties of horn-types, including curved wind instruments were developed for performing in festivals, processions and temple singing. They were called by various names such as sringa, nara-sringa, ‘naga-todi’ and so on. Wind instruments have been depicted in stone carvings and paintings from pre-historic time onwards. Paintings seen in the Bhimbetka caves near Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh show a kind of trumpet. The gesture for playing the flute is depicted in almost all the dance styles. The horizontal flute is best suited to playing the slower passages or the ‘Alap’, in Indian music.
  
• Avanaddha Vadya or Membranophones (covered vessels or drums, percussion instruments) :
  The sound is produced by the vibrations of stretched skin. Such instruments comprise ‘drums’, ‘rattles’, ‘pakhawaj’, ‘mridanga’, ‘dholak’, ‘tabla’, etc. The Pakhawaj is one of the most ancient drums of north India. It is a wooden barrel drum bulging in the middle and tapering towards the end. The playing position is similar to that of the ‘Mridangam’ of south India. The instrument accompanies vocal and instrumental music and provides rhythm in dance forms such as Kathak and Odissi.
  
• The Ghana Vadya or Idiophones :
  The sound is produced by solids struck against each other, the vibration of the solid according to the cause of the vibration whether percussion or friction such as the ‘cymbal’, ‘gongs’, ‘ghanta’, ‘ghanti’, ‘ghungroo’, ‘kartal’ etc.
  
• Text : Publications of Sangeet Natak Academy.

The post Indian Musical Instruments 1998 appeared first on iStampGallery.

Issued by India

Issued on Jan 11, 1995

Issued for : The Department of Posts has, in 1989, brought out a stamp on 75 years of Indian Cinema and about a year ago a setenant in memory of Satyajit Ray. The Department is privileged to issue a setenant of commemorative stamps on this occasion to mark the 100 years of Cinema.

Design Credits :
Stamp : Suresh Kumar (Based on photographs from Association Frères Lumière)
F.D.C. : Dinesh Banduni (Based on photographs from Association Frères Lumière)
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Stamps, Postal Used

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 600 & 1100 Paise

Overall size : 2.9 x 3.91 cms.

Printing size : 2.9 x 3.91 cms.

Perforation : 13.5 x 13.5

Paper : Matt Chromo Indigenous

Number of stamps Printed : 1 Million each

Number per issue sheet : 20

Printing Process : Photo Offset

Printer : Calcutta Security Printers, Kanpur

About : 

• There can be little doubt that cinema is one of the most potent and vibrant mediums of communication of this century. What started as just a ‘mechanical toy’ at the turn of the century has become a powerful medium of communication and self-expression evolving its own language and grammar over the decades.
  
• While several inventors from different countries prepared the way, it was the work of the Lumiere Brothers of Lyon in France which proved to be the turning point and ultimately gave birth to the cinema. They gave the first show of their ‘Cinematographe’ on December 28, 1895 at the Salon Indiens of the Grand Café in Paris.
  
• Barely six months after the early historic screenings in Europe and America, the Lumiere Brothers organised an exhibition of their invention at Watson’s Hotel, Bombay, on July 7, 1896. The show, which made a lasting impact, was variously described as the “marvel of the century” and “the wonder of the world”. It marked the beginning of cinema in India which grew from strength to strength over the foundations laid by the pioneers such as Harishchandra Sakharam Bhatwadekar, J.F. Madan and Dada Saheb Phalke, the father of Indian cinema.
  
• The Lumiere programme anticipated many of the future uses of cinema such as newsreel, actuality, fiction and documentary. As the technology and art of film making developed over the years, an understanding grew of the principles of film editing, interrelations of shots and sequence to create meanings and depiction on the screen of spectacle, emotional horror and intense states of feeling. The launching of the sound era in the late twenties was a significant landmark that gave a new impetus to the wave of cinema which had already washed upon distant shores.
  
• The early and mid-fifties were notable for the emergence of major film makers around the world. A significant hiatus in the history of world cinema also belonged to this decade when a reaction to the conventional narratives and techniques of classical fiction cinema based on dramatic, realist codes, led to a divorce from tradition and creation of original, fresh masterpieces. More recent times have been marked by the coming of age of a Third World Cinema and breaking of new ground in experimentation and understanding of cinema as an art and as a mass medium.
  
• Indian cinema began to receive extensive international attention with Satyajit Ray’s ‘Pather Panchali’ made in 1955. Ray’s signal contribution to cinema won him worldwide acclaim and the coveted ‘Oscar’. Today, India is the largest producer of feature films in the world averaging about 800 films a year.
  
• Text Source : Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The post India on 100 Years of Cinema appeared first on iStampGallery.

Issued by India

Issued on Feb 1, 1981

Issued for : Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department is happy to issue a special postage stamp to commemorate the centenary of this institution.

Description of Designs : The stamp shows the building of the college (photograph taken by Kailash Dilwali, a former student of the college) and the first day cover shows the crest of the college.

Type : Stamp, Postal Used

Colour : Scarlet

Denomination : 35 Paise

Overall size : 4.56 x 2.03 cms.

Printing size : 4.26 x 1.72 cms.

Perforation : 14½ x 14

Paper : Star and Government of India watermarked paper

Number printed : 20,00,000

Number per issue sheet : 40

Printing process : Photogravure

Designed and printed at : India Security Press

About : 

• St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, was founded on 1 February 1881 by a Christian Mission from Cambridge, England. The Revd Samuel Scott Allnutt was its Founder and First Principal. Starting with just five students and three teachers in a small house in Chandni Chowk, the College has come a long way. It has at present over eight hundred men and women students reading B.A. and B.Sc. (Honours and Pass) and M.A. and M.Sc. courses in Economics, English, History, Mathematics, Political Science, Philosophy, Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Physics and Chemistry. The College is now housed in spacious buildings constructed in 1941 in the University of Delhi Enclave.
• The composition of the community of students and teachers in St. Stephen’s reflects its truly national character. Drawing its members from every state and community in India, including the weaker section of society, the College presents a broad spectrum of its unity and variety. This has been, to a large extent, made possible by the availability of ample facilities in residence. There is provision for three hundred men students and thirty-two teachers to live in College. The fullness of life experienced in St. Stephen’s is considered to be one of its most distinctive features. This has been achieved by the active involvement of every member of the College, irrespective of cultural and religious differences, in its total life.
• Traditionally, St. Stephen’s College has stood for the development of integrated personality as the ultimate goal of the educational experience that it offers to its students. Hence the emphasis is on formation of character and cultivation of the right values and commitments.
• Life in St. Stephen’s College is marked by the personal touch, and this, fortunately, is possible even today despite the steady expansion of the students’ population. This is what every Stephenian carries with him or her when leaving the College; the memory of a few rare moments of insight and discovery that take place through personal interaction is cherished by each student. The College has been fortunate to have, over the years, a succession of great men of character and vision. Deenabandhu Charles Andrews, member of the faculty, (1904-14), who founded the College Magazine “The Stephenian”, and the Falstaff Society, forerunner of the present Shakespeare Society and whose vision and mission were acclaimed throughout India; Principal S.N. Mukarji to whose undaunted vigour and courage of conviction the present College campus is an enduring monument; and others, before and after them, have left a tradition, that posterity shall not willingly let die.
• The College has always been in the mainstream of national life. Mahatma Gandhi was a frequent visitor at the house of Mr. S.K. Rudra, the fourth Principal of the College. Many historic decisions were taken by Gandhiji in this house. In the context of Independence, St. Stephen’s has continued to play its part by pursuing with zeal the high ideals of University education, and educating generations of men and women, whose presence is felt in every sphere of national life.
• (Text by W.S. Rajpal).

The post St. Stephen’s College, Delhi appeared first on iStampGallery.

Issued by India

Issued on Dec 30, 1980

Issued for : Indian Posts & Telegraphs Department is happy to issue a set of four stamps on brides of India.

Description of Design : The stamps depict brides in their traditional finery from Kashmir, Bengal, Rajasthan and Tamilnadu. (Photos by O. P. Sharma, S. J. Singh, Chitrangad Sharma).

Type : Stamps, Postal Used

Colour : Multicolour

Denomination : 100 Paise each

About : 

• A bride anywhere in the world signals joy. However, in India particularly she is welcomed as Saubhagyavati : “The fortunate one”, the harbinger of auspiciousness into the home.
  
• The traditional bride fulfils the promise of her community and is in turn fulfilled by it. While she epitomises the cultural style of her community, the means by which she is decorated depend heavily on the skill of local craft traditions. For once the age-old art of adornment walks hand-in-hand with a traditional socio-economic wisdom and the skills of generations of anonymous jewellers, weavers and other silent workmen.
• Tamilnadu :
  • A certain classical vigour and tension distinguishes Tamil cultural expression. Notice the rhythmic effect of this bride’s gold and gem-studded decoration. This comes from an effectively repeated motif : the mango, symbol of fruitfulness, from the border of her Kanchipuram silk to her necklet. Her long hair is thickly twined with gold thread and jasmine buds, whose close-huddled form is repeated in the ornament that binds her brows, defines her parting, dropping to a pendant. This is echoed by her ear pendants and the jewels at her nose. This sense of symmetry is further underlined by the symbolic sun and moon ornaments to left and right of the parting in her hair. These, and the studded armlets recall the classicism of bharatanatyam and the formal discipline of temple bronzes.
• Rajasthan :
  • A blaze of colour and strength of form characterise the desert dwelling Rajputs. The curve upon curve of beaten silver haslis this bride wears about her throat with heavy silver chains and their pendant rings complements the textural interest of the tie-dye odani that circles her head in red, turmeric-yellow and gleaming gota. The curve of nath from nose to ear enhances the curve of her cheek, echoed by the looped chain at hairline that suspends her bor. Cones of pendant silver drop from her ears, balancing the straight glance, the bindu and the rounded chin. Visual drama is balanced with a fineness of detailing that comes from centuries of courtly tradition and recalls the Mewari school of Rajput painting.
• Kashmir :
  • Her bridal dupatta, fringed with gold thread and sequins, frames the bride’s head ornament, plaques of beaten and incised silver, the pendants of which fall low across the brow. The deliberate framing-effect of her jewellery continues through the sequinned hoops rimming her ears to the deep drops from their lobes. These effectively throw her bridal face into relief as they droop to meet the richly embroidered ornamentation of her dark loose-fitting choga. The sense of drama to this traditional arrangement lies in the intricately-worked silver so controlled and distributed as to indicate the personality of the bride.
• Bengal :
  • With Bengal, we are in the tropics : the bridal crest, a finely fretted pith tiara (of the kind that is further elaborated for pratimas of Durga). The bride’s brocaded sari is traditionally Banarasi.  The accent falls noticeably through graceful loops and arabesques from crest through curve of chain and pendant at hairline to the delicate “creeper” painted in sandal-paste to emphasise the bhru–lata of her brows and recalling ritual alpana. With loops of fresh jasmine and rose about her neck and wrists, with gems at her throat and her ear-lobes shielded by disks of finely-wrought gold, hers is the delicate curvilinear style by which Bengal is known.
• (Text by Priadevi).

The post Brides of India 1980 appeared first on iStampGallery.

Issued by India

Issued on Dec 23, 1978

Issued for : The Posts and Telegraphs Department feels privileged to issue a commemorative stamp on the 75^th year of First Powered Flight.

Design : The stamp depicts Wright Brothers with their aeroplane. The design is based on photographs by courtesy of International Communication Agency, New Delhi.

Type : Stamp, Postal Used

Colour : Buff and Bright Purple

Denomination : 100 Paise

Overall size : 3.91 X 2.90 cms.

Printing size : 3.55 X 2.54 cms.

Perforation : 13 X 13

Watermark : A. P. watermark

Number printed : 20,00,000

Number per issue sheet : 35

Printing process : Photogravure

Designed and printed at : India Security Press

About : 

• On a cold and windy day 75 years ago, one of man’s oldest and boldest dreams – to be able to fly like a bird – became a reality.
• On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright flew their heavier-than-air flying machine from a desolate spit of land jutting out in the Atlantic Ocean, a place called Kitty Hawk, in North Carolina. The dream of centuries was realized when their flimsy plane, made of silk and wood, with Orville at the controls rose from the sandy ground and was airborne. The flight lasted exactly 12 seconds.
• This was the first time that a machine carrying a man raised itself by its own power into the air in full flight and sailed forward without reduction in speed.
• That day the two brothers flew their plane three more times, alternating piloting the flights. On that notable day, Wilbur had the fourth turn and made the longest distance. He flew for 59 seconds and covered 852 feet.
• In 1904 the Wright brothers rebuilt their machine with modifications and 105 landings were made. In 1905 they concentrated on improvements and refinements, not on radical changes. By 1907 the new Wright engine gave 50 per cent more power than the 1905 engine; its power was sufficient to carry two men, fuel, and a load of 100 pounds. The brothers continued to make and fly planes for many years and Wilbur established a world record for flight in September 1908 in France when he flew 52 miles and remained aloft one hour, 31 minutes and 25 seconds.
• The Wright brothers were two of five children of a bishop. The other three attended college while Wilbur (born 1867) and Orville (born 1871) preferred to tinker with bicycles and printing presses. It was not long before they were interested in the study of flying.
• And their success was not achieved overnight or by chance, nor was it a surprise to those few who knew of their careful preparation. In their work they had been helped beyond measure by the prior efforts of hundreds of other men. For example, the theory of aeronautics was an old one by 1896 when the Wright brothers first began to study it.
• In 1912, just as the airplane was beginning to make great advances, Wilbur died of typhoid. Orville worked on alone, and in 1913 won the Collier Trophy for a device to balance airplanes automatically. He died in 1948.

The post India on First Powered Flight appeared first on iStampGallery.

Issued by India

Issued on Oct 19, 1977

Issued for : The Indian Posts & Telegraphs Department is happy to bring out two special postage stamps on the occasion of the First Asian International Stamp Exhibition, or briefly called, ASIANA-77.

Design : The stamp in Re. 1 denomination depicts a pair of a famed Red Scinde Dawks of 1852 (the first stamp in Asia). The stamp in Rs 3/- denomination shows foreign mail arriving at the Ballard Pier in Bombay in 1927. It is adapted from a photograph appearing in the Annual Report of Indian Posts & Telegraphs Department for the year 1926-27.

Colour : Multicolour

Type : Stamps, Postal Used

Denomination : 100 & 300 Paise

Overall size : 3.91 X 2.90 cms.

Printing size : 3.55 X 2.54 cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Watermark : Printed on unwatermarked adhesive stamp paper

Number printed : 20,00,000 each

Number per issue sheet : 35

Printing process : Photogravure

Designed and printed at : India Security Press

About : 

• The First Asian International Stamp Exhibition briefly called ASIANA-77 was held at Bangalore from October 19 to 23, 1977. The exhibition had been organised by the Philatelic Congress of India, an apex federated body of all the Philatelic Societies and Clubs in India, with the active participation and assistance of the Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department and also the Government of Karnataka. The exhibition was exclusively for the Asian and Australasian countries and under the patronage of the Inter-Asia Philatelic Federation (FIAP) which is the Asian chapter of the Federation Internationale de Philatelie (FIP).
• FIP was founded in 1926 by representatives from 7 European countries to safeguard the interests of stamp collectors at international level. At present, there is hardly any National Philatelic Federation of a country which is not affiliated with the FIP. The FIP has set up standard rules for holding the International Exhibitions under their patronage. The FIP has categorized harmful, improper and undesirable stamp issues which they have banned for exhibiting in any of the International Exhibitions under their patronage.
• FIAP was organised in 1975 to strengthen the philatelic activities among Asian and Australasian countries. To increase the participation of Asian countries in International Exhibitions, the idea of Regional Exhibitions was mooted.
• ASIANA-77 was a landmark in the philatelic history of India as not only the country had the honour to hold the First Asian International Stamp Exhibition but also some of the rarest stamps was on display in this exhibition for the first time in India. The response both in the competitive and non-competitive groups was more than what was expected. This exhibition gave an opportunity to the stamp lovers of India to see the choicest and prize winning exhibits of the world at one place.

The post India on First Asian International Stamp Exhibition 1977 appeared first on iStampGallery.

Issued by India

Issued on Dec 16, 1975

Issued for : The Posts and Telegraphs Department is honoured to issue a special commemorative postage stamp on the occasion of the tercentenary of the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur. 

Design : The stamp depicts Gurdwara Sisganj in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, where his martyrdom took place.

Photo by : Shri S. J. Singh

Type : Stamp, Mint condition

Colour : Multicolour

Denomination : 25 Paise

Overall size : 3.91 X 2.90 cms.

Printing size : 3.56 X 2.54 cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Watermark : printed on unwatermarked adhesive stamp paper

Number printed : 35,00,000

Number per issue sheet : 35

Printing process : Photogravure

Designed and printed at : India Security Press

Name : Tyaga Mal

Born on Apr 1, 1621 at Amritsar, Punjab, India

Died on Nov 24, 1675 at Delhi, India

About : 

• Guru Tegh Bahadur is revered as the ninth Guru of the Sikh faith. Youngest of the five sons of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Guru of the Sikhs, he was born at Amritsar on April 1, 1621. For over two decades, he had lived in seclusion and meditation when, in 1661, he was anointed the ninth spiritual successor to Guru Nanak.
  
• In 1665, Guru Tegh Bahadur founded in the foothills of Shivaliks a town which came to be known as Anandpur. This town became the fountain-head of a regenerating inspiration and scene of memorable deeds of sacrifice and daring. Guru Tegh Bahadur travelled extensively across the country spreading his message of love, faith and universal brotherhood. One of his journeys took him as far as Assam in the East. He was sensitive to the people’s sufferings and taught them to be fearless.
  
• Guru Tegh Bahadur assumed the Apostolic Office when the country was experiencing growing religious intolerance and persecution. He felt deeply the need to do something to ameliorate the situation and to bring harmony to the land torn by conflict. Soon after, some leading Brahmins of Kashmir came in a deputation to Guru Tegh Bahadur to seek his help and protection. His youngest son who later became Guru Gobind Singh also pleaded the case of the depressed people. Guru Tegh Bahadur then offered to sacrifice himself to defend the oppressed. He resolved to go to Delhi to create among the people the spirit of courage and boldness.
  
• While he was on his way, Guru Tegh Bahadur was arrested and taken to Delhi where he was put in an iron cage and asked to perform some miracles and prove the divinity of his mission or otherwise to abandon his faith. He declined to show any miracle saying that it was not proper to intervene in the Will of God. On November 11, 1675, he was beheaded in public in the Chandni Chowk in Delhi. This was a most moving event in the history of India.
  
• Guru Tegh Bahadur symbolised in his life the noblest values of moral courage, self-sacrifice and tolerance. Guru Tegh Bahadur had a deep spiritual insight and his compositions are preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Scripture.

The post Guru Tegh Bahadur appeared first on iStampGallery.