Rainbow Stamp News May 2012

Date of Issue 14 April 2012

The wreck of Titanic is worldwide known and a number of movies has been filmed and novels written about the tragic event when 1517 persons lost their lives Commemorating that 100 years have passed since this catastrophe A pound3 stamp was issued by Jersey Post on 14 April 2012 to mark 100 years since RMS Titanic hit an iceberg and sank

Shimla May 2012 Vol V Issue 53

Monthly e-Stamp Bulletin Edited by Jeevan Jyoti for free circulation among philatelists Readers are requested to send reports of philatelic activities in their area for publication Short write ups by the readers about their journals societies publications and philatelic requirements can be sent for inclusion in this bulletin to jjyoti9gmailcom or rainbowstamp2008gmailcom and by post to ndash Ms Jeevan Jyoti c o Mr Ajay Srivastav Director Great Himalayan National Park Shamshi Distt Kullu PIN 175126 (HP) India

Note- This bulletin is only for circulation among a limited group of philatelists without any commercial purpose The bulletin will be sent to the readers only on request Those who wish to receive it regularly please reply giving the name of your city country with the subject SUBSCRIBE RAINBOW

Dear Reader

May 2012 issue of Rainbow Stamp News is on your screen now Four years have passed India

Post has not organized National Philatelic Exhibition so far and philatelists all over the country

are waiting for the next National Exhibition It is expected to be held in Hyderabad in

November this year but the official announcement about the same by India Post is still awaited

Letrsquos hope that India Post would soon announce the venue and dates of the exhibition

In the last few years we have not seen any strong National Philatelic Federation emerging in our

country So it is high time for the whole philatelic community to join hands and make strong

efforts to revive Philatelic Congress of India which was once the controlling authority of

philatelic activities in India The PCI must hold an immediate election and new upcoming young

and energetic philatelists should also be introduced in its working executive committee to

enthuse new blood and brains for its smooth and active functioning If opportunity is given to

new and youthful philatelists certainly PCI will be back on its track as it will be strengthened

and smoothened

Some of the National Commissioners appointed for the International Philatelic Exhibitions are

not doing their duty well No need to mention specific name here but recently the participants of

an International Exhibition have not received their exhibits and medals even after the lapse six

and a half months of the exhibition They have also not been properly communicated by the

commissioner about the cause of delay in delivering the exhibits and medals and further have

been behaved irrationally This is a matter of great concern which is to be taken seriously by

whole philatelic community and senior members of governing council of PCI who nominate

commissioners for International Philatelic exhibitions This certainly is highly detrimental for

the development of philately

This is all for this monthhellipMore in Next IssuehellipHappy Collecting

-- Jeevan Jyoti

See more images on Blog

Contents

Recent Indian Issues

In The News

Interview

From the Desk of Naresh Agarwal

Beginnerrsquos Section

Specialized Section ndash Letrsquos Play by Dr SK Agarwal

Readerrsquos Right

New Issues from Other Countries

Philatelic Clubs and Societies

Blogs amp Websites on Philately

The Lighter Side

Book Review

Editorrsquos Mail Box

Current Philatelic Magazines ndash Newsletters

Recent Indian Issues

1 March 2012 Vasantdada Patil ndash Rs 5

9 March 2012 Shyama Charan Shukla

14 March Civil Aviation Centenary ndash 4 stamps ndash 3 x Rs 5 Rs 20 + MS

12 April IT College Lucknow

17 April 2012 Godiji Temple Mumbai ndash Rs 5

18 April 2012 R Ventkataraman

Forthcoming Indian Stamp Issue

May 17 M B Kadadi

Recent Special Cover and Postmark

The above recent cover issued issued from Gorakhpur is available at Rs 25 each with postage of Rs 25 ( for 1ndash 5 covers) on following address Payment must be sent by Money Order

Postmaster Gol Ghar Sub Post Office Gorakhpur ndash 273001 (UP) Ph 8004958478

17 March 2012 150 Years of State Bank of India Allahabad Branch

24 March 2012 Silver Jubilee Year 2630 MW Thermal Power Project Anpara Sonabhadra

24 ndash 25 March 2012 KANPEX 2012 Kanpur ndash two sp covers

15 April 2012 Utility and conservation of Swamp Land in Uttar Pradesh ndash Gorakhpur

28 April 2012 Jainism ndash Patna

View Special Covers 2012 by India Post

New pictorial cancellation from Germany

A new cancellation on goat will be released on 27 May 2012 from Germany Interested collectors may contact Mr Wolfgang Beyer Vice Chairman of the German Collector Group ArGe ZOOLOGIE Mail WolfgangBeyer1polizeisachsende Postage rates are 075 Euro AIRMAIL or 280 Euro REGISTERED AIRMAIL

450 years back the small town Kaltennordheim got the right to hold regular market In those time there was more regulation in such matters May be it is also the first known date of existence for this town There will be a festival for this purpose Goats were sold at this markets But in May there will be a transport of postal items by a goat on 27th May 2012

In The News

OLYMPIC FIRST FOR TEAM GB ndash NEXT- DAY STAMPS TO BE ISSUED FOR EACH

TEAM GB GOLD MEDAL WIN DURING LONDON 2012

During the Olympics ( 27 July -12 August ) Royal Mail will be issuing stamps for each Team GB gold medal winner the day after their victory This is a first for any host country and a first for Royal Mail issuing next-day stamps

Royal Mailrsquos stamp design for each gold medal Team GB win is revealed today for the first time by British Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell OBE

bull The main image of the stamp will wherever possible be a photograph of the Team GB athlete or team in action from their gold medal winning final Where this is not possible the image will be of the athletersquos gold medal winning journey taken from a heat or from their gold medal award moment on the podium

bull This will be the first time any host country has used action shots for Gold Medal stamps and issued them next day during the Games This will also be a first for next day stamps from Royal Mail

bull Royal Mailrsquos team of picture editors graphic designers etc will be on standby and ready to swing into action when Team GB strikes gold

bull Gold Medal stamps will be on sale at 500 selected UK Post Offices by lunchtime the next day and on wwwroyalmailcom after each gold medal win by Team GB They will then be distributed three times during the Games to a further 4500 Post Offices nationwide Many of the 500 selected Post Offices will for the first time open on Sundays during the Games

- Melanie Seasons

2012 EUROPA Stamp Promotes Travel and Tourism

Each year PostEurop the association representing European Public Postal Operators organize the best of Europa Stamp Design Competition On 1 April 2012 PostEurop launched the public online voting competition based on one vote per registered voter The theme for this years competition is Visit Based on the concept philatelic designers designed and created EUROPA stamps which invites the viewers to discover the marvels of the country or city it represents

We are excited with this years exquisite entries and even more excited to see integration of innovative elements such as Quick Response Codes (QR Codes) and new hidden images (Chameleon Code) for postage stamps introduced to bring the design to life said Markku Penttinen Chairman of the PostEurop Stamps and Philately working group from Itella

The online competition will end on 10 June 2012 and the winning stamps will be announced at the PostEurop Philatelic Forum to be held on 13 June 2012 in Paris

Olympex 2012

The last edition of Olympex to be organised by FIPO will be held from 24th July to 9th September 2012 at the prestigious headquarters of the British Library of London It has been included in the cultural programme of the Games in London The exhibition will not be as grandiose as the previous ones due to the limited budget provided by the IOC and to the complete absence of the English Postal Administration and of the Organising Committee of the Games (LOCOG) This has influenced the choice of the location of the exhibition which will be certainly prestigious but of limited dimensions Consequently the exhibition will be exclusively on invitation and based on the London Games of the Olympiad 1908 1948 and 2012 There will be no national commissioners and the collections that will be invited will reach London without any expenses for the Organising Committee This exhibition will officially close the 30 years activity of FIPO

Exhibitions

IPHLA 2012

Specialized International Exhibition for Philatelic Literature

IPHLA 2012 A specialised exhibition for Philatelic Literature is going to be held from 2 to 4 Nov2012 in the town hall of Mainz (Germany) This exhibition will be held under the patronage of FEPA amp AIJP but some non European countries are also invited by them and India is also one of them

No Federation Commissioner has been nominated Please go through website wwwiphlade

For any information please contact to Mr Wolfgang Massen Email wmaassenaliporg

THAILAND 2013

THAILAND 2013 International Philatelic exhibition will be held in Thailand from 2 to 14 August 2013 in Bangkok under the patronage of FIP The World Philatelic Exhibition will take place from 2 - 14 August 2013 at the Royal Paragon Hall 1-3 5th floor Siam Paragon Bangkok The event will feature not only some unique postage stamp collections but also displays of other rare and valuable collectibles from around the world A stamp contest and competition of OTOP products will also be held as part of the event with an international panel of judges from member countries and representatives of countries submitting collections for display

PCI has nominated Mr R D Binani as Commissioner for India his address 33-B Rowland Road Kolkata 700 020 E mail binanipmgmailcom Mob9830073058

INDONESIA 2012 WORLD STAMP CHAMPIONSHIP

INDONESIA 2012 International Philatelic exhibition will be held under the patronage of FIP from 18 to 24 June 2012 at Jakarta Convention Center The exhibition will be known as INDONESIA 2012 WORLD STAMP CHAMPIONSHIP Mr S Sahoo is National Commissioner for India His address is - D-3 BJB Nagar Bhubaneshwar 751 014 Email sahadevasyahoocom

Stamp and Coin Exhibitions in India

KOTTAYAM NUPEX 2012 The Kottayam Philatelic amp Numismatic Society will be conducting an exhibition for stamps coins amp currencies on May 1112 amp 13 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the First stamp exhibition held in Travancore ( Kerala) at YMCA KOTTAYAM (1937) VENUE KPS MENON HALL ( NEAR PUBLIC LIBRARY) SASTRI ROADKOTTAYAM KERALA- 686001 (I KM FROM RAILWAY STATION) For more details Contact Sunil Joseph (09446124923) Atish Jain (09447756118)

3rd National Numismatic Exhibition - Hyderabad

18th May 2012 to 20th May 2012

Venue Maruti Gardens Convention Center

No 11-4-6691 Beside Om International Hotel Lakdi Ka Pool Hyderabad

Organizer Marudhar Arts 114 (F6) 1st Floor 120 Pamadi Chambers Dr D V G Road Basavangudi

(Gandhi Bazar)Bangalore 560 004 (INDIA) Phone +91-80-6532-9800 Mobile +-91-0-9243145999 Fax +91-80-2661-9800 email- infomaruphilaquecom

British North America Philatelic Society (BNAPS) Youth Philatelic Essay

Contest Announced

The British North America Philatelic Society (BNAPS) is having an philatelic essay contest for young people ages 6 ndash 18

According to an press release the group sent out Stamp as well as cash prizes will be awarded Teachers scout and stamp club leaders as well as any adult who works with youth and the stamp collecting hobby are invited to share the contest information

It goes on to say Youth are asked to find one or more stamps that are a meaningful symbol of their country Examples include flags monuments and other objects of historical significance The stamp(s) will be affixed to the page along with an essay of less than 250 words The written article should explain why the (flag monument historical item) is an important symbol for their country The essays may be handwritten or typed double space is preferred The essay must be the original thoughts of the entrant

Prizes will be awarded by age group 6 ndash 8 9 ndash 11 12 ndash 14 15 ndash 18 Monetary awards of $25 $10 and $5 will be awarded respectively to first second and third place winners in each age group Winners will also receive a philatelic prize The first 100 entries will receive a free packet of stamps Only one entry per child Each entry should include the name of the child complete mailing address age as of January 1 2012 and a brief description of their collecting interest

Entries may be submitted electronically to nrdyercomcastnet or by mail to Bob Dyer 1708 Granada Court Petaluma CA 94954 (A photocopy may be sent ndash color preferred)

The entries become the property of the British North America Society and will not be returned BNAPS reserves the right to publish entries on its website

The contest is open to youth of any country Deadline for contest entries to be received is May 15 2012 Direct any questions to Bob Dyer

To visit the British North America Philatelic Society (BNAPS) website click here

Auction

ITS Postal Auction No56 ndash Last Date 12052012

For details please visit httpitsstampnewsblogspotcom OR ITS at httpindianthematicstampswebscom

Indian Thematic Society Registered with the Registrar for Societies in India Chapter of American Topical Association USA MIG 3464 Phase Two Dugri Rd Ludhiana - 141 013 Phone +91 161 2521244 Mobile +91 98728 51244

httpindianthematicstampswebscom OR httpitsstampnewsblogspotcom E mails indianthematicsocietygmailcom OR surajjaitlyhotmailcom

Philatelic Exhibition on Monuments by ASIhellip

Archeological Survey of India (ASI) is organising a Stamp Exhibition on Indian Monuments Museums Paintings and other historical items on philately The Subject of the Exhibit may include Indian Cultural Heritage Monuments Museums Coins Antiquities and other related stamp and material telling a story about India and its culture This exhibition will be a part of 150 years of ASI in India The venue for the exhibition is Red Fort New Delhi and will be there for 2 months It will be inaugurated by the Minister on 15th May 2012 20 frame exhibit is given by India Post and about 20 frames by Indian Philatelists Only select exhibits will be displayed in this exhibition Exhibitors will be given a certificate of Appreciation by minister And may be supported with a memento

Interested philatelists may kindly contact Mr Ajay Mittal on phone or email at an earliest possible for further details

- Ajay Kumar Mittal Mobile 9811032311 9311332311

Email ajaykshitizcom ajaymittal1957gmailcom

News from Clubs and societies

Seminar on Promotion of Thematic Philately

Ludhiana Philatelic Club Philatelic Congress of Punjab in collaboration with Deptt of Posts organized a Seminar on Promotion of Thematic Philately Stamp Exhibition and Stamp Bazaar on 21-22nd April 2021 at Lions Bhawan Ludhiana The Seminar was inaugurated by Sh Charanjit Singh Atwal Speaker Punjab

Legislative Assembly He was accompanied by Sh Surinder Singh Namdhari Parmukh Namdhari Darbar and Direrctor Apollo Hospital Ludhiana

Over 150 students drawn from 10 schools participated in the Seminar The seminar focused on the use of theme-based stamps and use of stamps as teaching aids The Seminar was conducted by Mr Vinod Sabharwal and Madhukar Jhingan from New Delhi Mr Naresh Pahwa from Jalandhar (He also presented the presentation of Jeevan Jyoti of Rainbow Stamps Kullu Himachal Pradesh who could not make it due to her preoccupation) and Dr S K Sondhi of Ludhiana They covered the various aspects of promoting thematic philately as well use of stamps in class rooms

A Stamp Bazaar was also organized on this occasion in which about 10 dealers from various parts of the country participated A ldquoSpot Stamps Auctionrdquo was also held This was conducted by Sh A R C Shah of New Delhi Professional philatelists competed fiercely to outbid each other 24 lots were auctioned on this occasion

Interview

In this issue meet with Mr Mainak Kathiara Presiden of Gujarat PhilatelistsrsquoAssociation

Mr Mainak is a renowned philatelist from Ahmedabad and known for designing some very

exquisite special covers on special occasions which have always been highly appreciated

by thematic philatelists He brought out a Tsunami cover in 2005 which were charity covers

in nature-Rs 10 out of the sale proceeds of each cover were donated to Prime Ministerrsquos

National Relief Fund That was a novel idea used by Mr Mainak Kathiiara in philatelyMr

Kathiara came into philatelic field in 2004when he visited GPO Ahmedabad for the first

time at the age of 42 Since then he started collecting items of Post Independence era Now

he has collected lot of philatelic items on different themes he wishes to convert them into

exhibits in coming years Itrsquos a great pleasure to publish his interview in this issue taken by

our esteemed writer Mr Naresh Agarwal He shares here his views on different aspects of

Philatelyhelliphellip ndash Editor

Mr Mainak Kathaira is a well known name in the field of philately in India as he has cemented his place in the big names of philately by virtue of the speedy and positive changes and actions taken by him for promotion of philately in last 56 years after he became president of Gujarat Philatelic Association Mr Mainak Kathiara a businessman engaged in wholesale textile trade is a late comer to the field of philately though his father was a serious collector Though he has various thematic collections but his main interest is India Post Independence He believes in creation and promotion and there he gives his whole devotion He is known for pioneering creation of special designer covers and cards in Gujarat and their promotion by sales He has in his credit various stamp shows especially ldquoFestival of Stampsrdquo and various covers cards and booklets As a very close observer of happening in the field of philately in India his valued opinions will certainly help philatelic fraternity in giving direction to philately in India Mr Mainak Kathiara may be contacted at email mainak61yahoocom

Interview with Mainak Kathiara

1 How do you feel about your connectivity with philately and how strong is your bond with it Philately has opened a new horizon for me It has been a platform to make new friends and to travel to various exhibitions being organized It is fun all the way Interaction with philatelic friends helps in many ways apart from philately Strong connectivity is there and the bond is of warmth Gujarat is lucky to have 4 good CPMGs in recent past in the form of Ms Radhika Doraiswamy Ms Vijayalakshmi Sheth Mrs Karuna Pillai and MsHumera Ahmed They always supported philately and whenever a new idea was suggested they readily accepted it in true spirit Good gesture from the staff of Gujarat Postal Circle has also helped in promoting philately My sincere thanks to all I would consider myself lucky in meeting so many good people during my 8 years in philately This connectivity and bonding has helped GPA and me to be very active in promoting philately

Naresh Agarwal with Mainak Kathiara at INDIPEX 2011

2 How did you enter the beautiful world of philately Some memories of your beginning on the path of philately My father was a stamp collector but I entered into the world of philately in 2004 My first purchase from the Ahmadabad philatelic bureau was the ms of Tarangini I was also impressed by the thematic issues of 2003 which were available at that time This was the starting of my journey into the beautiful world of philately Later on I correlated the collection of my father and started building various collections

3 India post has been conducting several philatelic exhibitions regularly of different levels What do you say about the results impacts and benefits or drawbacks of such exhibitions Results It will give recognition to the exhibiter and suggestions to improve his collection Impact Exhibitions give tremendous inspiration to new philatelists Accumulators may turn into philatelists and philatelists may be inspired to become an exhibitor Benefits Meeting fellow philatelists and looking at various collections will certainly inspire people to enhance their collections Collectors get a chance to exchange or buy their required items at the exhibitionsThe organizers are the backbone for any event and if they put a good effort and if the juries are impartial I dont see any drawbacks

4 Various dedicated philatelic societies have conducted several private philatelic shows in the recent past some which have been rated as highly successful whereas others became a matter of sorrow for exhibitors and visitors Looking into present scenario what do you feel about conducting private shows What are your suggestions for dos and donts I would say that the activity must go on Timing and details of the exhibition should be planned well (no overlapping of dates) so that more philatelists can come and participate In the long run the fittest will survive Private shows should try to get the assistance of India post

5 You are known for creating popularising and making a great philatelic market of special private covers with cancellations starting with Mahatma Gandhi theme What do you think about your contribution to this field and the future of such creations After my creation a lot of philatelists have jumped in Some make these covers for their satisfaction whereas others sell The creativity is on a roll I suppose the quantity would be limited and it will be absorbed by the market in due course My suggestion to the creators is to make quality products and sell at a reasonable rate Creativity is for personal satisfaction Future of these creations will depend on its acceptability into ones exhibit amp market fancy

GPA came out with Tsunami covers in 2005 which were charity covers in nature-Rs 10 out of the sale proceeds of each cover were donated to Prime Ministers National Relief Fund

Two meter franking covers of Gandhiji was a new idea and was an enormous success Swarnim Gujarat booklets were issued in 2010 to mark 50 years of Gujarat state GPA paid Rs 60000 as a royalty to DOPNever has an association paid such a big amount to get permission

The proposal of the Govt of Gujarat for issuing a stamp on 50 years of Gujarat was not granted Hence to commemorate this event we at GPA brought out these booklets

6 Judging exhibits is the most thankless job for jury and is condemned most of the times Judging in private shows is always considered partial and influenced Is it true If so what do you suggest Judging an exhibit is indeed a thankless job They are humans and at times there can be an error of judgment Biased judging should not be accepted Young juries should be incorporated in India and they should be free from any negativity Jury should have the time and will to suggest positive and negative aspects of the collector in front of his frame Detailed mark sheets should be given and suggestions to improve should be highlighted Then only the quality of exhibits will improve The jury can make or mar a collector-their role is very crucial-they should be transparent and judge without any bias They should

upgrade themselves Of late the respect of juries in India is on the downside which they should earn by judging impartially(without apun ka aadmi attitude)

7 Are you satisfied with the working of philatelic advisory committee If not your findings and suggestions I was told that PAC is a dignified body with 43 members but only 3 are from philatelic field I would like to suggest a few things Not more than 30 stamp issues should be taken out annually Major emphasis should be on the thematicsstamps of regional leaders and personalities have no value in international philately Symmetry should be maintained for FDC MS cancellations etc Rs 25 stamp should be issued in place of Rs 20 as it is the international postage and ONE INDIA ONE RATE for speed post Brochures are important as they tell the details of the stamp but the collectors neglect it Mandatory insertion of brochure with FDC would help in promoting philately No FDC should be sold without a brochureOf course at a price Yearly plans of stamp release should be strictly adhered to Ministry should support this and not make a confusion regarding the release date once it is finalized Standard of packaging should be drastically improved Stamps are brand ambassador of our country and hence they should be showcased well Transparency among the issuing authority and PAC should be there and more new faces (preferably young) with creative ideas from the philatelic fraternity should be incorporated in the working of the PAC Meetings should be held regularly to incorporate new ideas and take feedback of the items issued Meetings should be held as a creative activity and not as a formality

8 Do you think that PCI the apex body representing philatelists in India at all platforms is working satisfactorily If not why and what should be done to check it improve and make it more efficient PCI Individually Marvel Collectively Directionless Individually they are all stalwarts in philately as well as their work and business Collectively they have lost the direction and momentum to promote and upgrade philately in India They should rise above their individual interests and do some constructive work in developing philately in India People at helm at PCI know what to do but the willingness to do is still not there on their agenda Voice of philatelists across India say lsquoWAKE UPrsquo before it is too late You are the trusties of philatelists of India and you should understand your powers and responsibility Come out of your preconceived notions and take suggestions of other groups at their face value Further PCI also needs to persuade postal officials at top to

think and act in better interest of Indian philatelists in general and need to have better say and standing with them in decision and policy making related to postal stamps operation of Philatelic bureausholding exhibitions and even disbursement of funds in this regardif possible

Why was Philapost discontinued It is still a question Now the egos between the two different

parties need to be buried I think the other group has no problem if the people at helm do some creative work provide transparency and make PCI a powerful and respectable body representing India

9 Professional philatelist is an established term in philately but commercial philatelist is the new term emerging in the philatelic scene in India where we find there is hardly any true philatelist All philatelists are turning into philatelic traders dealers and professionals in one way How do you see the future of philately in India with such changing behaviors and thinking of philatelists

I definitely see a positive trend New people are entering this hobby amp that only will take philately to newer heights I see no harm in the rise of commercial philatelists Once investor trader dealer philatelist have tasted some profit he will not quit philately Investors of today may turn into philatelist tomorrow The new commercial philatelists are more computer savvy amp have better financeconnectivity than the traditional dealers If the new commercial philatelist can create (4 As) ie awareness accessibility affordability amp availability India is a very big market and they are sure to stay Times changelot of new items are issuedold items are getting uneartheditems are getting expensivethere is a limit about ones financethanks to the internet Looking to all this philatelist is motivated to upgrade himself to be connected in the hobby With the changing time he is induced to sell his extra material and use the money to buy the missing items for his collection Still today selling by a philatelist is considered a taboo and is looked down by fellow philatelist I see no harm if a collector sells his extra items or the material which he is not collecting This will help the fellow collectors to get the material they are searching for their collection One has to be practical and change with the time

10 Tell us something about philatelic journalism in India How do you rate various e-bulletins being issuedpublished today in India E-bulletins have created tremendous awareness It is information at fingertip It is the need of the hour and flavour of this era Print bulletins take a long time to get published and its distribution is costly and time consuming Information through e-bulletin spread very fast and can be seen world over Only thing the print bulletin can do to survive is to bring out some research articles A print bulletin preferably a bi monthly of international standard should be started by India post like Phila PostWe are surprised why this is not happening when there is so much talent amp resources within the country Last few years have been good for philatelic journalism New writers have emerged amp news updates have become handy Thanks to Mobile philately Stamps of India Rainbow Stamp Club Se-tenant stamps of India Indian Stamp Ghar etcThanks to independent blogs and websites who put something new amp interesting to sustain the hobby

11 With the invent of technology like internet causing promotion and usage of e-mail and other e-services how do you see the future of philately Your suggestion for promotion of philately in India I see very bright future Technology has sustained amp spread the hobby bringing in many new philatelists into the arena One can refer to my article ltPromotion of Philately--a different perspectivegt which was published in Phila Post and in Rainbow Stamp Club

12 Your appeal to philatelists of India as an individual societies of India as a group of philatelists Philately is a creative hobby amp my experience says that in the long run a philatelist is never a loser For being successful ones aim should be focused on the subjects which he can complete One should buy selectively A collectorrsquos motto should be get the knowledge share the knowledge amp spread the knowledge He should read amp interact with knowledgeable philatelists As an individual one should not be afraid to experiment his creative ideas I would suggest an individual to be more focused on the subject area amp donrsquot get involved in petty politics Remember philately as a hobby should be a stress reliever and you have to enjoy this fascinating hobby It would be great for any society if more members take interest in its functioning (rather than 1 or 2 in many associations)Philatelic societies should strive hard to get young members in their area This will expand the

base amp sustainability of philately Lot of constructive activities can be done under the banner of a philately clubsociety GPA was instrumental in proposing the name of some young philatelists as apprentice jury in stamp exhibitions and has also honoured senior philatelistsdealers during Festival of Stamps 2009These gestures of GPA amp various other societies will set a platform for young amp deserving persons to take charge of philately of India in future It is a privilege to serve as president of Gujarat Philatelists Association from 2006I am grateful to all the members who supported me and helped GPA to do good work in promoting philately

From the Desk of Naresh Agarwal

PRESENT PHILATELIC SCENERIO OF INDIA

( A QUICK REVIEW OF RECENT PAST PRESENT AND NEAR FUTURE )

Some people say that philately in India is prospering and progressing where as a good lot of people are worried about the direction in which the philately of India is moving Really it is a matter of serious concern to see where exactly the philately in India heading What exactly is happening in the philatelic field of India What is the future of philately in India Are all the activities which are going on in this field really good for the philatelists or are detrimental for the development of this hobby Apparently if we see the things look very bright and pleasant as we see there are regular issues of postal commemorative stamps SSrsquos MSsrsquo Stamp sheet lets different covers cancellations postal stationery at one stage Secondly for promotion of philately regularly postal shows and exhibitions are being held at one or the other places in India Thirdly India post has introduced new and innovative philatelic material like My Stamp Stamps with special covers Carried covers Customized Covers etc and above all last year organizing the World Philatelic Show INDEPEX2011 in Delhi Looking in to all this one can not have an inch of doubt that philately is at its best in India today Letrsquos critically analyze the present situation looking in to its short and long term effects while closely discussing the present scenario in its real sense taking up issues one by one MALFUNCTIONING OF PHILATELIC BUREAUS

As many as fifty nine philatelic bureaus are there in selected cities of India which have been opened in view to cater the philatelists by regular supply of the Indian postal stamps and other material which is issued for this purpose A few of the bureaus are certainly functioning well as those have trained and dedicated staff and also have good quantity of material at their disposal to serve and fulfill all the requirements of the membersaccount holders and also for those who are not members But there are also some bureaus which functions very badly as those have improper set up lack regular or trained staff who donrsquot have the will to serve or else they are overburdened with other jobs delayed service poor interaction with philatelists etc and at some places the staff wishes to serve philatelic dealers and not the collectors Complaints are on table for the big bureaus too like Delhi Patna and Mumbai also All in all most of the philatelic bureaus do not serve the purpose truly for which those have been opened

ISSUANCE OF INNOVATIVE PHILATELIC PRODUCTS

India post has come up with various new innovative philatelic products During Indepex 2011 Chinar 2011 and other regional shows we saw My stamp Special covers Carried covers etc Also lots of collectors are seen coming up with designer products created by them in form of maximum cards special covers private booklets etc Certainly a new dimension and direction to philately This has now created a community of new generation stamp collectors who love such creations and add flavor to philately But when it comes to exhibiting such creation like covers booklets maximum cards combination covers designer vignettes on covers are not appreciable at all In fact there is a conflict between collection and exhibiting There is certain joy in collection but joy of getting award is also there in mind The present scenario has thus demoralized the new generation collectors who are required to be educated about the exhibiting requirements They need to make understand the difference between collecting and exhibiting So to do that which gives them joy NUMBER OF SPECIAL COVERS TO BE ISSUED

It is good that there is good craze of special covers being issued directly by India post or by private societies organization under authorization from India Post as these covers serve collectors with different themes subjects reflected on these It is seen that the deposit amount or the charges for these have been increased tremendously by deptt ie Rs 1000000 for 500 covers This is certainly very high These covers so creates a scarcity looking in to the demand and so their price become very high It is felt that the number of covers to issued should be increased and numbered too so that these are made available to a good number of aspirants and also at a cheaper price It is suggested that a printing of minimum 3000 covers should be made compulsory QUALITY OF SPECIAL COVERS

In the recently concluded various regional and distt level shows there were good number of special covers issued by the department The themes selected for these covers have been found very attractive and welcomed by the community of thematic collectors but it is seen that the quality of the cancellations is very poor On such occasions normally pictorial cancellations are issued as these are desired too to serve most of the philatelists looking for special cancellations But we have seen that most of these are text cancellations which do not have good thematic value Since most of the special covers issued are not commercially used pictorial cancellations have importance from the philatelic point of view Special covers do have made an impact but some of these are made by glossy paper which is not desired as it does not help soaking and drying the ink of cancellation Apart from this the most amazing fact is the poor quality of cancellation in spite of availability of good cancellation making material technology and ink The cancellations issued during this period have been found very poor as their text has been found illegible or hard to read picture if any hard to identify due to poor making and poor imprinting application and bad cancellation ink There are a few very good cancellations too such as WWF cancellations and covers issued from Delhi and Gir Forest from Gujrat etc In general covers and cancellations both issued during private exhibitions have been found far better in all the terms Covers and cancellations issued during Dak Ticket Mitan-2009 has also been found very good in quality and subject matter In all there is a great need to think over quantity and quality of both cover and cancellation looking in to cover design paper cancellation design application of cancellation etc as special covers are gems of philately and add colors to onersquos exhibit LACK OF PHILATELIC AWARENESS

There have been numerous philatelic exhibitions issuance of various philatelic products like stamps covers cancellations stationery etc which showed the willingness of the deptt to promote philately In other words to make people aware of philately and philatelic products In general there has been poor

attendance at those shows specially of the children and students Which has proved and professed the need of awareness among the students and children Special campaigns in India are required before any show is organized Publicity and philatelic workshops in schools and other platforms is essential and needs to conducted on regular basis The lack of awareness is not only proved by the poor attendance and poor quality of exhibits in these shows too PRIVATE BOOKLETS VS AUTHORISED BOOKLETS

Deptt has been issuing booklets for last many years Booklet covers do have philatelic value as these are duly acknowledged and appreciated for display in philatelic exhibitions We have seen private booklets being issued by various persons and societies on regular basis with new and innovative concepts of topics pictures and printing techniques These are welcomed But most of the buyers who purchase these for the purpose of displaying these in some exhibition do not know that private booklets are not allowed in shows These booklets are being sold at very high prices too Here it is not the deptt but we the philatelists or the dealers cheat ourselves If this is only for pleasure there is no problem it is appreciable otherwise it should be condemned or banned We have also seen that the booklets have design faults There is need to check all aspects of booklet design prior to its release MAXIMUM CARDS PICTURE POST CARDS

Like other philatelic items Maximum cards too have attracted philatelists and also because Maximaphily is gaining popularity maximum cards are in great demand The newer generation of philatelists in India have fallen in love with this branch of philately as it gives wings to their dreams and span to their innovations and color to their creations Maximaphily is truly expanding in India Though India post has come up with very limited numbers of maximum cards but there are thousand of innovative card available India privately designed by philatelic enthusiasts Here one thing needs to be taken care of is that philatelists or the designers need to know the true definition and requirement of a maximum card We have seen many so called maximum cards are not MAXIMUM in totality MY STAMP

Indepex2011 saw issuance of various innovative philatelic stuffs by India post such as MY STAMP a truly fascinating and a memorable philatelic item which gave the person to tag his or any picture he liked with specified stamps selected by India post The initial price of the sheet of 10 stamps of 5 Rs denomination was Rs 15000This price was welcomed by one and all No one ever objected to it looking in to the fact that this was a new concept and needed addition cost by India post in view of extra equipments and team of skilled workers to prepare and post it Even the postage too was free It was expected that the MY STAMP concept would be used in the future shows and that happened too In various regional shows in the few months saw issuance of my stamps but at double even more then the three times cost of it inaugural issue Though philatelic fraternity bought it with zeal and zest but also cursed the deptt for exploiting their sentiments by such exorbitant pricing This is not a right practice Prices were supposed to be decreased But deptt has now started behaving like private business organization which has an ultimate goal of earning money Further to this some of the dealers have procured a good lot of MY STAMPS issued during various such shows and later sold those coversstamp sheets at very high premium at the tune of Rs 1000- per coversheet This practice is detrimental to the development of philately This reflects the attitude and thinking of the think tank and planners of the India Post STAMP SHEET- LETS

In the last few years stamp sheet lets have been issued in abundance and also these are getting popularity as sheet lets give new look to the stamps and their display Though the sheet lets have their own impact but it has been seen that their quality has been quite poor FIRST DAY COVERS

There are good number of stamps issued during the last years and so the first day covers with cancellations Some where the cancellations have been sized and designed very well looking in to the beauty of the cover and some where these have been so bad that whole beauty of the covers is maligned Some designs are so beautiful where as some where there is no design only date stamps Where as First

day cancellations are supposed to be pictorial and with latest technology available these should be sharp compact clear and fine In certain cases we have seen due to pre issue or post issue dates the covers have been cancelled in the same datefashion Though it has created interest but not a good practice for India Post CHAGRES FOR PERMISSION FOR SPECIAL COVERS

The charges for permission for issuance of special covers has been raised to Rs 1000000 which is very high and plays a negative role in promotion of philately Looking in the higher charges various organizations during their events fail to or withdraw themselves from releasing any special cover and cancellation Hence philatelists looking for such covers are deprived of getting some new element material for their collection There is an urgent need to reduce the same BLACK MARKETTING OF POSTAL MATERIAL

The last year has seen bulk purchase storage and sale of philatelic material by so called philatelists or philatelic traders or philatelic dealers This bulk procurement of stamps sheets covers by them and sale at premium later is not a welcome step for promotion of philately This has in fact done commercialization of philately amp has created an atmosphere where philately is being looked as a trade and not a hobby Urgent need to take stringent steps TOO MUCH OF EXHIBITIONS

It is highly appreciable step of India post to organize 100+ stamp shows at Distt and Regional Circle Level to promote philately in a span of 6 months with overlapping dates Late in the financial year 2011-2012 the national headquarters of India Post released funds sanctioned by Government of India under the 11th Five year Plan that ends on March 31 2012 to all its Circles for philatelic activities These funds would have lapsed otherwise on March 31 2012 This only appears to be the chief reason for holding 100+ philatelic exhibitions by India Post at state region and district level in a short span of 6 months instead of the usual 60 months Truly there is no advantage in asking a rhetoric question ndash who did these exhibitions really benefit It is hoped that one day India Post will figure it out for itself that exhibitions even at local level need thorough work exercise and need inputs from the various sets of people stamp dealers judges experts before finalizing the dates and chalking out the program This all has caused poor quality shows with low attendance of dealers public and philatelists And also the displays were of very poor quality Hence the very purpose defeated badly E-SERVICES

Certainly there has been betterment in e-services provided by India post Electronic mail associated with surface mail is providing better service to the country public in general But philatelic use of e-mails and e-post has not yet been explored in India the way it should have been It is felt that some innovative stationery products like pictorial telegrams forms and sheets Airgraph service sheets and forms etc are to be designed for this service which may later become good philatelic elements so to see development in philately Otherwise also as the e-service is paving its way fast in the postal transmission some desired innovations are the demand of the time I MPROPER ISSUANCE OF STAMPS IMPROPER DATES POST PONEMENTS AND PREPONEMENTS The stamp program issued by India post has been found very uncertain during this period as various stamps issuance program have been either proponed or postponed but there is no stick control on release of stamps as at some offices stamps are pre issued and at some places these are not released in time In both the cases the genuine philatelists are harassed