Awesome: Look at my page rank !!

Looking at my blog's traffic(being a weirdo I am), I figured someone searched "omanthur ramaswamy reddy" in Google and got to my page where I posted about my FDC on "omanthur ramaswamy reddy". So, I tried it myself searching on Google and to my surprise my page was the first one on Google. Awesome, isnt it ?

More surprising is that: it has better ranking than "India Post" website and the wiki. What do you call that? hahaha...LOL...omg..

@Google guys: There is surely a bug in here !!



-Ahmed.

Guidelines for issue of Commemorative stamps from India Post

In this post, I am going to talk about the guidlines set by India post for itself in issuing commemorative stamps. Its a different matter that they dont really follow their own rules. In my next coming posst you will see how India post made mockery of these rules. Below, I am going to just re-iterate these rules given in "Handbook on Philately".

Rule 72

1. The subject of issue of stamp must be a theme of relevance to the nation, its policies and issues of concern.


2. Proposals should be taken up well in advance about two years before the proposed due date of issue along with full details to enable proper examination and obtaining recommendations of the Philatelic Advisory Committee.
   


3. A stamp on a living personality may not be issued.


4. The personalities on whom commemorative stamp may be issue should be of national or international importance. The occasion to be commemorated must be the birth centenary or 10th /25th /50th /100th death anniversary. To ensure objective assessment of the proposal no stamp will be issued sooner than ten years after individual's death; only exceptions made will be in the case of deceased heads of State.


5. Not more than one stamp may be issued on the same personality/monument/building/institution or organization.


6. A stamp on an institution, building, monument etc. may be issued on its centenary/125th anniversary /150th anniversary etc. The bulding, institution to be so honored must be Heritage Preservation site of national/international importance. Building of regional importance may be commemorated with issue of special cover with special cancellation.


7. Events of very important national or international character only may be considered for issue of the stamp. Events of regional significance may be commemorated through issue of a special cover with special cancellation.


8. Stamps may not be issued to honour commercial, political or sectarian organizations.


9. Stamps may not be issued to honour institutions or individuals whose main achievements are confined to the field of religion.


10. Stamps may not be issued to honour schools, colleges, libraries, hospitals, municipalities, cities or similar institution due to the limitation placed in the annual stamp issue programmer and the vast number of such things. It would be difficult to single out one for commemoration.


11. Out of the commemorative/special stamps issues every year, those on personalities should not normally exceed 25%. Further, at least 25% stamps every year should be on popular themes like flora and fauna, arts and culture etc. These stamps will be issued under the series "Heritage India" and "Nature India"

Do you want to recommend stamp on any personality/event/institution/organization etc. ??: Here is the proforma for the issue of Commemorative stamps.

FDC: Bhai Jeevan Singh

Date of release : 23 December 2010

Bhai Jeevan Singh was born on 13th December 1661 at Patna. It was turbulent time for Hindu religion. The Kashmiri pundits were under pressure to convert into Islam. They sought the protection of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji. On March to Delhi, Guru Teg Bahadur Ji along with his companions had been arrested and imprisoned in Delhi.

On 11th November 1675, in most gruesome and brutal manner, Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji was beheaded at Delhi and the rulers banned recovery of the body. Bhai Jeevan Singh was entrusted to protect and take the beheaded body to Anandpur. Bhai Sada Nand Ji, Bhai Jeevan Singh accomplished the task successfully. Bhai Jeevan Singh participated in military action alongside Guru Gobind Singh Ji. While fighting the Mugal Army at Garhi of Chamkaur, Bhai Jeevan Singh attained martyrdom on 23rd December 1704. [courtesy: India Post]

Stamp on "National Mathematics Day". Is it canceled ?

According to India Post Website http://www.indiapost.gov.in/netscape/philatelycalendar2010.htm , stamp on "National Mathematics Day" was to be issued on 21st Dec, 2010. But stamp was not released. I do not know what happened to this issue. I can not find information regarding this anywhere on the website (please comment if you have any further information) or on the inter net.

AN inquiry at the GPO did not help -- they just said, stamp has not arrived or might be canceled.

Any comments ??

FDC: New Delhi Crafts Museum

Issue Date: 21-12-2010

The Crafts Museum was established in 1956 as a resource centre for traditional Indian handicrafts and handlooms. The aim of the Museum is to preserve Indian art or ethnography and to build a collection of craft specimens. The Museum is housed in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi under aegis of Development Commissioner for Handlooms, Ministry of Textiles, and Government of India.

The Museum has a collection of 32000 artefacts. Research and Development has been a regular activity of the Crafts Museum. The Museum has completed 53 years of service in the field of handicrafts and handlooms and rendered yeoman service in the promotion of Indian heritage and culture.
[courtesy: India Post]

Crafts Museum Miniature Sheet

FDC: National Council of Education & Dr. Triguna Sen

Date of release : 24 December 2010

Dr. Triguna Sen was born on 24 December 1905 at Solhet (now part of Bangladesh) he was an eminent educationist ardent freedom fighter able administrator and good parliamentarian. He was instrumental in establishing Jadavpur University at Kolkatta. He was elected President Alumni Association of National Council of Education Bengal, Jadavpur University. He was also Union Minister for education and Minister for Petroleum for brief spell. He passed away on 11th January 1998. [courtesy: India Post]

FDC: Yashwantrao Balwantrao Chavan

Date of release : 22 December 2010

Shri Yashwant Rao Balwant Rao Chavan was born on 12 March 1913 in the village of Devarashtra in Satara District of Maharasthra. Shri Y.B. Chavan actively participated in the freedom movement and widely acknowledged as the architect of modern Maharashtra. He was Union Minister and held important portfolios. For a brief period he also held the offices of Deputy Prime Minister.

A freedom fighter that cherished the values of democracy, socialism and secularism, passed away on 25 November 1984.
[courtesy: India Post]

FDC: Bhausaheb Hiray

Date of release : 22 December 2010

Bhausaheb Hiray was born on 1st March 1905 at Nimgaon, in Nasik district. He took active part in the social work of Sathyashodak movement launched by Mahatma Jyotiba Phule. He also took part in the freedom struggle. He held a firm conviction that only good education can root out poverty. His role in cooperative movement, imparting good education, tribal movement, launching of Koyna Dam project were truly commendable. He passed away on 6th November 1961.

What is a Max card ?

Max card (or Maximum card) is arguably the most beautiful philatelic item to have. The hobby of collecting max card is called Maximaphely. It is one of the eleven recognized classifications of philately. Max cards are very attractive because of beutiful illustrations on the post cards.

Max card consist of the following three components.
1. The postage Stamp
2. The picture post card
3. The postmark or the cancellation

These three above elements are joined together (with close visual relation) in a fascinating way to create a max card.









The above three elements of Max cards should confirm to the following characteristics.

Postage Stamp: A valid postage stamp should be affixed only on the view side of the picture postcard. Only one postage stamp should be affixed. However, when the subject is spread out on several se-tenant stamps making a panorama, the set can appear on a single postcard.

The picture postcard: Its size must confirm to the UPC regulations. However other sizes are allowed provided their size allows them to be laid out on a A4 sheet at a rate of two per sheet. Out of respect for its designer, it is strictly prohibited to reduce the size of the postcard by cutting it.

The picture must offer best possible concordance (visual) with the subject of the postage stamp. Full reproduction of the image on the stamp is prohibited. The picture must emphasize the subject of the postage stamp. The postcards available on the market are acceptable as they are. My interpretation is that, It is acceptable if you print postcards using computer if you are not able to get relevant postcard from the market (this is usually the case in India). Margins or text relevant to the subject is acceptable. The picture should be at least 70% of the space on the view side. Postcards with multiple pictures as well as holograms are prohibited.

The cancellation or postmark: The pictorial design or the text of the cancellaiton as well as the place of cancellation should have a connection with the subject of the postage stamp and of the postcard. The closer the connection between the subject and the picture /text of pictorial cancellation, the better is the concordance. The ordinary cancellation without illustration is valid provided that the concordance of the place is respected. The cancellation should be carried out within the period of validity of the stamp and as close as possible to the date of issue. The closer the date is, the better the max card is.

The concordance of the place requires a connection between the name of the place or locality written on the postmark and the postage stamp.

• For monuments , landscapes and sites there is only one place that gives the required concordance. It is the one where the monument, the landscape or the site is located.
• When the subject is a personality, the cancellation should be made in a place in connection with an event which concerns him/or her: birth, death, burial, work or aspect of his/her activity, posthumous homage etc. When the postage stamp commemorates explicitly one of these events, cancellation of the place where it happened is better.
• In the case where the postage stamp commemorates an event, the cancellation should be made in a place related to it.
• When the postage stamp shows for instance a plane, a train or a ship, the cancellation should be made in a place where there is an airport, a railway station, a port or an on-board post office related to the subject.
• The maximum cards showing sporting activities are better if they are cancelled in places where these sports are practiced.
• The maximum cards showing works of art such as paintings, sculptures, mosaics, enamels, leaded glass windows, frescoes, tapestries, and, generally, all objects in museums or collections, should be cancelled either in the place where they are to be found, or in the place where they were created. Cancellations of other places are allowed on the occasion of local exhibitions and other events if they are in connection with the work (signature or portrait of the artist, portrait of the model etc.).
• In case of postage stamps showing subjects located in a country other than the issuing one, the above-mentioned dispensation applies to personalities and to themes related to cosmos. The cancellation should be from a locality of the stamp-issuing country where an event related to the purpose of the issue has been organized.
• When the postage stamp commemorates an event or shows a landscape or a monument of another country, the realization of maximum cards is impossible as there is a total lack of concordance of place.

Let me know if you have any doubts on this. You can look at FIP regulations on creating max cards here : http://www.maximaphily.info/Articles/Regulations/MXLY%20regulations%20approved%20in%20Malaga%20conference.%20English%20version.pdf

-Ahmed.

My first set of Max Cards

Here are my first set of Max cards I have created last week. I know the quality of the pics are not so good because I have taken the picture using my mobile (not the scanned copies, as I do not have access to a scanner as of now)







All the above max cards are canceled at Hyderabad GPO.

My self-assessment of these cards.
Co-ordination between stamp and subject: 8/10
Cancellation: 5/10 (not so great looking of-course)
Place cancellation: 10/10 (Rajashekhar Reddy was CM of AP and worked in Hyd for long time; sparrow and pegion can be found in almost any part of our country).
Pictorial cancellation: 0/10
Cancellation Date (18/12/2010) : 6/10 {because stamps were released long back in 2010)

Overall: 6/10 (Pretty good for the first timer I guess).


Still wondering what is a Max card ? http://www.maximaphily.info/

Love to see your comments.

-Ahmed.

Philatelic Bureau Postal Department, Post office, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh (From Youtube)

Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO9K6nm4ub8
Thanks to who-ever posted this on you tube.

-Ahmed.

FDC – India – Mexico Joint Issue

This joint issue was released on 13th Dec, 2010. The stamps or miniature sheet was not available on the issue date. Though I got the stamps and miniature sheet on my 18th Dec visit. But, unfortunately our own Hyderabad GPO still does not have the FDC.

If the GPO at least provides the stamps on the given issue date, we could have prepared our own private FDC. This shows how much our philatelic Department in Hyd GPO cares for its philatelists in Hyd.

Minature Sheet (From India)


Minature Sheet (From Mexico)

Pics: Hyderabad GPO Visit

FDC: Indian Postage Stamps: Princely States

Date: 06-10-2010
On October 6, India's Department of Posts released a set of four stamps on "Princely States of India" to highlight the upcoming INDIPEX 2011, the World Philatelic Exhibition, to be held February 12 to 18, 2011, in New Delhi. This set of four commemorative postage stamps depicts rare stamps issued by the Princely States - Sirmoor, Indore, Bamra and Cochin.

Before India's independence, there were as many as 568 states in India. The states ceased to exist after independence. Only about forty states of these states issued postage stamps to symbolize their sovereign status. The stamps issued by the states carried the portraits of the kings and princes, regal insignia or symbols. The stamps were printed using a variety of methods and colors, and sometimes overprinted.

This is the second set of the series showcasing the rich heritage of India Post to the world. The first set of six stamps, released on May 12, 2010, depicted Heritage Postal Buildings in Delhi, Shimla, Udagmandalm, Coochbehar, Nagpur and Lucknow.

The Princely States of India commemorative postage stamps and the related First Day Cover were designed by Sh. Kamleshwar Singh.

FDC: Kranti Tridevi

Date: 29-10-2010

First Day Cover – Kranti Trivedi – By India Post

Kranti Trivedi was one of the most prolific Hindi language writers of the past century, author of over 30 Hindi titles.Kranti Trivedi was born in 1932 in Raipur(M.P.), India. Her father was noted Indian freedom fighter and first chief minister of Madhya Pradesh (then known as Madhya Bharat), Pt. Ravi Shankar Shukla. She was the youngest of 12 children.

Date Of Issue:-29.10.2010.

(Courtesy India Post)

FDC: Omanthur P ramaswamy Reddiar

Date: 25-08-2010

Omandur Ramasamy Reddiar (1895 – 1970) was an Indian freedom-fighter and politician of the Indian National Congress. He served as the Premier of Madras Presidency from March 23, 1947 to April 6, 1949.

Omandur Ramaswamy Reddiyar was born in 1895 in the village of Omandur near Tindivanam in the then South Arcot district of Madras Presidency. He belonged to a Telugu Reddy family domiciled in the Tamil country. He had his schooling at Walter Scudder school and entered the Indian independence movement at an early age. Ramaswamy Reddiar was a devotee of Sri Ramana Maharshi

Ramaswamy Reddiyar became the Chief Minister or Premier of Madras on March 23, 1947 and was in power till April 6, 1949. During his tenure, the Madras Temple Entry Authorization Act 1947 was passed This act was intended to give Dalits and other prohibited Hindus full and complete rights to enter Hindu temples.This was approved by the Governor on May 11, 1947 and passed as Madras Act 5 of 1947.The Devadasi Dedication Abolition Act of 1947 put an end to the devadasi system that was in vogue in many Hindu temples.

It was during Reddiyar's tenure that India achieved independence from the United Kingdom.Soon after independence and partition of India, there was a shortage of food grains, especially rice, in the province.In 1948, Reddiyar ordered the purchase of a de Havilland Dove, the first aeroplane to be owned by the Government of Madras.

FDC: Prafulla Chandra Chaki

Date: 11-12-2010
Prafulla Chandra Chaki was born on December 11, 1888 in the Bihar village of Bagra District now in Bangladesh. He was a freedom fighter and a revolutionary. The British Government wanted him for his revolutionary activities. Being surrounded by the police, he shot himself in the head on 2nd May 1908. (-- Courtesy India Post)

FDC: Sri Sri Borda

Date: 06-12-2010

Sri Sri Borda Amarendranath Chakravarty popularly known as Sri Sri Borda was born on 21^st November 1911 at Himayetpur in Pabna District of Bengal province now in Bangladesh to Sri Sri Thakur Anukul Chandra and Jagat Janani Sri Sri Shorashibala Devi. His father was regarded as prophets by his follower. He established Satsang – the community of the lover of existence. He advocated that there is only one god and that every single being is the child of God.

Sri Sri Amarendranath Chakravarty was grew up and inherited legacy of his father. He was ascetic and saintly. He guided the movement of Satsang in a big way. Never running after name, fame and riches, he served the people wholeheartedly. He opened schools for the development of education. He established hospitals where free treatment was given to the poor.

He passed away on 5^th August 1994.

(Courtesy India Post)

My Hyderabad GPO Visit - 03/12/2010

Today three stamps on Tamil Musicians released.

1.Thiruvaduthurai T.N. Rajarathinam Pillai
2.Veenai Dhanammal
3.Thanjavur Balasaraswati

Can you guess how many other stamps were available in GPO?
None.

Yes, that is correct -- none of the other stamps were available. None of the FDC or any other philatelic material was available ( I was later told that, the staff at philatelic counter did this on purpose because three stamps were released. Absolutely ridiculous ). This is high time GPO starts thinking about providing better facilities.

-Ahmed.

FDC: Kamlapat Singhania

Date: 01-12-2010

Lala Kamlapat Singhania was born on 7^th November 1884. He was the founder of the JK Organisation. His business ventures included the manufacture of cotton yarn, cloth, ice, oil, hosiery, jute, sugar and iron & steel. He was a spiritual and patriotic person, and he was deeply influenced by the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi, Madan Mohan Malviya, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Motilal Nehru.

He had a deep interest in social affairs and affairs connected with the development of the society. He also promoted education and established Marwari College in Kanpur.

This visionary and the pioneer of the Indian industry passed away on 31^st May 1937.

(Courtesy India Post)

FDC: K A P Vishwanatham

Date: 10-11-2010

Shri K.A.P.Viswanatham was born on 10th November 1899 in Triruchirapalli District of Tamil Nadu.Out of his own efforts he learned Tamil literature. Shri K.A.P.Viswanatham was a social thinker and worked for the upliftment of downtrodden. Recognising his yeoman service to society and valuable contribution to Tamil literature, he was awarded a Doctorate by two universities and made a member in each of their senates.

Who am i ?

$whoami

I am Ahmed Shareef. I am from Hyderabad and work as a software engineer. I am collector of stamps of India, FDCs from India and all around the world. I also like to collect really posted FDCs and covers from outside India -- but I dont have any right now :p . Hopefully, I will make few friends from abroad and try to get covers from them. I have a special interest in Maximum cards -- I just created my first Max card with the help from some senior philatelists around.

I will try to put information about philatelic events in India so that other philatelist from outside could get access to that. I will also try put new released stamps and meniature sheets in here. Let me know if you want me to write on any specific topics.

-Ahmed.