PHILATELIST KALEIDOSCOPE

 

 

PHILATELIST KALEIDOSCOPE

by Dr Bibhudatta Mishra & Shanti Swarup Rath

"PHILATELIST KALEIDOSCOPE" by Dr Bibhudatta Mishra & Shanti Swarup Rath : Pages 160 :  Price - Rs 400.00 (hardbound ) and 350 (softbound) Published by Swarna Associates, Bhubaneswar : Book available with the Publisher Contact email : philakale14@gmail.com or swarna.associates@gmail.com

The book has 10 chapters touching thematic areas meant for youth collectors who are in collection of postage stamp but ignorant about the hobby. Beside the book will help general readers & students providing general knowledge

The first chapter Stamps collection-Rainbow of diversity focuses Introduction with short description about philately, First stamps of the world, UPU etc. In addition, outline the categories in philately, types of collectors, types of accumulator etc.

The second chapter’sCheapest mode of Communication-Popular postal stationary & services speaks notes on various postal heritage buildings with stamp images, Indian Postal services such as Money order, National savings scheme, Postal Life Insurance, India Post Freighter, Postal Index Number, Speed Post, Modern Postal System etc. Further, Postman and Types of Letter boxes, Types of postage stamps, Postal Stationery used in India were given with factual information.

The Third Chapter’s Amateur Collectors-Beginner’s Tip paid attentions on what to study in stamps, what to collects, cancellation & types of cancellation etc with example of postage stamp or symbols.

The Fourth Chapter begins with India Pride such as National symbol, National song, National Flag, National Bird, National Flower, National Fruit, National tree, National Sports, National Land animals and many more. An interesting depiction in this chapter is all the Bharat Ratna Awardee in two pages with postage stamps, Noble laureate, Param Vir Chakra, Magsaysay awardee, oldest newspaper, oldest observatory etc. All the unit and subunit of the chapter has list of stamps released by India Post on the same content. An unit of this chapter describe the Fascinating Indian Stamp Facts.

The Fifth Chapter has the description of Mahatma Gandhi-Father of the Nation. The chapter also presented with list of Miniature Sheet, Cancellation & se-tenant published by India Post on Gandhi.

The Sixth chapter focuses on Rastrapati Bhawan, Loksabha & Rajya Sabha, President & Prime ministers (Name sequentially with period in the position. The chapter decorated with all the stamps, se-tenant & miniature sheet.

The seventh chapter titled “Cruising the Magnificent jungle Safari-Wild, domestic and Aquatic Animals” presented with briefing about all the wild animals with postage stamps & stationery, Domestic animals & fish, sea shell, amphibians etc. The chapters end with brief about 10 National Parks on which postage stamp released.

The Eighth chapter comprised of “Wonders of Indian Birds-Sweeping the sky with tiny wings”describing all types of bird stamps such asdefinitive bird stamps, conservation in bird, raptors, Antarctica birds, Migratory birds and butterflies.

The ninth Chapter has the heading “ Valley of Calm Trees & Plants-Faded Petals from a beautiful Bouquet” presented beautifully all types of tree i.e large tree, flowering plants, Perfumed flower, medicinal flowering plant, medicinal plant, orchids, mangrove plants, Himalayan Flower etc. with scientific and local names of the plants.

The Final chapter endorsed “Voyage to enlightment-Spiritual, religious and Holy routes for Salvation” all the religions Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Jainism, Buddhism & Sikhism, pilgrimage places, festivals in stamps and their importance for human mankind.

The book completed with Bibliography & web sources from where reference were taken. Each chapter consist of Phila Quotes by famous personality with stamp images, Phila Facts, List of Miniature Sheet, Pictorial Cancellation, se-tenants, Sheet lets, Maxim card etc.

The 160 pages (hard & Soft bound) book published by Swarna Associates Publisher from Bhubaneswar is priced at Rs 400.00 (hard) and 350(soft). This handsome books feature more than 500 stamp images, souvenir sheet, maxim cards, booklet, postal stationery etc. The book has received an ISBN number. The publisher may be contacted for this book at E-mail: philakale14@gmail.com or swarna.associates@gmail.com

Recent Books on Philately

PHILATELIST KALEIDOSCOPE
by Dr Bibhudatta Mishra & Shanti Swarup Rath

"PHILATELIST KALEIDOSCOPE" by Dr Bibhudatta Mishra & Shanti Swarup Rath : Pages 160 :  Price - Rs 400.00 (hardbound ) and 350 (softbound) Published by Swarna Associates, Bhubaneswar : Book available with the Publisher Contact email : philakale14@gmail.com or swarna.associates@gmail.com

Philatelist Kaleidoscopes is an excellent book on postage stamps which reveals every aspect of philately in a very  interesting  and easy way . After going through this wonderful book  the reader falls in love with the world of stamps and understands the real meaning of tiny pieces of paper which are the treasure of knowledge. The authors have presented the book with some very  interesting chapters that attract a philatelist as well as  a general reader. The best part of the book is its style of narration of various  associated branches of philately and philatelic terminology with the help of images  in such a simple way that a reader can well understand the hobby and how to start it in a systematic way.

PHILCENT INDIA 2014 –15
by Prem Chand Jaiswal

Philcent India 2014 -15 Guide Book by Prem Chand Jaiswal published by Philcent Publications, Kolkata -  Pages 128 Price - Rs 500 (Post Free in India) , - $25 for all foreign countries inclusive of registered airmail bookpost & Packing – For more details Contact : philcent@rediffmail.com   Ph. 9831598560  ; 033 - 65294756 – Distributed by Madanchand Darda eamil – madanchandra@gmail.com  Ph. 7667730851

The recent Book PHILCENT INDIA 2014 – 15 by  renowned Professional Philatelist  of India Mr Prem Chand Jaiswal is a complete guide book to Indian Philately. The book includes main chapters on  British India, India Post Independence and  Indian Princely States. The book has covered all related topics of Indian Philately. Collectors would find this book very useful.  I recommend this book  to all philatelists and stamp lovers. This book will be an asset for the libraries of  Philatelic Societies and stamp Clubs.

Indian Antarctic Expedition Philatelist’s Guide
By Abhai Mishra

Indian Antarctic Expedition Philatelist’s Guide By Abhai Mishra - Pages 116 - Price For India  Rs. 1500/- postpaid. For foreign via paypal 50 euro postpaid Available at  : www.stampsofindia.com or contact Abhai Mishra  email : abhai_mishra@rediffmail.com

 A book titled "Indian Antarctic Expedition-Philatelist's Guide" by noted philatelist, Mr Abhai Mishra was recently released in Dehradun. The book traces the history of Indian Antarctic Expeditions through mails and letters carried with the expedition. It documents the Indian Antarctic postal history through cancellations, cachets, labels, envelopes, letter  heads, QSL cards, postcards used during the expedition. The book reveals very rare and lesser known facts of Antarctica. The book illustrates, hundreds of rare letters carried with the expedition and describes each and every Indian Expedition in detail.

The book has 54 chapters.These include historical perspective (with details about Dr Giriraj Singh Sirohi, First Indian to visit Antarctica and Dr Paramjit Singh Sehra, first Indian to winter over in Antarctica) , Various date cancellers used in Indian Antarctic Post Offices,Institutions managing the Indian Antarctic  Program, Indian Antarctic Expeditions,Indian Antarctic Stations ( Dakshin Gangotri, Maitri and Bharati), Lists of Commemorative stamps, special covers, Cinderella and booklets pertaining to Indian Antarctic Expeditions, Indian Antarctic Clubs, lists of QSL Cards used by the HAM operators  during the expeditions,, honorary postmasters of Indian Antarctic Post offices, Feats and Facts of Indians in Antarctica and List of estimated price of  Indian Antarctic Covers .

Year Book of Indian Philately : 2013
By Madan Middha



Year Book of Indian Philately: 2013  by Madan Middha Pages 271- Published by Vishesh Prakashan, Topi Bazar, Gwalior. Price Rs 300
The book covers information on philatelic events of year 2013. Award List of international exhibitions, forthcoming international exhibitions, Indian stamps, postal stationery, Army covers, Special covers and postmarks issued during the year 2013 have been listed in the book. Information on Postal History events, exhibitions, society news has also been included in the year book.
The “Year Book of Indian Philately 2013” is  available with Mr Madan Middha The price of the year book is Rs. 300 inclusive of postage in India.Readers may contact : Mr Madan Middha, Saket Vihar, Phalka Bazar, GWALIOR - 474 001. email : madan_middha@yahoo.co.in
Book on Tagore stamps and covers

Rabindranath Tagore and The Post Office - A Philatelic Tribute – By Dipok Dey

The book “ Rabindranath Tagore and The Post Office - A Philatelic Tribute “ edited by noted artist and philatelist Shri Dipok Dey has been published by Rammohun Library and Free Reading Room, Kolkata.

This book gives details with colorful illustrations of all the stamps along with First Day Covers, Postmarks, Souvenir sheets, Miniature sheets, special covers, special postmarks, Booklets, Maximum Cards, Picture Post cards ,  catch Covers etc.

The other details of the book are given below :

Rabindranath Tagore and The Post Office - A Philatelic Tribute Edited by Dipok Dey - Hardbound - Pages 64  - Price Rs 575.  - Published by Rammohun  Library and Free Reading Room, 267 Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road, Kolkata – 700009. email : rammohunlibraryafrr@gmail.com Ph. 033 – 700009 ( Please contact from 2PM to 6PM except Saturday and Sunday)

History of Indian Miniature Paintings Through Philately..

 

History of Indian Miniature Paintings Through Philately by Dr Satyendra Kumar Agrawal published by PHILAGOLD Publications, Pages 80,  Price   Rs 1200 / US  $ 25

History of Indian Miniature Paintings Through Philately is a beautiful   Coffee Table Book by renowned philatelist and philatelic author Dr Satyendra Kumar Agrawal. The book is based on deep research of different schools of Indian Art by Dr Agrawal. The study has been narrated through beautiful images of various philatelic items  issued all over the world. The book is divided into 14 chapters with details of paintings from different schools of Indian Art. The most attractive part of the book is its fine and rich printing. The book has been presented by the author in a very aesthetic way that on first sight it captures the attention of the reader.

The author has presented many stamps, special  covers, postmarks, postal stationeries  issued by India Post and other postal administrations of the world  on Indian Miniature paintings . Some of them are rare to see. This book will prove to be best companion for all the art lovers and I recommend it for the library of Art Schools and all educational institutions and to everyone who loves reading. For the philatelists it is a wonderful book as they will be amazed to see many rare philatelic items in the book issued on Miniature paintings of India. Of course those collecting stamps on paintings it is a complete guide to them and they will get every detail about Indian Miniature Paintings in this book.

The book is available with Dr Satyendra Kumar  Agrawal  : email rosephila@hotmail.com

About the author

Dr Satyendra Kumar Agrawal is an eminent philatelist , well known cartoonist, science and philatelic writer. He has received many National and International Awards for his exhibit on “ Roses”. He authored four books, “ My Rainbow of Philatelic Articles ”,, “The Rose” ( A-Z of Rose Philately), Glimpses of Indian Mythologies in Philately” and Birth of Playing Cards”.

 

- Jeevan Jyoti

Year Book of Indian Philately - 2013 edition

Dear Friend,

It is a great pleasure to announce the publication of the 2013 edition of the “Year Book of Indian Philately” which is in the final stages of the preparations and is expected to be out by March 2014.

The Year Book has established itself as a very much sought after publication on philately with special focus on Indian Philately, by virtue of the contents it carries in every edition. Collection of serious and sincere texts and articles on a spectrum of philatelic subjects by learned authors, with lasting impact & universal appeal has made this Year Book, a must for every sincere philatelist’s bookshelf.

The recognition it has acclaimed at the International Philatelic Exhibitions is an undeniable proof of this fact. As a matter of a record the Year Book has won a medal at EVERY Philatelic Exhibition it has participated in so far !!! The latest are 2 in 2013, a Bronze at BRASILIANA 2013 at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ; and a Large Vermeil at the MAPPEX 2013, Madhya Pradesh State Philatelic Exhibition held at Bhopal. Incidently the Large Vermeil was the highest medal awarded at the Mappex. Apart from this, Silver medal at the IPhLA 2012 in Germany, the World’s Largest & Specialised Philatelic Literature Competition also shines as a golden feather in the cap of the publication. We strive to continue this legacy with the coming editions too, including the edition under discussion, the 2013 edition.

The ensuing 2013 edition also reflects the tradition of being serious, sincere & interesting. The issue is supposed contains articles on important subjects like “Indo-Pak Philately”, “Azad Hind”, “Indian telegraphs”, “Gandhi 1948”, “ Indian Watermarks”, “Unusual Stamps” and the like, by our illustrious contributing authors, including regular features recording history, events & issues for the concerning year. The list is tentative but chances are for expansion of it.

Like last year, we have designed a special opportunity for our philatelic professional friends for inclusion of their advertisement in this edition too. This opportunity eliminates the total “cost” of the advertisement published in the Year Book. It follows.

We will provide the advertiser, copies of the Year Book editions (any of his choice, subject to availability), worth equal to the value of the advertisement he provides (T&C applied). This translates into absolutely no spending on account of the advertisement published in the Year Book. The advertiser will have the opportunity to recover the entire cost of the advertisement by selling the copies of the Year Book allotted to him under this unique offer.

This arrangement makes the offer an undeniable opportunity for the advertisers to advertise their services / products in this world class journal with a universal appeal. Your advertisement in the Year Book of Indian Philately will reach a large number of serious and capable segments of the Philatelic fraternity the world over and will be preserved as a solid reference for the times to come? In every sense of the word this is a unique & unparalleled opportunity for an advertiser of any reputed product or service, philatelic or otherwise.

And yes, this will help us, greatly, to make the publication still better.

We are sure you would not let this opportunity go. If you have any other query about this, please do not hesitate to mail.

Looking forward for a positive, encouraging and prompt response from your end.

Thanking you, sincerely,

Madan Middha

Publisher / Editor email : madan_middha@yahoo.co.in

 

THE GREAT INDIAN RAILWAYS THROUGH PHILATELY

 

 

THE GREAT INDIAN RAILWAYS THROUGH PHILATELY

Book Review – By  ILYAS PATEL

Our friend and past president of GPA Mr Mainak Kathiara gave me a very decent coffee table book titled “The Great Indian Railways through Philately” to refer and write a review for it. This book is an Eastern Railway Publication and written by one of its employee – cum – philatelist Mr Mohammad Mujibullah. It is published in 2009. From the bibliography, I learnt that the author have already contributed two books on India Railways through philately and this being his third one. It is a matter of great pleasure that the author is serving both the Indian Railways and the philately by making such useful contributions in literature class.

The book is printed in full color and with exhaustive illustrations being a coffee table book. All the information is precise and concise. The author has tried to make it fully illustrative since there was no page limitation being departmental publication. But in doing so I feel that there is a duplication of material and wastage of costly pages. Such pages could have been used cleverly with additional information as I learnt from Mainak that the author is a largest collector on India Railways and have his own museum too. He collects everything related to Indian Railways.

In the book the author has adopted a philatelic time line against the traditional historical time frame to demonstrate his collection. Accordingly, he started with Railway Mail service (RMS) cancellation being introduced first as per philatelic time frame and have done with Travelling Post Office, Railway Sorter, Too Late, Train Late, Indian State Railways as well as cancellations of railways in Burma. The author has covered all the stamps issued so far and provided brief information for each of them including informative sketches as and when needed. He has not forgotten the contribution of various personalities who made note worthy contribution for the development and expansion of Indian Railways. The author has included some rare photographs and beautiful maxim cards to make it lucid and colorful as well as detailed list for perfin used by various railway systems in India. From the entire efforts it seems that the author want to make it an illustrative book through the medium of philately and not a useful reference book on Indian Railways that has a long standing history of 150+ years even through the same medium. I personally believe that he may have done it in his other two publications on the similar title and for that reason it is kept simply illustrative.

While reviewing the book philatelically, it is to mention that the author have used words large and small cancellation in RMS chapter. He could have properly defined it with common notations like diameter size and font size to distinguish them clearly. I believe that the author is aware about it. In illustrations shown on page 26 to 30 “*” is shown in the circle whereas it is a floral design rightly shown on starting page cancellation illustrations. There is an editing mistake on page 5 in which it is mentioned as 1856 instead of 1895 in small RMS cancellation. In Railway Telegraphs, the author has shown the use of only latest post-independence stamps. In fact, licenses were granted to railways to transact telegraphic business to accept prepayment of telegraph charges either in cash or postage stamps but they were not authorized to deface them initially. All British India stamps were used for the purpose. Licensed Railway Telegraph System is a glorious chapter in the history of Indian Railways and cannot be neglected. I also believe that instead of putting and discussing them in to a separate chapter, if the author has discussed all our railways that are declared as World Heritage Railways by UNESCO under a title “Our World Heritage Railways” to make it more lucid and informative. To the best extent of my knowledge, The Great Indian Peninsula Railway was the first to build railway line in India and they built the first railway bridge “Thane Creek Bridge” in India and Asia as well in 1852. The same is appeared on 2004 issue of stamp on 150 years of India Post. I think the author could have covered this important part of history of Indian Railways. By giving a very abstract form of bibliography, the author has not adopted the standard notations for bibliography. Thus it is not useful to any reader to make out a search in the market.

In short this colorful book is fully illustrative one with exhaustive philatelic illustrations to serve the very purpose of the author. For novice philatelist on Indian Railways, it will serve as a good handy tool. It will not impress the hard core and sincere philatelists collecting on this theme. They have to look elsewhere. I firmly believe that with clever use of space for illustrations, number of pages could have been reduced and thereby the cost. Still the author makes a very good effort and his work can be a welcome addition in the philatelic library.

Book Review…

The Indian National Flag unfurled through Philately By Sekhar Chakrabarti

Book Review by  Ilyas Patel 

Editor - GPA News

I have just gone through a very well researched, decently composed and thoughtfully illustrated color book titled “The Indian National Flag unfurled through Philately” written by Sekahr Chakrabarti. Sekhar Chakrabarti is an active philatelist and working on this topic since long. The book is published by Niyogi Books, New Delhi and is priced at Rs 495/-. It is available in Ahmedabad at Natraj Book Store with 10% discount.

This book was given to me by my friend and a vivid collector of Indian National Flag Prakash Jambudi to refer and write a review for it. Being actively associated with him for this theme, I am aware that it is a very difficult theme to develop for want of sufficient philatelic material and even more difficult to write a book for want of supporting literature. In spite of all these difficulties, Chakrabarti has adventured in this field which suffers from many gaps and unanswered issues. His Herculean efforts have resulted in an innovative book with fascinating history of our national flag through the medium of philately. The author did an excellent but a balancing job linking history with philately and put up a brilliant story in a very lucid manner. It is a well known fact that the story of our national flag is also a story of Indian National Movement for total independence. In the process of total independence, the process of evolution of a national symbol such as a flag played a pivot role in public awakening and subsequent mass movements for civil disobedience. In this sense, it is a very good book on philatelic history of our national independence.

The book begins with historical background through Indian Epics and legends and gives brief account about flag and its appearance in our religious scriptures. From there the author takes us on a tour to the age of discovery and arrival of the European flags in India. The author has given exhaustive information about the arrival of the Portuguese, the Dutch, the British as well as the French and their efforts to establish their colonies in India and their respective flags. The author has also touched the flags of our princely states but cleverly in very brief not to deviate from the main topic.

With this brief historical account, the author takes us to the historical background for the evolution of our national flag. The quest for a distinctive Pan-Indian flag covers those who conceived the initial idea of flag making and their respective contribution in this evolution process. Their die hard attempts to symbolize it paved a way for the birth of a Swaraj Flag. From Swaraj Flag to the evolution of our national flag today is precisely covered in chronological order with illustrations of all who contributed to it. The author has not forgotten to mention the topic like flag hoisting and its importance as a matter of national pride.

The author has devoted separate chapters for other aspects of flag; flag related events, its use in sports, at sea, at international forums, in military as well as its legal aspects, etiquettes and protocol. All these chapters are covered with relevant illustrations and brief account of it is given. Being a research scholar he has not forgotten to give chapter wise references to make it a well documented book. The bibliography and detailed index makes it a worth reference book and indicates a dedicated efforts of the author.

Though vexillology is a bit boring theme for philatelists due to limited scope for its development, Sekhar Chakrabarti’s painstaking research and a dedicated pursuit of philately has made his work a very well illustrated philatelic cum historical reference. It is fully colored finely composed and decently printed book worth to refer at a first glance. I personally congratulate the author for his maiden efforts on this theme. With this Sekhar Chakrabarti has also enrolled his name in the elite group of philatelic authors in India. His efforts are worth to be saluted like our National Flag. Jai Hind! Well done and Good Luck.