New special Covers..

 

150 Years of Narrow Gauge in India

20 April 2012 – Mumbai

 

 

175th Birth anniversary of Sadguru Shri Siddhartha Swamiji

 

15 February 2012- Hubli

 

 

Code breakers put their stamp on fashion.

For the “Great British Fashion” stamp issue on 15^th May Bletchley Park Post Office has taken a 1940’s theme. The first day cover that will carry the new stamps takes inspiration from the work of iconic fashion illustrator, René Gruau. A familiar figure to the fashion designers featured on the stamps and Bletchley Park’s wartime code breakers reading the fashion magazines of the day.

The double sided cover has the ten stamps set over the Union Flag with a fashionable code breaker providing the design theme for the first day of issue postmark. The well dressed code breaker on the rear reflects the combination of glamour and sensuality with humour that was such a feature of Gruau’s work.

The cover will be issued as a numbered limited edition of 500 and is only available from Bletchley Park Post Office. Price is £15 plus post & packing. It can be previewed on the web site at www.bletchleycovers.com Further information is available from BPPO, The Mansion, Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes MK3 6EB, Tel: 01908 363489

- Terry Mitchell

 

  :  Ashwani Dubey, Akhilesh Arka,Terry Mitchell

New stamps on Fashion from Spain…

 

Spanish Fashion - Elio Berhanyer stamps

A souvenir sheet of four stamps entitled "Spanish Fashion 2011" has been  issued by  Spanish Post depicting various outfits of Spanish designer Elio Berhanyer.

The outfits featured on the stamps belong to the Museo del Traje (Costume Museum) in Madrid who has loaned the images for reproduction.

The stamps illustrate following outfits :

- Green and white striped dress suit with short double-sided white cotton blazer and small blue flowers over the whole outfit. 1970.

- Knee length coat and dress. The coat is double-sided in yellow wool and round neckline. The dress is made of white wool in the bodice and yellow at the skirt. 1972.

- Long white cotton ball gown with large black polka dots in the skirt and smaller ones in the bodice. Round neckline, short sleeved and black sash at the waistline. Between 1968 and 1975. 

Elio Berenguer Ubeda, known as Elio Berhanyer in the fashion world, was born in Córdoba in 1929. At the age of 17 he moved to Madrid and began to work in fashion. In 1956 he became a couturier and opened his own atelier. His name soon became known abroad and in that same year he won the award to the best designer given by Cadillac in the U.S. Between 1960 and 1970 he presented his haute couture collection in the best catwalks and actress Ava Gardner, the countess of Romanones, queen Sofia and princess Pilar have worn his clothes.

Elio was one of the first designers to create a line of perfumes and accessories in 1969 and in this same year he also began to make pret-a-porter in his same classic, elegant style. In 1973 he presented his first pret-a-porter collection. During this period of time he won the tender to design the uniform of Iberia staff, in 1982 he designed the hostesses' uniform for the Football Cup and years later that of the staff of IFEMA. Throughout his career he has received the most prestigious design awards.

Awards

Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts (2002)
National Cristóbal Balenciaga Award
Premio Campioni (Italy) 
National Fashion Design Award (2011)

Club News

New Pictorial cancellation on Archeopteryx

A  pictorial cancellation will be available on November 18^th at Solnhofen,GERMANY,   featuring  the ARCHEOPTERYX. Cancellations will be available from Wolfgang Beyer, member of Staff from the Collector Group ARGE ZOOLOGIE e.V.  ,Germany. Contact: Wolfgang.Beyer1@polizei.sachsen.de .

Fashion week in Copenhagen

 

 

 

Date of Issue : 4 August 2011

Two stamps celebrating Copenhagen Fashion Week in August 2011, were issued on 4 August 2011 by Denmark Post. It also includes a Miniature sheet and a beautiful Presentation Pack .

Stamp designs :

Self-adhesive stamp by fashion designer Silas Adler. Adler chose to depict what the fashion industry calls accessories, e.g. bow ties, tiepins, hats and pocket watches. (8.00 DKK). 

Self-adhesive stamp by fashion designer Malene Birger. The design of the stamp conveys Birger’s distinctive style and methods –drawn freehand, using a big pencil, with broad, soft lines and bold, pure graphics. (6.00 DKK).

A nice folder for the fashion fan, with  pictures and texts about the stamps, the designers and fashion in general was also issued .

Club News

New Member

C .Abraham Jos, Trichur , Kerala

I am  Principal in Education Department Kerala.  I am interested in exchange and  want to collect following :

Stamps Coins and Bank Notes  : South Sudan, East Timor, Kosovo, Serbia & Montenegro, Sahara Arab Demo Republic.

Postal Address : C .Abraham Jos, Cheeran House, ( P O ) Chowannur, Via Kanipayoor, Trichur Dt, Kerala,  India  680 517

Email :    abrahamjoscheeran@gmail.com

Ice Cream on Stamps

I  collect Ice Cream On Stamps.! Does anyone else collect this theme ?

The other theme that I collect is Snoopy, Peanuts, Charlie Brown and Gang on stamps – But yet to find anyone else with this interest. Plz contact  for exchange if interested in these themes - Gary Goodman - email : garygoodman@talktalk.net

New Special Cover

 

A special cover on   50 YEARS OF RABINDRA BHARATI UNIVERSITY was released at Kolkata on 8 August 2011. The cover has been designed by Mr Souvik Roy. The cover  IS available with MRS INDRANI GHOSH, CURATOR, RABINDRA BHARATI UNIVERSITY, KOLKATA- JORASHANKO CAMPUS WITH MOBILE NO 09163365944 @ RS 200.00 EACH

Mr Souvik Roy  has also  designed three stamp booklets on Tagore   ( ON HIS TOUR: TO SINGAPORE, SAIM AND IRAQ) AND 3 Post cards in limited quantity . For details contact lorenzosouvik@gmail.com 

 

New stamp on Facial Tattoo from Taiwan…

Date of Issue : 1 August 2011

Few days back I wrote about Body Tattoo stamp from Papua New Guinea. Here is another new stamp on facial tattoos issued by  Taiwan Post. Though this theme is not very common on stamps, issued by other countries but it seems that other nations will also issue stamps on this new theme which has become a part of fashion  today all over  the world.

To increase understanding of the culture of facial tattoo, which is gradually disappearing, Chunghwa (Taiwan) Post  issued a stamp with a denomination of NT$25 on facial tattoos on August 1, 2011.  The stamp features a tattooed Atayal woman weaving against the background of Mt. Dabajian. The Atayals produce excellent woven goods, and only women who are skilled weavers are entitled to wear facial tattoos.

In the early days of the tribal society of the Atayal, an aboriginal people of Taiwan, decorative facial tattoos were customarily stained on tribal members’ faces during solemn rituals. Men tattooed one or more vertical lines on their forehead and chins, whereas women tattooed one or more vertical lines on their foreheads as well as V shapes on their cheeks, extending from their ears to their lips. The traditional Atayal facial tattoo is fraught with social meaning. Apart from being symbols of glory, these tattoos demonstrate tribal identity, convey that their bearers have reached adulthood, and serve as badges of bravery and talent.

Tattoo….centuries old art

A tattoo is body art made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of decorative body modification, while tattoos on animals are most commonly used for identification purposes. The first written reference to the word, "tattoo" (or Samoan "Tatau") appears in the journal of Joseph Banks, the naturalist aboard Captain Cook's ship the HMS Endeavour in 1769: "I shall now mention the way they mark themselves indelibly, each of them is so marked by their humor or disposition".

Tattooing has been practiced for centuries worldwide. The Ainu, the indigenous people of Japan, traditionally had facial tattoos. Today one can find Berbers of Tamazgha (North Africa), Māori of New Zealand, Hausa people of Northern Nigeria, Arabic people in East-Turkey and Atayal of Taiwan with facial tattoos. Tattooing was widespread among Polynesian peoples and among certain tribal groups in the Taiwan, Philippines, Borneo, Mentawai Islands, Africa, North America, South America, Mesoamerica, Europe, Japan, Cambodia, New Zealand and Micronesia. Despite some taboos surrounding tattooing, the art continues to be popular in many parts of the world.

Read More….

Club News

From J & K Postal Circle

Stamp exhibition in Leh starts today…

Philately Exhibition, Leh : 2 to 5 Sep 2011

J & K Postal Circle is organising Philately Exhibition at Leh from 2 to 5 Sep 2011 at Polo Grounds Leh.  80 frames of philately materials will be on display with special focus on 'stamps of Buddha' . Five special covers will be released during this exhibition.  Dealers and philatelists may get in touch with Supdt of Post offices Leh( 09419286636)  or with Chief PMG’s office, J & K, Srinagar  for their participation in the exhibition or for getting the special covers

Release of Special covers on 'Launch of Floating Post office cum Museum'

To mark 'Launch of Floating Post office cum Museum' , Department of Posts has brought out two Special Covers on Dal Lake  .  The special covers portray the amazing splendor and magnificence of Dal Lake along with pictorial cancellation on launch of Floating post office cum Museum .  The special covers were released by Dr Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister J&K and Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy. With this, the tourists visiting the Floating Post office  will get the unique ‘pictorial cancellation’ with Dal Lake backdrop on their  letters. No doubt, this will be a memorable souvenir  in memory of their  visit to Kashmir.

Floating Post Office, Srinagar sells the special covers issued in this regard. Orders can be placed with Sr.Post Master Srinagar GPO or with Philately division, Chief PMG Office, Srinagar, J & K

State level Philately exhibition at Srinagar, J&K : 26 to 28 Sep 2011

Jammu & Kashmir circle is organising 250 frame Philately exhibition at SKICC Auditorium in Srinagar from 26 to 28 Sep 2011. A large number of philatelists across India are likely to participate in this important event. Apart from the stamp exhibits, the Department is organising Stamp design contest, Letter writing contest and quiz program for the school students and college students. Dealers and philatelists may get in touch with Sr Post Master Srinagar GPO ( 09419736634)  or with Chief PMG’s office, J &K, Srinagar for their participation in the exhibition or for getting the special covers

 

Body Tattoo on stamps..

 

 

Date of Issue : 4 August 2011

Here is new set of stamps from Papua New Guinea featuring a very new topic which has not usually much featured on world stamps so far.The set includes 4 stamps and two souvenir sheets. Probably this this is the first set that I came across on tattoos an d wish to give a detailed Post on these stamps. Tattoos are no longer just an art form of the elite or associated with societal deviants. People of all ages and from all walks of life are finding their own special meaning in tattoos.Today, tattooing has reached a new popularity and has become a part of fashion .

 

      

History of Tattoo

The history of tattoo goes back over 5000 years ago and is as diverse as the people who wear them. The word tattoo is said to have two major derivations from the Polynesian word 'ta' which means striking something and the tahitian word 'tatau' which means 'to mark something'. Tattoos are created by inserting colored substances beneath the skins surface using sharp pin-points.

 

 

According to history, the first tattoo was probably created by accident. Presumably, someone had a wound, and with a charcoal stained palm/hand may have rubbed in some of the substance into the wound in the process, and after the wound had healed, the substance trapped beneath the skin layer was still seen.

Tattoos today

Today, people wear tattoos for various reasons ranging from cosmetic, sentimental/ memorial, religious, magical reasons, and to symbolize their belonging to or identification with particular groups, including criminal gangs but also a particular ethnic group or law-abiding subculture.

To others, tattoos have served as rites of passage, marks of status and rank, symbols of religious and spiritual devotion, decorations for bravery, sexual lures and marks of fertility, pledges of love, punishment, amulets and talismans, protection, and as the marks of outcasts, slaves and convicts. The symbolism and impact of tattoos varies in different places and cultures. Tattoos may show how a person feels about a relative  or about an unrelated person.

Body Tattooing in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea, endowed with diverse cultures, customs and over seven hundred distinct languages is also home to body tattooing. Like with other Pacific islanders, varying from shapes sizes and shades, tattoos stand to play significant roles in respective tribes. They can be found on different parts of the body (male and female) depending on their significance. Whole-body tattooing is common in Gulf and to most of the Papuan coastal areas.

A hand tattoo from Kairuku, Central Province

Some are done as an indication of maturity while others represent tribal identity, self pride, magic qualities and or other reasons. Whole-body tattooing is rarely seen on the younger generation nowadays. The very few who wear them are those in their late 50s and 60s.

In the highlands areas, most are known for their small forehead and side tattoos. These are signs of tribal identity and or self pride. And again, some tribal groups believe that tattoos have magical qualities that protect them from evil spirits and their enemies. For the womenfolk, tattoos are done for self body pride and or merely  to show off their tribal symbols/ designs on their beautiful bodies, with the hope of attracting the opposite sex.

Read about   Tribal Tattoos of Papua New Guinea

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India Against Corruption (IAC) is a citizen's movement to demand strong anti-corruption laws. Lokpal bills were introduced several times since 1968, yet they were never passed by the Indian Parliament. After a fast by veteran social activist Anna Hazare and widespread protests by citizens across India the Government of India constituted a 10-member Joint Committee of ministers and civil society activists to draft an effective Jan Lokpal Bill. The primary focus of IAC movement is to ensure a strong Lokpal bill.

The success of this campaign depends entirely on its volunteers — folks like you from all across the world who are willing to lend their time and their talents to free India of Corruption. You can choose your level of involvement based on the time commitment you wish to make.