Dragon stamp from China…

Controversy over China's ‘angry dragon' stamp

A Chinese postage stamp to mark the upcoming Year of the Dragon has sparked uproar among the public because the dragon is thought to look "too fierce". One Chinese writer is quoted as saying she was "scared to death" on seeing the image of the creature with its claws, scales and bared teeth. China Post, which produced the stamp, insists it is a perfect combination of history and modernity.

The stamp's designer says a tough image was needed for a powerful creature. "Among everyday people, the dragon is thought to exorcise evil spirits, avert disasters and give blessings, so we need a tough image," Chen Shaohua is quoted by the China Daily as saying.

The dragon has been a symbol of Chinese imperial power for centuries. But media figures and people posting on Chinese micro blogging sites have said the image is inappropriate and too ferocious. The controversy has not stopped people from queuing for the stamp, with many post offices reporting that the stamp sold out on the first day.

Memories of Stamp Fair, Bhubaneswar

With Dr Saurya Thankapan, Supdt. of Police, Mayurbhanj District of Odisha

Now I am in temple city Bhubaneshwar . On 8th Jan I attended here stamp fair organized by EIPA. Here are some more names to mention which I missed in my last updates.. Well I always love to come Bhubaneshwar again and again..just b’coz of its rich culture and nice people of this state . I have visited many places in India but Bhubaneshwar is beyond compare..It is the city of love and harmony…You can get here everything you can expect…….

About the Stamp fair .....

The Chief Guest was Shri Ram Chander Hans, a noted philanthropist and President of the Arya Sanatan Biradari of Odisha. He is the President of the Ayra Samaj and a social worker.

I must mention the name of Dr Saurya Thankapan, IPS, at present she is the Supdt. of Police, Mayurbhanj District of Odisha who especially came to attend the Fair in spite of her busy schedule, that showed her keen interest in Philately. It was really nice to meet her as she showed lot of interest in stamps.

Philatelists’ group with Mr Sahadev Sahoo

Mr Sahadev Sahoo, Mr Prasanta Das, Dr Bibhudatta Mishra, Mr Anil Dhi, Mr Pradip Mohanty, Mr Gangadhar Tripathy & Mr B.K.Sinha

The other distinguished philatelists who visited the fair are Mr Sahdeva Sahoo, Mr. Akhaya Kumar Nayak, Retd. DFO, Mr. Biswanath Mishra from Boudh District, Mr. Santanu Panigrahi from Sambalpur District, Mr Kamal Chakroborty and Mr. Gangadhar Tripathy from Bolangir District, Dr. Prana Chanda Panda, Mr. Venkat Rao, Mr. Dillip Panda all from Ganjam District, Mr. Bijoyshree Routray, the president of EIPA sitting MLA of Basudevpur constituency. Mr. Anup Kumar Raut, Mr. Chitta Ranjan Das, Mr Debasis Mitra, Mr.Bijoy Kumar Biswal, Mr. Bijoy Kumar Sinha, Mr. Ajay Kumar Barik, Mr Kasinath Sahoo, Anil Kumar Dhir, Mr. Purnendu Kumar Jena, etc all from Bhubaneswar, Mr Padip Kumar Mohanty, Mr, Manoj Kumar Mohapatra, Dr Pradip Kumar Padhy, Mr. Saroj Kumar Kar, Dr. Tanmoy Kumar Mohanty, Mr. Shakil Ahmed, etc all from Cuttack, Mr. Bibhuti Bhusan Patnaik and Mr. H.B.Ojha from Dhenkanal District and many philatelists from other states visited the show.