Gujarat through Stamps
AHMEDABAD : Philately,
considered to be king of collection hobbies, has given the state much to be
happy about. While Gujarat's erstwhile state of Sorath (Junagadh), was among
the first princely states to issue postal stamp, today the state has around
5,000 philatelists who boast of one of the biggest and perhaps one of the most
valuable collections of postal stamps in India.
Mainak Kathiara,
president emeritus of Gujarat Philatelists Association, said that they are
trying to take the hobby to the next generation. "We believe that the
stamps are pleasure for the collectors and treasure for their descendents due
to the value they generate both emotionally and financially. We also believe that
the stamps are an important educational tool due to the vast range of subjects
it covers," he said.
As the celebration of
National Postal Week continues among the enthusiasts, here is how Gujarat has
been seen by postal stamps and stationary.
When Rajpipla stamps
were printed in Germany
Ilyas Patel, a
city-based chronicler of philately, mentions in his book Gujarat: A State of
Enriched Philately that out of 366 princely states of Gujarat, seven - Idar,
Jasdan, Morvi, Nawanagar (Jamnagar), Rajpipla, Sorath (Junagadh) and Wadhwan -
had issued postal stamps between 1864 and 1948. Likewise, four states - Morvi,
Rajkot, Rajpipla and Sorath - issued postal stationary such as covers and post
cards.
Patel mentions that
while most of the states gave orders for printing to press based in state or
institutions such as India Security Press at Nasik, Rajpipla used to get its
stationary printed in Germany. Sorath issued state's first postal stamp in 1864
whereas Rajpipla issued state's first inland letter card in 1875. Rajkot only
issued postal stationary and interestingly it had to be signed by the judge of
the district and sessions court before use.
Soon after
independence, the state saw formation of United States of Saurashtra. The
short-lived entity is known as a curious case in philately as even after
independence in 1947, the postal system of the state continued functioning till
March 30, 1950 with own stamps and stationary due to handover issues.
Rani ki Vav on
cancellation mark, Whale Shark on First Day Cover
Cancellation marks,
also known as postmarks, provide the receiver with a token from the place of
origin of the letter.
"So far, the
state has seen its icons such as Asiatic Lion, Flamingo, Sun Temple of Modhera,
Hridaykunj, Krishna Temple at Dwarka, the Sidi Syed jali, Alfred High School of
Rajkot, Jain idols from Palitana and Sardar Sarovar Dam on cancellation marks.
Rani ki Vav that has recently been announced as World Heritage Site, has also
been used as pictorial cancellation by Patan post office since 2002," he
said.
Similarly, a number of
important events have been marked by issuance of First Day Cover, a
commemorative postal stationary. Some of the institutions and events covered
include 25 years of satellite broadcasting (ISRO), Charkha with quotes from
Mahatma Gandhi, 100 years of Gandhi Ashram, Vhali- the whale shark, Dutch tombs
of Surat, 50 years of Gujarat, Bird Feeder of Ahmedabad and Lakshmi Vilas
Palace.
Gujarat on the
stamps
As per chroniclers,
till 2011 the India Post has released 142 stamps that have Gujarati
personality, flora and fauna or thematic representations. Some of the Gujaratis
who have been immortalized on the postal stamps include Narsinh Mehta, Dr
Vikram Sarabhai, Jam Ranjitsinh, poet Nanalal, Mahadev Desai, Ravishankar
Maharaj, Kanaiyalal Munshi, Sayajirao Gaekwad, Ravishankar Maharaj, Indulal
Yagnik and Balvantrai Mehta.
The Dandi March of
1930 has been of great interest among philatelists. It has been commemorated on
its 50th and 75th anniversaries with special sets of postal stamps. When GUJPEX
was organized in Vadodara in 2011, the Gujarat circle of India Post had come
out with a unique set of 22 specially cancelled postcards on Dandi March.
Asiatic Lion, Great
Indian Bustard, two Gujarati cow breeds - Kankreji and Gir, Kathiawari Horse,
Black Buck, Kite Festival, Rathwa painting, Shatrunjay temples, Somnath temple,
Harappan seal, Patola from Patan, bronze artifact from Baroda Museum, embroidery
from Kutch and an elephant statue from Kutch museum have also found place on
the postal stamps. Several Gujaratis have also got their designs printed on
stamps.
Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
