Great Filmmakers – Sayajit Ray

 

Today is Birth Anniveersary of India’s renowned Filmmaker Satyajit Ray. Satyajit Ray ( 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) is regarded as one of the great auteurs of world cinema. Ray was born in the city of Calcutta into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature. Ray directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts. He was also a fiction writer, publisher, illustrator, calligrapher, graphic designer and film critic. He authored several short stories and novels.

Ray's first film, Pather Panchali (1955), won eleven international prizes, including Best Human Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival. This film, Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (1959) form The Apu Trilogy. Ray received many awards in his career, including 32 Indian National Film Awards, a number of awards at international film festivals and award ceremonies, and an Academy Award in 1992. The Government of India honoured him with the Bharat Ratna in 1992.

Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali

 

Bhartiya Daktikit Sangstha, Kolkata issued a Stamp Booklet on Satyajit Ray during Platinum Jubilee of Outram Club. India Post has issued both definitive and commemorative stamp on Satyjit Ray. This Post is a philatelic Tribute to the greatest Indian  Film Director of all time !!

New Stamp from Qatar

Inauguration of the 1st CNG Bus

Qatar Post issued a stamp on 25th Mar 2013 to commemorate the inauguration of the 1st CNG Bus.

: Kenneth Sequeira - Dubai (UAE)

News from UK

Home Front History UK and Bletchley Park Post Office have teamed up for a tribute to World War Two re-enactors. On 25/26 May 2013 they will release a special sheet of postage stamps with a “Home Front” theme.

For more details visit : www.bletchleycovers.com 

: Terry  Mitchell :  email : terry@ltmp.co.uk

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New stamp on Music

 

Date of Issue : 16 April 2013

Royal Mail issued a stamp commemorating  classical musician Benjamin Britten. Britten was born in Lowestoft and lived for much of his life at the Red House in Aldeburgh. His image is included in a set of 10 “Great Britons” stamps – released on 16th April - celebrating people in sport, journalism, music, politics and the arts whose anniversaries of birth fall in 2013. The Britten Pears Foundation (BPF) and Aldeburgh Music have a number of events planned this year to celebrate the composer’s 100th anniversary.

Others include former prime minister David Lloyd George, legendary football manager Bill Shankly and actress Vivien Leigh

 

 

Norman Parkinson
Born Ronald William Parkinson Smith, he was one of the world’s most celebrated portrait and fashion photographers: a perfectionist celebrated for his ‘action realism’ style.

Vivien Leigh
Leigh was an English actress who won Oscars for her powerful and iconic performances as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind and Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Peter Cushing
Peter Wilton Cushing was a British character actor who played a number of highly memorable roles including Professor Van Helsing, Grand Moff Tarkin and Sherlock Holmes.

David Lloyd George
Lloyd George was Prime Minister from 1916 to 1922 and was one of the true radicals in politics. Although born in Manchester, he was the first and only Welshman to hold the office of PM.

Elizabeth David
While studying at the Sorbonne in Paris, David developed a love of fine cuisine, which she shared with austere, post-war Britain through a series of groundbreaking cookbooks.

John Archer
Born in Liverpool of Barbadian descent, John Archer was a prize-winning photographer who further distinguished himself by becoming the first ever Afro-Caribbean London Mayor.

Benjamin Britten
One of the UK’s finest ever classical composers. His works include a number of operas as well as the War Requiem, first performed at the consecration of the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral.

Mary Leakey
An eminent archaeologist and anthropologist, Leakey’s discoveries were so significant that they forced scientists to radically change many long-held views about human evolution.

Bill Shankly

Bill Shankly was a Scottish footballer and manager who achieved his greatest successes at Liverpool FC, with whom he won three First Division titles, two FA Cups and the UEFA Cup.

Richard Dimbleby

Widely acknowledged as one of the most respected figures in British broadcasting history, Dimbleby was the anchor of the BBC flagship programme Panorama from 1955 until 1965.

New Special Covers

PHILATELIC EXHIBITION AT DEOGHAR, JHARKHAND

A district level philatelic exhibition was organized   on 30th and 31st March 2013 at Deoghar by Jharkhand Postal Circle . Two special covers on "Rohini Shahid Smarak" & "Mobile Money Order" were released on the occasion.

 

:  Raj Kumar Choudhary : email : coinrajkumar@gmail.com

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London Underground..

 

Ghadar Movement Centenary

Date of Issue : 8 January 2013

Image : Mansoor B. http://mbstamps.blogspot.in/

India Post released a stamp  to celebrate centenary of Ghadar Movement on 8th January 2013.

Kochi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh  inaugurated the 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here on January 8 and released a stamp on the Gadar movement reflecting the saga of courage of overseas Indians who became trail blazers of the freedom struggle.

The Gadar movement is the saga of courage, valour and determination of overseas Indians who had come to Canada and US either for higher education or for economic opportunities. They became trail blazers of the freedom struggle.

News from other Postal Administrations…

UK : Royal Mail

150th anniversary of London Underground

The Royal Mail has issued a stamp set and a miniature sheet to mark the 150th anniversary of London Underground. The special issue explores not just the ambition and engineering genius that gave the world a whole new way to travel, but also a wealth of truly revolutionary graphic art and architecture.

The Mint Stamps feature lithographs, illustrations and photographs depicting the journey of the London Underground from 1863 to the present day and are brought on stamps in pristine condition.

The Miniature Sheet comprises four stamps, each featuring three classic London Underground advertising posters, which together create a timeline of art on the Underground.

UAE : Emirates Post

Date of Issue : 29 November 2012

Spirit of the Union

Emirates Post has released a stamp & 7 souvenir sheets with the rulers of the seven Emirates, on 29th Nov 2012 to mark the 41st National Day - Spirit of the Union.

: Kenneth Sequeira – Dubai (UAE) : email : kenneth.sequeira@hotmail.com

 

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Christmas 2012 Stamps…

Switzerland

  

The Swiss Post has issued a set of three stamps dedicated to the celebration of Christmas 2012.

For hundreds of years, it has been the custom at Christmas to decorate and light homes, streets and trees in festive decoration with lights. Chains of lights crossing streets and arches, shining stars and twinkling globes add sparkle and pleasant anticipation to the dark and pensive Advent season. And with them there are three new Christmas stamps on Swiss Christmas mail.

Philippines

The Philippines Post issued  new stamps release "Pasko 2012" dedicated to Christmas. The stamps represent two popular scenes illustrated during Christmas – the "Simbang Gabi" or "Dawn Mass" and the "Belen" or "Nativity Scene".

Poland

The Poczta Polska has issued a Christmas set of stamps featuring little angels flying in the sky together with the Star of Bethlehem and bringing Christmas gifts.

 

Club News

 

First Lady of Jazz on secret post office Christmas stamp

Dame Cleo Laine recently featured on a postage stamp in celebration of her 85^th birthday.  Now a special Christmas edition was released for the 2012 “Cleo’s Christmas” concert at ‘The Stables’ on 14 December. The issue will raise funds for The Wavendon Foundation set up by Cleo Laine and John Dankworth. The First Lady of Jazz is on a sheet of Royal Mail 1^st Class Christmas stamps priced at £50 with a commemorative envelope bearing a single stamp at £10.

They are only available through Bletchley Park Post Office, The Mansion, Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes MK3 6EB (01908 363489) or their web site at  www.bletchleycovers.com . Once the undercover mail room of the Enigma code breakers during World War Two it now issues special stamps to aid Bletchley Park and other charities.

: Terry Mitchell, 01604 781440, terry@ltmp.co.uk

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Christmas 2012 stamps..

 

Faroe Islands

       

Date of Issue : 24 September

Christmas Carol stamps from Faroe Islands The Faroese Post launches the third traditional Christmas issue dedicated to the popular Faroese Christmas carols. The 2012 issue celebrates "Hvi man tad vera…?" and "Gledilig Jol" carols.

There is hardly any Faroese who does not immediately recognize the cheerful chorus of the song "Hvi man tad vera so hugnaligt i kvold?" (Why is everything so cozy tonight?). The song was written by Christian Holm Isaksen (1877-1935).

The song "Gledilig Jol" ("Silent night"), whose original title is "Stille Nacht", was presented for the first time on December 24th 1818 in Nikolaus-Kirche in Oberndorf, Austria. It was written two years earlier by the priest Joseph Mohr - and for the service in 1818, he had asked the head master and composer Franz Xaver Gruber to compose a melody for the poem.

San Marino

Issue date:  16th October 2012

A stamp dedicated to nativity by Marco Ventura. The oil painting represents "Madonna con bambino" (Our Lady with Child), in the background there is the Mount Titano of San Marino. The two archangels seem to protect the family sacredness. 

 

Classic Christmas images by Royal Mail

Date of Issue  : 6 November 2012 

The illustrator behind the world famous children's classic The Gruffalo brings his unique style to this year's Royal Mail Christmas stamp issue.

The seven stamps, issued on 6 November, are inspired by classic Christmas images, brought to life through the instantly recognisable illustrations of Axel Scheffler.

His gentle and disarming approach can be seen straight away on both the 1st and 2nd class stamps; a Christmas robin perches on Santa's hand on the 1st Class stamp, while a reindeer's antlers take on the role of a Christmas tree for the 2nd Class image.

The other Christmas stamps feature a snowman meeting a penguin (87p), a Christmas robin bearing a star decoration in his beak (£1.28), and on the £1.90 stamps, the cat and mouse set aside their normal differences to decorate the Christmas tree together.

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Royal Mail Marks Queen’s 60th anniversary of accession to the throne…

 

 

ROYAL MAIL MARKS DIAMOND JUBILEE WITH EIGHT INDIVIDUAL NEW PORTRAIT STAMPS

· The set of eight individual royal portraits of Her Majesty The Queen marks the 60^th anniversary of her accession to the throne in 1952

· The Diamond Jubilee Special Stamps were launched on 31 May 2012 and will be available in all Post Office Branches. The stamps can also be bought at www.royalmail.com for one year

· The new stamps chart six decades of British history using archived photography of significant Royal moments, including The Queen’s first Christmas broadcast in 1957, Trooping the Colour in 1967 and celebrations of her Golden Jubilee  in 2002

· This is the third and final stamp issue in 2012 to mark The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The first was The House of Windsor and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha issue issued on 2 February. The second was the Diamond Jubilee Definitive Sheet, issued on 6 February; the same day The Queen ascended the throne in 1952

· The Queen’s 25^th, 40^th and 50^th Jubilees were also marked with special stamp issues – an illustration of The Queen and the Royal Cypher ER in 1977,  a combination of public and private portraits in 1992, and black and white portrait images for the Golden Jubilee in 2002

Royal Mail is celebrating the culmination of Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee festivities with eight new stamps featuring a selection of some of the most memorable events of her historic 60 year reign.

The eight stamps give a fascinating insight into the hugely diverse duties The Queen has performed; from delivering the first televised Christmas broadcast in 1957, to inspecting the 2nd Battalion Royal Welsh, as Commander-in-Chief of the UK’s Armed Forces, half a century later in 2007. The Queen’s 60 year reign is already the second longest for a British monarch. Queen Victoria ruled for 63 years and 7 months.

Club News

Secret little post office gets Diamond Jubilee honour

As part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations Bletchley Park’s wartime Post Office was opened by Michael Sefi, Keeper of the Royal Philatelic Collection on Friday 25^th May.  The Enigma code breakers undercover mailroom was revealed to an audience of invited guest and media ahead of Bletchley Park’s “Forties” weekend.

Matthew Hill - Editor of Stamp and Coin Mart, Terry Mitchell - Bletchley Park Post Office and Michael Sefi being filmed by BBC News at the opening of the re-furbished post office.

Keeping with the 1940’s theme Bletchley Park Post Office unveiled a first day cover for Royal Mail’s Great British Fashion stamp issue. The patriotic design took inspiration from iconic fashion illustrator, René Gruau. A familiar figure to the designers featured on the stamps as well as the fashionable wartime code breakers of Bletchley Park during World War 2.

The double sided cover has the set of ten stamps set over the Union Flag with an elegant lady code breaker as the first day of issue postmark. The full figure on the rear reflects the combination of glamour and sensuality with humour that was such a feature of Gruau’s work.

Only 500 have been released as a numbered limited edition. Issue price is £15 plus post & packing. They can be viewed and ordered from the web site at  www.bletchleycovers.com

Further information is available from BPPO, The Mansion, Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes MK3 6EB, Tel: +44(0)1908 363489

- Terry Mitchell. 01908 781440/07850 068674. Email: terry@ltmp.co.uk

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New Dickens stamps from Royal Mail

 

To be issued on 19 June 2012

To celebrate the bicentenary of Dickens' birth Royal Mail is to celebrate his life and work of with ten new stamps to be issued on 19 June.

The stamps feature iconic characters from some of his most famous novels, including Mr Bumble from Oliver Twist, Mr Micawber from David Copperfield and Captain Cuttle from Dombey and Son.

Six of the stamps feature original illustrations adapted from Character Sketches from Charles Dickens, by Joseph Clayton Clarke (otherwise known as Kyd) and originally published around 1890.

Royal Mail is also issuing a miniature sheet of four stamps of illustrations by Hablot Knight Brown, (known as Phiz), who illustrated ten books by the author.

 

From our Readers….

 

New meter stamp impressions

Two new meter stamp impressions of  ‘remotely managed franking system’ (RMFS) machines.

I have marked some points in the illustrations with Question Marks. I would like to know what these numbers / letters indicate in the meter stamps.

- Madan Middha – Gwalior

email : madan_middha@yahoo.co.in

Club News

New MICHEL South Asia Catalogue 2012

Prices of Indian stamps upgraded…..

After many years, prices of modern Indian stamps has been upgraded in International stamp catalogue, which will enhance interest of Indian philatelists, dealers and investors by large.

 

: Shrikant Parikh – Ahmedabad    Read More…

New stamp by India Post  on Jain personality : Karpoor Chandra Kulish on 16th May 2012

India Post is issuing a commemorative stamp on Jain personality and renowned journalist Karpoor Chandra Kulish on 16thMay 2012. He was founder of Rajasthan Patrika Group which is among India’s leading Hindi Media Groups.

He was born on 20th of March, 1926 in Soda village of Tonk district of Rajasthan. He started his journalistic life in 1951 and the major turn in his life came in the year 1956 when he started an evening daily in the form of Rajasthan Patrika. Started with this small newspaper, developed into a big Media Group. Today, newspapers of this Group are published in over 30 editions in 7 states. Patrika family comprises of around 1 crore
and 94 lakhs readers per day.

He received “Haldi Ghati award” in 1983, “B.D Goenka award” in 1987, All India Editor's Guild Award” in 1999, “ Dr. Headgevar Pragya award” in 1993. He was also conferred with “Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi award”  He also composed 11 Vedas in a single volume which is considered as the largest and most bulky in terms of weight in the world.  He died on 17th Jan. 2006.

- Sudhir Jain – Satna (MP)

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