India - Water Birds 1994

No better feeling than having a gap filled in your stamp collection. This time, and yes it has been a long time, its the 1994 water birds issue. I am one happy collector today.
This set of stamps was issued by India Post on 23rd Nov 1994. However was withdrawn shortly after issue as the stamps were printed with water soluble ink.

Earlier. Had the used Rs 6, Rs 8 and Rs 11 stamps and the Rs 6 stamp had a minor fault of a missing perforation. No Re 1 stamp here.

Now. Mint Se-tenant block of 4.

Here's my earlier post on the gaps in my Indian collection. I now will have to look for only one stamp, the 1948 - Mahatma Gandhi - Rs 10 to complete my post independence India collection.

Do feel free to add your thoughts, comments or suggestions
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India MS: 2014

Only four miniature sheets were issued in 2014.

02.02.14: Indian Museum, Kolkata

12.06.14: 2014 FIFA World Cup

03.09.14: Indian Musicians

28.11.14: India-Slovenia Joint Issue

Do feel free to add your thoughts, comments or suggestions
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India 2014

All stamps issued by India Post in 2014. 36 stamps were issued through the year and you can see them all in my stock book, arranged in the order of date of issue in the images below.

14th January 2014: Food Corporation of India
30th January 2014: International Year of Crystallography
02nd February 2014: Indian Museum, Kolkata, 4v
08th February 2014: Jagjit Singh, 2v
11th February 2014: Central Vigilance Commission
25th February 2014: Hasrat Mohani
25th April 2014: National Council of Churches In India
30th April 2014: Chattampiswamikal
30th April 2014: GB Pant Hospital, Delhi
14th May 2014: Drukpa Lineage of Buddhism

12th June 2014: 2014 FIFA World Cup, 4v
20th August 2014: Gaiety Theatre Complex, Simla
3rd September 2014: Indian Musicians, 8v
25th October 2014: Anagarika Dharmapala
04th November 2014: Liver Transplantation
12th November 2014: UTI
28th November 2014: India Slovenia Joint Issue, 2v
29th November 2014: Sagol Kangjei
04th December, 2014: Swami Ekrasanand Saraswati
15th December,2014: Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan
24th December, 2014: Kuka Movement
30th December, 2014: Baba Amte

Do feel free to add your thoughts, comments or suggestions

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India MS: 2013

I have been late putting up this post. I must have forgotten or missed it after I put up stamps of 2013 from my collection in March last year. Anyway better late than never and here are the miniature sheets issued by India Post in 2013.

Apr 11, 2013: Architectural Heritage of India

Apr 12, 2013: Heritage Buildings

May 3, 2013: 100 years of Indian Cinema

 

May 10, 2013: Wild Asses

Sep 3, 2013: Wildflowers

Oct 12, 2013: Philately Day

Nov 14, 2013: Sachin Tendulkar

Nov 26, 2013: Railway Workshops

Dec 5, 2013: Emperor & Empress of Japan's Visit

Do feel free to add your thoughts, comments or suggestions

NOTE: Please click on the images for a larger view / closer look.

First Three Miniature Sheets - Post Independent India

I have now added these three absolute gems to my collection of Indian stamps. The first three miniature sheets of India which were long missing in my collection. About a year back, I had made reference to the gaps in my India collection. Then, it was two stamps and three miniature sheets to make it 100% complete

All miniature sheets are now part of my collection. So its down to just the two stamps. 1. 1948 - Mahatma Gandhi - Rs 10 and 2. 1994 - Water birds - Re 1.

First miniature sheet was issued on Nov 14, 1973 - 'Indipex 73' India International Philatelic Exhibition. It contains 4 imperf. stamps similar to the individual perforate issues released on the same date. The imperf. stamps from the sheet were not valid individually.

Second miniature sheet - Apr 15, 1974 - Masks

And the third miniature sheet - Oct 10, 1974 - UPU Centenary

Do feel free to add your thoughts, comments or suggestions

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India 2013

Once again its time of the year to showcase all my stamps of India from the previous year. Here are all the stamps of 2013 as stored in my stock book in order of date of issue and release. A total of 119 stamps were issued during the year.

03rd January 2013: 100 Years Of Indian Science Congress

07th January 2013: Postgraduate Institute Of Medical Education And Research, Chandigarh

08th January 2013: 125 Years Uttar Pradesh Legislature

08th January 2013: Ghadar Movement Centenary

11th January 2013: Silk Letter Movement

12th January 2013: 150th Birth Anniversary Of Swami Vivekananda (4v)

13th January 2013: C Achyutha Menon

14th January 2013: Aditya Vikram Birla
22nd January 2013: Shrine Basilica, Vailankanni

02nd March 2013: 3 Para (Special Forces)

07th March 2013: Officers Training Academy, Chennai

08th March 2013: Sahir Ludhianvi

16th March 2013: Malayala Manorama

17th March 2013: Jhulelal Sahib

22nd March 2013: Shiv Ram Hari Rajguru

11th April 2013: Architectural Heritage Of India Srikurmam, Srikakulam And Arasavalli, Srikakulam (2v)

12th April 2013: Heritage Buildings Mumbai G.P.O And Agra H.P.O (2v)

14th April 2013: Chaitya Bhoomi, Mumbai

30th April 2013: Hari Singh Nalwa

03rd May 2013: 100 Years Of Indian Cinema (50v)

 

10th May 2013: Kiang: Ladakh And Ghor Khar: Kutch (2v)

24th May 2013: Securities And Exchange Board Of India

25th June 2013: Peerzada Ghulam Ahmad Mehjoor

3rd July 2013: Delhi Gymkhana Club

7th August 2013: Kerala Legislative Assembly

21st August 2013: Raj Bahadur

03rd September 2013: Wild Flowers (12v)

09th September 2013: Lala Jagat Narain

10th September 2013: Acharya Gyansagar

21st September 2013: Gurajada Venkata Apparao

24th September 2013: Pratap Narayan Mishra

30th September 2013: Joomdev

12th October 2013: Philately Day

22nd October 2013: Bhakra Dam

24th October 2013: Ruchi Ram Sahni

5th November 2013: Boy's High School, Allahabad

07th November 2013: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

08th November 2013: Indian Academy Of Pediatrics

11th November 2013: Central Bureau Of Investigation

14th November 2013: Sachin Tendulkar: 200th Test Match (2v)

23rd November 2013: Sathya Sai Baba

23rd November 2013: Intelligence Bureau

26th November 2013: Railway Workshop, Kanchrapara And Jamalpur (2v)

29th November 2013: Sashastra Seema Bal

01st December 2013: 50 Years Of Nagaland

04th December 2013: Ins Vikramaditya

05th December 2013: The Visit Of Emperor And Empress Of Japan

17th December 2013: Beant Singh

23rd December 2013: Gulab Singh Lodhi

27th December 2013: Eklavya

31st December 2013: Babu Banarsi Das

Do feel free to add your thoughts, comments or suggestions
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Aldabra Giant Tortoise

Just today, I was lucky to get myself a whole sheet of the 2008 Aldabra Giant Tortoises issue of Indian stamps. I got it at the local post office at face value. These sheets are selling on ebay for atleast three times the price.

I think these are truly the only odd shaped stamps issued by India post so far. Ofcourse, I also consider any shape other than the regular rectangular shape as odd, like the diamond shaped, triangular shaped and round shaped. Though there are quite a few diamond and triangle shaped indian stamps issued over the years, these are the first and only hexagonal ones.

The two stamps were issued to commemorate the Alipore zoo's Aldabra giant tortoise called Adwaita. We all know about the folk tales of the tortoise who defeated the hare and won the race. Well, Adwaita was also a winner. Before it died in the year 2006 in Alipore Zoological Garden, Kolkata, Adwaita was perhaps the
longest living animal in the world having lived for more than 250 years.

This is a beautiful sheet with both the stamps placed alternately, almost every time against each other, in a symmetrical design. There are 5 of the Rs 15 stamps and 8 of the Rs 5 stamps making a total of 13 stamps in the sheetlet. The background is again a blow up of the tortoise.

There are three other formats of sheetlets that were issued, one with thirteen Rs 5 stamps, another with thirteen Rs 15 stamps and the third with five Rs 5 and eight Rs 15 stamps. I will in time get these other three too I'm sure.

Do feel free to add your thoughts, comments or suggestions

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India MS: 2012

Miniature sheets of India issued in 2012

Mar 14, 2012: Civil Aviation Centenary

Mar 27, 2012: 800th Urs of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Dargah Sharif, Ajmer

Jul 25, 2012: London 2012 Olympic Games

Oct 12, 2012: Philately Day

Oct 16, 2012: XI Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Hyderabad

Dec 23, 2012: Lighthouses

Do feel free to add your thoughts, comments or suggestions
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India 2012

Its time, to share with you, the complete year set of Indian stamps from 2012. This year saw a decline in the number of stamps issued during the year compared to earlier years, however, there were some really interesting releases and one of my favourites is the light house stamps. Only 47 stamps were issued as against 61 stamps in 2011.

As usual, first, here are the pictures of all the stamps as stored in my stock album and then pictures of the sets with a small description.

14th March 2012: CIVIL AVIATION CENTENARY

India Post issued these four stamps to commemorate 100 years of civil aviation in the country.Indian Civil Aviation completed 100 years on 18th February, 2011. The year 2011-12 was declared as the Civil Aviation Centenary Year, starting from 18th February, 2011 and ending on the same date in 2012. On this date in 1911, the first commercial plane flew in India between Allahabad and Naini.

27th May 2012: 800TH URS, DARGAH SHARIF, AJMER

These two stamps were issued commemorating the 800th annual Urs festival and the Dargah Sharif shrine.
Dargah Sharif is a sufi shrine of sufi saint, Moinuddin Chishti located at Ajmer, Rajasthan, India. The shrine has the grave of the revered saint, Moinuddin Chisti.
The annual Urs festival commemorates the death anniversary during the first six days of the Rajab (falls between March and July). During Urs, the Dargah's main gates, which normally remains closed, are opened for the devotees. In honor of the saint during the Urs, concerts are held reciting Chishti's own works and others. It attracts a large number of devotees to the shrine.

20th June 2012: WARLI and SHEKHAWATI PAINTING

Warli Painting – Warli folk paintings are the painting of Maharashtra. Warli is the name of the largest tribe found on the northern outskirts of Mumbai, in Western India.

Shekhawati Painting- The havelis or mansions of Shekhawati Rajasthan are known for their wall paintings. The themes depict gods, kings, flowers, arabesques and scenes from daily life.

25th July 2012: LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES

Since the 1968 Olympics  India post has issued stamps commemorating the games. During the last Olympics too, India Post released a set of four commemorative postage stamps. The stamps are a stylized portrayal of sportsmen engaged in Volleyball, Rowing, Sailing and Badminton .

16th October 2012: ENDEMIC SPECIES OF INDIAN BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS

1. Nicobar Megapode
2. Venated Gliding Grog
3. Hoolock Gibbon
4. Bugun Liocichla

05th November 2012: INDIA ISRAEL- JOINT ISSUE

India Post and Israel Post jointly Issued new setenent stamps for Deepavali and Hanukkah respectively

23rd December 2012: LIGHT HOUSES OF INDIA

Picture as seen above. Two stamps featuring the Mahabalipuram and Alleppey lighthouses. This is the third release featuring light houses. First one was released in 1985 featuring the Minicoy lighthouse and the secone one in 2011 featured the Fort Aguada light house.

Do feel free to add your thoughts, comments or suggestions
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India FDC Collection 2011

Well, this is the last post on my collection of Indian FDCs, for now atleast. I will, in time, as I get more of these, put up more posts. All in all, Ive got 99 FDCs from year 1961 to 2011 with 176 stamps on the covers.

2011
02 Feb 2011: Mary Ward-Loreto Institutions

04 Feb 2011: Corps of Signals

08 Feb 2011: Census of India 2011

20 Apr 2011: Chitralekha

07 May 2011: 2nd Africa-India Forum Summit 2011

05 Aug 2011: Rashtrapati Bhavan

Do feel free to add your thoughts, comments or suggestions
NOTE: Please click on the images for a larger view / closer look.