GREETINGS stamp released on 25 10 2004
Denomination: 400,400p
Stamps Printed: 0.8 Million each
Date of Issue: 25-10-2004
Theme: Greetings , Children’s Day
Greetings, a medium of expressing emotions and feelings, have been playing a vital role not only to celebrate and strengthen relationships but also in social interactions. The exchange of greetings has now become a very common phenomenon in celebrating important occasions. Over the centuries, greetings have assumed myriad forms and shapes from letters written on leaf and bark scrolls, to greetings on gold, silver and copper plaques and modem day greetings by post and electronic medium.
History has recorded the prevalence of greetings in ancient Egypt and Rome where the New Year was marked by the exchange of symbolic presents of scent, laurel or olive branches coated with gold leaf etc. This practice continued and further developed. A fresh impetus was given to this form of expression with the advent of the printing press, and with the coming of the penny post in 1840, greetings became a common feature and have ultimately become a part of the social matrix, gathering increasing connotation as they passed through the centuries. The modern day greeting cards crystallized in 1843 when the first Xmas card with Season’s greetings was designed in the United Kingdom. The commercial production of greeting cards became fully established by the 1860s.
India is a land of festivals. Almost all festivals like Diwali, Holi, Pongal, Durga Puja, Baishakhi, Christmas, Bihu, Id etc, are marked by sending of greetings cards through the post which is the most popular and predominant mode of transmission. They are now also used to express a gamut of emotions; love, friendship, sympathy, affection and for conveying congratulations and thanks. Greetings stamps introduced and issued from time to time by the Department of Posts since 1990 carry out the role of harbingers of glad tidings. It is a fact that the visual image leaves a more lasting imprint than the printed word.
In the festive season, a set of two stamps on the theme of kites and dolls is being brought out for greetings. In India, kites and dolls have been a part of our traditions and cultural beliefs. In a small but significant way, these postage stamps at the first glance convey the feelings that have gone into sending the missive.
Dolls are the beautiful medium through which the rich cultural heritage through the ages are vividly depicted, although the medium of expression has diffused from stone and canvas to cloth and celluloid. Dolls of various types have fascinated men, women and children all over the world. The history of India beginning from the ancient times to the modem is reflected in its variety of dolls. Dolls act as cultural ambassadors and have evolved through the 5,000 years of Indian civilization. Today, dolls not only provide a diversion but a colourful canvas for depicting Indian life in its plethora of regional and cultural diversities.
Kites have been objects of interest and fascination to people throughout the world. The exact origin of kiting is unknown, but it is believed that kites were flown in China 2,000 years ago. Every country has its own style and purpose of flying kite. In India, kiting is a part of a great social festival. The earliest evidence of Indian kite flying comes from miniature paintings from the Mughal period. In the 18th and 19th centuries, kites were used as tools for scientific research. Kite played a significant role in helping us understand some of the great aerodynamic principles and today we are able to fly high with the airplanes, parachutes, gliders etc. which uses the same aerodynamic principles. Nothing can beat the excitement of flying a kite with the friends and family. The festivity is splashed on the sky through the colours of the kites as much as the din associated with kite flying.
To join the festive spirit, the Department of Posts is happy to issue a set of two commemorative postage stamps on the theme of Greetings.
TAJ MAHAL stamp released on 16 12 2004
Denomination :1500p
Stamps Printed :4 Million
Date of Issue :16-12-2004
Theme:
Buildings and places of tourist interest
For centuries, the Taj Mahal has inspired poets, painters and musicians to try and capture its elusive magic in word, colour and song. It is one of the most flawless architectural creations of the world. People from all over the world visit Agra, not to see the ruins of the red sandstone fortress built by the Mughal emperors, but to make a pilgrimage to Taj Mahal, the ultimate memorial to love. In a land where magnificent edifices abound bearing testimony to an ancient and rich civilization, the beauty of the Taj Mahal remains incomparable.
Taj Mahal stands in the city of Agra, on the banks of the Yamuna river. It was built in the memory of the beautiful Arjumand Bano Begum, who won the heart of a Mughal prince. She was married at 21 to Emperor Jahangir’s third son Prince Khurram and stayed loyally by his side through good times and bad, in the luxurious royal palaces of Agra as well as the transient tents of war camps. In 1628 AD, Khurram became King after a bloody battle of succession. He took the name of Shahjahan or “King of the world”, and showered his beloved begum with the highest titles. She became Mumtaz Mahal, the exalted of the palace, and Mumtaz-ul-Zamani, the exalted of the age. But Mumtaz Mahal was not destined to be Queen for long.
In 163 1, Mumtaz Mahal, the favourite wife of Shahjahan died at the age of 39, at Burhanpur. The grieving emperor vowed to build a memorial that would surpass anything ever created in the world. The construction of the Taj Mahal started in 1632, and was completed by 1654 AD. Tavernier, an eminent traveler and historian of those times, records that over 20,000 workmen laboured for 22 years to complete the Taj Mahal. Material for its construction was brought from all over India and Asia. Red stone from Fatehpur Sikri, Karauli, Tantpur and Paharpur, white marble from Makrana, Rajasthan, jasper from Punjab andd diamonds from Panna came from Indian sources. Material sourced from abroad included jade & crystals from China, turquoise from Tibet, lapis lazuli and sapphire from Sri Lanka, and coal and carnelian from Arabia. A fleet of 1000 elephants were used to transport the construction materials to the site. In all 28 types of precious and semi precious stones were inlaid into white marble to create this wonder of the world.
The Taj Mahal complex comprises of five main elements: the Darwaza or main gateway, the Bagicha or garden, the Mosque, the Naqqarkhana or rest house, and the Rauza or Mausoleum. The central dome, which is 187 feet high, is surrounded by four minarets. The mosque is to the left of the monument. The architecture combines elements and styles of Persian, Central Asian, and Islamic architecture.
At the heart of the Taj Mahal are the Centoaphs of Shahjahan and Mumtaj Mahal. A protective octagonal screen made of perforated marble or jali, with borders of inlaid marble, surrounds the two cenotaphs in the central chamber.
The decorative scheme of the Taj Mahal complex follows the Islamic tradition of combining calligraphic, floral and abstract geometric motifs. Three types of media are used to create these patterns: stone carving in high relief, painted stucco, and inlaid hard stone. Ustad Ahmed Lahori was the Chief Architect, Ismail Khan Afridi of Turkey was the domemaker, and Amanat Khan Shirazi was the calligrapher whose genius lives on through the enduring beauty they created.
The dome is made of white marble and is set against the plains across the river. This backdrop works its own magic of colours that contributes to the changing views of the Taj, as the colours change with the hours and the seasons. Like a jewel, the Taj sparkles in moonlight, when the semi-precious stones inlaid into the white marble on the main mausoleum catch the glow of the moon. The Taj is pinkish in the morning, milky white in the evening, and golden when the moon shines. It is said that these changes depict the different moods of woman.
Different people have different perceptions of the beauty of the Taj Mahal. Suffice it to say that the Taj, the ultimate monument to love, has a life of its own that leaps out of the marble. As an architectural masterpiece, nothing could be added or subtracted from it. It is best described by the English poet, Sir Edwin Arnold, as “Not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but the proud passions of an emperor’s love wrought in living stones”.
The Department of Posts is proud to issue a commemorative postage stamp on the Taj Mahal, the symbol of eternal love.