2007 Indian Stamps : Fairs Of India

The Goa Carnival is an integral part of the Portuguese heritage of the state, which was a dominion of Portugal till 1961. The carnival epitomizes the fun-loving culture that is characteristic of Goa. It was introduced by the erstwhile rulers as a rowdy celebration in which flour, eggs, oranges, lemons, mud, sand-filled gloves along with dirty water, various liquids and glue were aimed at passersby. Used pots, pans, and other kitchen utensils were also thrown out of windows. Perhaps this was done to discard the old and the dirty before the Lenten fast.

Fierce battles were waged in the streets, with plaster-of-Paris eggs, wax lemons, corncobs and beans. Blows were dealt out liberally, with brooms and wooden spoons. It was also an occasion for unchecked eating. People gorged on rich food at lavish feasts, and convents distributed cakes and pastries. Though celebrated for only three days, the preparations for the festival would take many days, and build up to a frenetic pitch by the eve of the carnival. The carnival in Goa still retains the core of the original. A King of Chaos is elected, called King "Momo". He presides over the three-day festivities, which attract visitors from all over India and abroad

Carnival in Goa is a non-stop 3-day festival of color, song and music, providing a healthy entertainment for all, young and old. The soothing climate, full of fun- 'n' -frolic, which the Carnival generates, is much longed for. It does not matter whether one enjoys or see others enjoying. There is enthusiasm and happiness all around.

From a mere 14,000 to a massive 200,000! This is how the population of Pushkar swells during the Pushkar Fair. A spotlight of one's Indian holiday, the festival hosts around 50,000 camels which are sold, decorated, shaved and raced. The show goes on for a whole week as travellers continue to join in the fun, which includes a number of cultural competitions.

Pushkar is a sacred town for the Hindus, situated 11 kms. to the North-West of Ajmer. The charm of this sleepy, lakeside settlement so captivated the great Indian poet, Kalidas, that it found a place in his classic, Abhigyan Sakuntalam. The Great Hindu epics of Mahabharat and Ramayana make references to this religious place regarded to be Adi Tiratha. Evidence points to its having existed during the fourth century B.C. lake in the inhospitable surroundings of a desert is no less than a miracle. The legend about the Creator God, Bramha describes the creation of this lake. When the demon Vajra Nabha killed Brahma's children, he in turn struck him with his weapon, a lotus flower. Vajra Nabha died with the impact, and the petals of the lotus fell at three places. One of them is Pushkar, where a lake sprung into being. Brahma is supposed to have performed sacrifice at this lake on Kartik Purnima (the full moon day of the Kartik month), hallowing the place. Sacred to Brahma, Pushkar boasts of its temple dedicated to him, which is the only one of its kind in the world. A dip in the waters of Pushkar and worship at his temple ensure salvation. So thousands flock to Pushkar to observe the ritual on kartik Purnima, or on any of the four days preceding it.

Indian Stamp On International Women's Day

International Women's Day (IWD) is marked on March 8 every year. It is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women.Started as a political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries (primarily Russia and the countries of former Soviet bloc).In some celebrations, the day lost its political flavour, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love to the women around them in a somewhat similar to Mother's Day and St Valentine's Day mixed together. In others, however, the political and human rights theme as designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner.

The IWD is also celebrated as the first spring holiday, as in the listed countries the first day of March is considered the first day of the spring season.In 1975, which had been designated as International Women’s Year, the United Nations gave official sanction to and began sponsoring International Women's Day.

The 2005 Congress (conference) of the British Trades Union Congress overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling for IWD to be designated a public holiday in the United Kingdom. Today many events are held by women's groups around the world.

The First Day Cover Released On The Occasion

Stamps On Indian Saint Vallalar

Tamil Holyman.Vallalar (also known as Ramalinga) was instrumental in propogating the Sudha Sanmarga (Pure Gathering) School in the Tamil region of southern India, during the 19th Century. Vallalar belonged to a line of Tamil saints known as "gnana siddhars" ("gnana" means higher wisdom). The Suddha Sanmarga was spread and passed on by him not only in theory but mainly in practice by his own way of living which was itself inspiration for his followers. According to Suddha Sanmarga, the prime aspects of human life should be love connected with charity and spritual practice leading to achievement of pure knowledge. He recommended a rather spartan approach to obtaining Enlightenment -- complete abstinence from sex and the pleasures of the table.

Born in 1823 near Chidambaram, TamilNadu, India, Vallalar lived the early part of his life in Chennai and settled in later Vadalur in 1867. He had a divine call in him asa representative of the earth and felt himself an instrument of the Divine for the universal manifestation of the death - conquering Vast Grace -Light on the earth. He saw the vision of a divine evolution of the earthly life in the wake of its Manifestation. He realized the supreme and universal Divine integrally and his body became transformed and filled with Light so much so it did not cast its shadow on the ground. He eventually attained a transformed and divinised golden physical body, deathless and ever indestructible, shadow less and sleepless, and full of Light. Amrita and blissful energies and with a potential power to resurrect the dead into the bodily life. He preached deathless of body of the people and said that it was by an error they are consenting to death. After about a year or two of attaining the Deathless body, he sacrificed it by dematerialization in 1874 in the very concrete Presence of the Divine at his place in order to make the God of Vast Grace - Light manifest so as to stay on and directly rule the earth and to enable him to enter into all the physical bodies universally. Saint Vallalar of Vadalur stands unique in annals of spiritual and religious history, for he not only taught a simple, down to earth, rational philosophy such as could be comprehended by the simple amongst us, but also practiced what he preached, in full public view, even as he lived and moved like any mortal in our society during the last century. Preaching the philosophy of compassion coupled with dedication and prayer to God. He demonstrated by example what man can and should achieve in this very birth, through Universal kindness and generosity.

Saint Vallalar made an incisive analysis of existing philosophies, strengthened the basic concepts and laid stress on aspects that needed the greatest emphasis in or times. Shorn of the complexities and nuances or obscure metaphysical that are beyond the understanding of the 'work a day', the teaching of Saint Vallalar are simple and straight forward and appeal to the ordinary folks directly as being reasonable and credible. What is more, his assertions of the feasibility of salvation for all people through the practice of compassion, right in this very birth, here and now, gave them a reassuring feeling and a new confidence in themselves which greatly attracted them to the path of Sanmargha shown by him.

Saint Vallalar’s revelation encompassing as it does, the old and the new, the east and the west, the past and the present, is verily and gospel of the common man, for its outreach is at once vast and varied, is couched in simple and strikingly convincing language, as though it was penned by a common man.

Unraveling the potential verities of godhead in all living creatures, Saint Vallalar preach against dogmas and blind customs that had obscured the original jewels of wisdom immanent in early scriptures. Nevertheless his was a mission of kindness and compassion, persuasion, example rather than enforcement. There is no room for extreme enmity and quarrel, malice or disaffection in his dispensation.

2007 Indian Stamps : 150yrs of First War Of Indian Independence

The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a period of armed uprisings against colonial authority of the British East India Company in India between early 1857 and mid 1858. The period and events are also often referred to as the Indian Mutiny, Sepoy Mutiny or First War of Indian Independence. These uprisings were mainly concentrated in north central India, with some outbreaks elsewhere. The first signs of brewing discontent, involving incidents of arson in cantonment areas, began to appear in January 1857.

Mutinies of Indian troops serving in the East India Company's army, such as at Vellore in 1806 were not unprecedented. There were also several previous battles between the Company and local rulers such as Rani Chennamma of Keladi and Tipu Sultan of Mysore, as well as previous popular uprisings such as the Sannyasi Rebellion of the 1780s.

All these events were, however, limited to a relatively small area, within a town or at the most a few districts. What was unprecedented was the escalation from purely localized conflicts to a large scale rebellion, which broke out in May 1857.

This rebellion brought about the end of both the East India Company's rule in India, and the Timurid dynasty replacing it with direct rule by the British government (British Raj) of much of the Indian subcontinent for the next 90 years, although few hundred states retained nominal independence under their respective Nawabs and Rajas, or kings.

2007 Indian Stamps : National Parks Of India

Periyar is a protected area, and a Project Tiger nature reserve in the South Indian State of Kerala, set high in the mountains of the Western Ghats at the border to Tamil Nadu. It lies in the districts of Idukki and Pathanamthitta. The protected area covers an area of 777 km², out of which a 350 km² part of the core zone was made into the Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve, sometimes dubbed the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. The park is often called by the name thekkady also. Thekkady is located four km from Kumily, approximately 100 km east of Alappuzha, 110 km west of Madurai and 120 km southeast from Kochi.

The Periyar protected area lies in the middle of a mountainous area of the Cardamom Hills. In the north and the east it is bounded by mountain ridges of over 1700 Meter altitude and toward the west it expands into a 1200 Meter high plateau. From this level the altitude drops steeply to the deepest point of the reserve, the 100 Meter valley of the Pamba River. The highest peak is the 2019 Meter high Kottamalai.

The sanctuary surrounds picturesque 26 km² Periyar lake, formed by the building of Mullaperiyar Dam in 1895. This reservoir and the Periyar River meander around the contours of the wooded hills, providing a permanent source of water for the local wildlife.

Altogether 62 different kinds of mammal have been recorded in Periyar, including many threatened ones. Though it's titled a tiger reserve, there are hardly any tigers left in the sanctuary. Tourists also come here to view the Indian elephants in the act of ablution and playfulness by the Periyar lake. The elephant number around 900 to 1000 individuals. Other mammals found here include gaur, sambar (horse deer), barking deer, mouse deer, Dholes (Indian wild dogs), mongoose and leopards. Also inhabiting the park, though rarely seen, are the elusive Nilgiri tahr.

Four species of primates are found at Periyar - the rare lion-tailed macaque, the Nilgiri Langur, the common langur, and the Bonnet Macaque.

Madhumalai means old hills. Madhumalai Sanctuary, rich in bio-diversity and dense vegetation, is sandwiched between the Bandipur and Annamalai sanctuaries, and together the three form the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in the Western Ghats, with the Mysore-Ooty highway passing through it. It is situated at an elevation of 1000 metres and extends over an area of 321 sq. kms where lie the sanctuary between Kerala and Karnataka states. It was one of the first wildlife sanctuaries in the country and is home to the spotted deer, Tiger, wild boar & sloth bear. Otters and crocodiles inhabit the Moyar River.

Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of Assam, India. It is a World Heritage Site, and two-thirds of the world's Great One-horned Rhinoceroses live in the park.Kaziranga has the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. The park has large breeding populations of elephants, water buffalo and swamp deer. Kaziranga is recognised as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International for conservation of avifaunal species. The park has achieved notable success in wildlife conservation compared to other protected areas in India. Located on the edge of the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot, the park combines high-species diversity and visibility.

Kaziranga is a vast expanse of tall elephant grass, marshland and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests crisscrossed by four major rivers, including the Brahmaputra, and has numerous small bodies of water. Kaziranga has been the theme of several books, documentaries and songs. The park celebrated its centenary in 2005 after its establishment in 1905 as a reserve forest.

Bandipur National Park is one of India's best known sanctuaries, and is an important Project Tiger reserve. It is located in the Chamarajanagar district of southern Karnataka in south India, and is contiguous with the Mudumalai National Park in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu, the Wynad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala, and the Nagarhole National Park to the northwest. It is home to around seventy tigers and over three thousand Asian elephants (as per the 1997 census), along with leopards, dholes, gaur and sloth bears. Bandipur is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.The Western Ghats, Nilgiri Sub-Cluster (6,000+ km²), including all of Bandipur National Park, is under consideration by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for selection as a World Heritage Site.

Bandhavgarh National Park (Devanagari: बांधवगढ राष्ट्रीय उद्दान) is located in Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh state in India. Bandhavgarh was declared a national park in 1968 with an area of 105 km². The buffer is spread over the forest divisions of Umaria and Katni and totals 437 km². The park derives its name from the most prominent hillock of the area, which is said to be given by Lord Rama to his brother Laxman to keep a watch on Lanka. Hence the name Bandhavgarh (Bandhav=Brother, Garh=Fort). This is a Small National Park, Compact, yet full of game. The density of the tiger population at Bandhavgarh is the highest known in India. This is also white tiger country. These have been found in the old state of Rewa for many years. Maharaja Martand Singh captured the last known in 1951. This white tiger, Mohan, is now stuffed and on display in the palace of the Maharajas of Rewa.

Indian Stamps On Mahanirvana Of Gauthama Buddha

In Buddhism, parinirvana (Sanskrit: परिनिर्वाण Pali: परिनिब्बाण) is the final nirvana, usually understood to be within reach only upon the death of the body of someone who has attained complete awakening (bodhi). It is the ultimate goal of Buddhist practice and implies a release from the bhavachakra, samsara, karma and rebirth as well as the dissolution of all worldly physical and mental aggregates or skandhas. The Buddhist term, Mahaparinirvana, meaning "great, complete Nirvana" is also encountered. The word "Mahaparinirvana" usually refers to the ultimate state of Nirvana (everlasting, highest peace and happiness) entered by an Awakened Being (Buddha) or "arhat" (Pali: Arahant) at the moment of physical death, when the mundane skandhas (constituent elements of the ordinary bodymind) are shed and only the Buddhic skandhas remain (this in Mahayana Buddhism). However, it may also refer (in the Mahayana) to the same inner spiritual state reached during a Buddha's physical lifetime too. In the Mahayana Buddhist scripture entitled the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the Buddha teaches that unlike "ordinary" Nirvana, "Mahaparinirvana" is the sublimest state or realm realised by a perfect Buddha, a state in which that Buddhic being awakens to "the Eternal, Bliss, the Self, and the Pure".

Only in Mahaparinirvana is this True Self (as the resolution of "atman" and anatman), the mindstream, held to be fully discernible. Parinirvana is depicted in Dharmic Traditions' iconography and thangka signification employing the five rainbow colors, the Five Pure Lights. In Hinduism and Yoga parinirvana is called Mahasamadhi. In the Dzogchen lineages of Mantrayana, parinirvana and mahasamadhi are refined into the phowa of the mindstream as the Rainbow Body.

The Miniature Sheet Released On The Occasion

2007 Indian Stamps : R M Algappa Chettiar

Padmabushan Alagappa Chettiar (born 6 April 1909 in Kottaiyur, Sivagangai District, Tamil Nadu) was an Indian industrialist and philanthropist.

He was the second son of K. V. AL. Ramanathan Chettiar and Umayal Achi. He attended the SMS Vidyasala in Karaikudi and went on to obtain an M.A. in English literature from the Presidency College in Madras (now Chennai) at the age of 21. He had the fortune of befriending Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, a model teacher who later became the President of India.

At the age of 21, he became the first Indian trainee at the Chartered Bank in London. Thereafter he qualified for the bar at Middle Temple in England.He launched his career by pioneering in textiles. In 1937 he started Cochin Textiles, later Alagappa Textiles at Pudhukaddu near Thirucheur in Kerala. The township for Cochin textile staff was named "Alagappa Nagar".He very quickly diversified, with rubber plantations in Malaya, tin mines in Burma, textile mills in Kerala, insurance companies in Calcutta, hotels in Bombay, theatres in Madras, a flourishing stockbroking company and a private airline.His business interests were shortlived, however, as he changed his focus to education.

In 1943 he donated one lakh (100,000) rupees for the installation and development of the Tamil Department of Travancore University.In 1947 at the Dr. Annie Besant centenary celebrations the Vice-Chancellor of Madras University called industrialists to start colleges to educate India. Chettiar answered the call and within three days Alagappa Arts College started functioning at Gandhi Maleghai in Karaikudi. His further donations led to the establishment of a string of educational institutions.

He convinced Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to house one of the Government's National Research Institutes in the heart of the Alagappa campus at Karaikudi, donating 300 acres (1.2 km²) of land and 1.5 million rupees. This gesture earned for him the epithet "Socialistic Capitalist" from Nehru. Dr. Radhakrishnan, the Vice President of India stated at the opening of the Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CECRI) on 14 January 1953:

'The magnificent gift of 300 acres (1.2 km²) of land 1.5 million of Rupees by Dr. Alagappa Chettiar helped the Government of India to select Karaikudi as the seat of Electro Chemical Research Institute. Being a businessman himself, Dr. Alagappa Chettiar is aware of the industrial possibilities of our country and the need for scientific, technical and technological education in his lifetime he has built a monument for himself you have only to look around."

2007 Indian Stamps : Mehboob Khan

Mehboob Khan (1907 - 28 May 1964) was one of the many pioneers of Indian Cinema.Khan was born Ramjan Khan in Bilimoria, Gujurat. He ran away from home to work small jobs in the studios of Bombay. He played bit parts and supporting characters before directing his first film, Judgement of Allah (1935). Directorial features like Aurat followed, with the studios Sagar Movietone and National Studios. In 1945, Khan left set up his own production house, Mehboob Productions. Throughout his career, Khan produced and directed many blockbuster films, the most notable being the romantic drama Andaz (1949), the swashbuckling Aan (1951), the dramatic Amar and the social epic Mother India (1957), the latter of which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1957 He has directed 21 other films dating from the late 1930s. His earlier works were in Urdu, but his later material, including Mother India, were in Hindi. His last film as a director was the 1962 film Son of India. He died two years later at the age of 57.

Khan was known for having been influenced by Hollywood films and often his films featured lavish sets in the style of the the Hollywood era at that time. The oppression of the poor, class warfare and rural life are recurring themes in his work. He was the adopted father of Sajid Khan who had appeared in his last two films Mother India and Son of India.

Indian Stamps On Raj Narain

Raj Narain (1917 - December 31, 1986) was an Indian politician who as a candidate of Janata Party in 1977 defeated Indira Gandhi- then Prime Minister of India in Lok Sabha election from Rai Bareli constituency .

He was though earlier defeated by her in 1971 election. Raj Narain accused Indira Gandhi of corrupt electoral practices and filed election petition against her. The Allahabad High Court on 12 June 1975 upheld the accusations and set aside election of Indira Gandhi and also disqualified her to contest Lok Sabha election for next 6 years .

Raj Narain was born in 1917 in a Bhumihar Brahmin family of Uttar Pradesh and had studied M.A and LLB. He was born in the village named Motikoat, Gangapur in Varanasi. He was from the Royal family of Varanasi and directly associated with Maharaja Chet Singh and Maharaja Balwant Singh, who were kings of Varanasi,over a century back.

He joined Socialist Party and held many party positions . He was very close to Dr.Ram Manohar Lohia. Dr. Lohiya described him as "a person who has heart of a lion and practices of Gandhi". Dr. Lohia admired him a lot, and even said that "if in India there could be just three or four persons like him, dictatorship can never shadow the democracy".He was elected to Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 1952 . He was first "Leader of Opposition" of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly after independence, and his second term ended in the year 1962. He was in Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly for two terms (1952-1962) . He was a member of Rajya Sabha from 1966 to 1972 and again from 1974 to 1976. He was Minister of Health in Morarji Desai Government from 1977 to 1980.

He is one of the strongest pillars of Socialist movement in the country along with Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya.He was a great freedom fighter. He was president of Student Congress during 1942 revolution, and he lead the revolution in and around Varanasi district. The protest and revolution under his leadership is considered as one of the best this country has ever seen on August 09, 1942. He was so active in freedom struggle that British government wanted to get a hold of him and ordered to prize anybody who can get him "Dead or Alive". The prize for getting him dead or alive was Rs.5000, in the year 1942.

He holds a record for going jail. He was jailed 80 times in his total life span of 69. He nearly spent 17 years in jail for the cause of society and country at a large. He died on December 31, 1986 at 23:55 hrs at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi; the name which again shared its association with him after his death .

2007 Indian Stamps: Manoharbhai Patel

History throws up many a great event in the political, social, religious, economic, industrial and educational fields and every event gives birth to a leader and an endearing personality. The advent of Manoharbhai Patel into education arena in Gondia has been a memorable event and was crowning glory in a chain of great events in the district of Bhandara going back to the era of freedom struggle in Indian history. Those were the days of the Raj and its hold on India was total and complete. Then came the days when its hold on Indians became less and less and reached to a point when the days of the Raj were numbered.

By 1945 every Indian rose up to the occasion to the call of Mahatma Gandhi. Though India was enslaved by the alien rule Indians never felt enslaved and rose up to show that India was resurgent in every field of activity in every city, in every town and in every village of India. Bhandara district in the then known central province was also one of the shining examples of resurgent India. The achievement of the people of Bhadara in the filed of education led by a visionary leader and the attendant results accomplished would speak for itself. Literacy and education were not the priority of the Raj as their sole focus was to hold on to their colony, India, the jewel in the Crown. Most of the districts of India were suffering for want of any basic amenities. Bhandara was also one of those districts worst affected. The glaring and shocking fact was that 94% of the population of Bhandara district was illiterate! There was only one Government public school in he whole of the district!

In 1945 what Bhandara witnessed was the snowballing effect of a determined local initiative. A few resurgent people led by late Mr. Manoharbhai Patel, a wealthy and well known businessman and a philanthropist, came forward to set up the second school in Gondia town in the district with help coming from his friends. It was in that period the concept of Gondia Education Society was mooted and later the Society came into existence. In the ensuing six years many more primary and secondary schools were set up one by one on a relay basis. It was indeed a relentless and tireless effort. The results were path breaking. The literacy rate rose from a mere 6% to 14% in the Bhandara district!But, late Manoharbhai was not fully satisfied. What made him to move further was that in spite of this enviable achievement there was no college for higher education in the Bhandara district.

It was again late Shri Manoharbhai Patel leading in the front to gather support for establishing the first college in Gondia. With the help and cooperation of his trusted colleagues the first college was started with a skeleton staff in a warehouse provided by Manoharbhai's close friend and associate late Shri. C.J. Patel. That was the beginning of the second collective initiative.In a short span of ten years and by 1961 Gondia Education Society could establish 22 high schools spread across the district and in the same year two more colleges were also established. One great act that would speak volumes as to how much late Manoharbhai and his friends were devoted to the noble cause they all espoused and assiduously pursued was transferring all educational institutions founded by Gondia Education Society to the local Zilla Parishad (District Council).

It required a great vision to think in terms of setting a grand and a glorious precedent in public service. A dreamer never stops dreaming and Late Manoharbhai Patel was a dreamer par excellence. He was still restless as something still made him to feel not fully content with his enormous feats. This was attributed to his earnest desire, a longing of his heart, he often expressed to his colleagues and son Prafulla Patel,now Aviation Minister.

The First Day Released On The Occasion

2007 Indian Stamps :Fragrant Roses Of India

2007 Indian Stamps : Platinum Jubilee Of Indian Air Force

The Indian Air Force (भारतीय वायु सेना : Bharatiya Vayu Sena) is the air-arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the prime responsibility of conducting aerial warfare and securing the Indian airspace. It was established on October 8, 1932 as the Indian Air Force. It was granted the prefix "Royal" in 1945 in recognition of its services during the Second World War. The prefix Royal was dropped after India became a Republic in 1950. With its headquarters in New Delhi, the Indian Air Force has a strength of approximately 170,000 personnel and 1,350 combat aircraft (2006 figure) making it the fourth largest and one of the best air force in the world.

The Indian Air Force was officially established on 8 October 1932.Its first ac flight came into being on 01 Apr 1933. It possessed a strength of six RAF-trained officers and 19 Havai Sepoys (literally, air soldiers). The aircraft inventory comprised of four Westland Wapiti IIA army co-operation biplanes at Drigh Road as the "A" Flight nucleus of the planned No.1 (Army Co- operation) Squadron.