Glimpses of Modern Indian Philately

MAHATMA GANDHI'S DANDI MARCH COMMEMORATION

2011-12-10T02:00:00.000+05:30

MAHATMA GANDHI'S DANDI MARCH

The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagrahah began with the Dandi March on March 12, 1930, and was an important part of the Indian independence movement. It was a campaign of tax resistance and nonviolent protest against the British salt monopoly in colonial India, and triggered the wider Civil Disobedience Movement. This was the most significant organized challenge to British authority since the Non-cooperation movement of 1920–22, and directly followed the Purna Swaraj declaration of independence by the Indian National Congress on January 26, 1930. Mahatma Gandhi led the Dandi march from his base, Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad, to the sea coast near the village of Dandi. As he continued on this 24 day, 240 mile (390 km) march to produce salt without paying the tax, growing numbers of Indians joined him along the way. When Gandhi broke the salt laws at 6:30 am on April 6, 1930, it sparked large scale acts of civil disobedience against the British Raj salt laws by millions of Indians. The campaign had a significant effect on changing world and British attitudes toward Indian independenceand caused large numbers of Indians to join the fight for the first time.

The first day's march of 21 kilometres ended in the village of Aslali, where Gandhiji spoke to a crowd of about 4,000. As they entered each village, crowds greeted the marchers, beating drums and cymbals. Gandhiji gave speeches attacking the salt tax as inhuman, and the salt satyagraha as a "poor man's battle." Each night they slept in the open, asking of the villagers nothing more than simple food and a place to rest and wash. Gandhi felt that this would bring the poor into the battle for independence, necessary for eventual victory.

Dandi March Route Chart
Route Map	Date	Starting Point	Night Halt
	12th March	Ahmedabad	Aslali
	13th March	Aslali	Navagam
	14th March	Navagam	Matar
	15th March	Matar	Nadiad
	16th March	Nadiad	Anand
	17th March	Rest day at Anand
	18th March	Anand	Borsad
	19th March	Borsad	Kankapura
	20th March	Kankapura	Kareli
	21st March	Kareli	Ankhi
	22nd March	Ankhi	Amod
	23rd March	Amod	Samni
	24th March	Rest day at Samni
	25th March	Samni	Derol
	26th March	Derol	Ankleshwar
	27th March	Ankleshwar	Mangrol
	28th March	Mangrol	Umrachi
	29th March	Umrachi	Bhatgam
	30th March	Bhatgam	Delad
	31st March	Rest day at Delad
	1st April	Delad	Surat
	2nd April	Surat	Vanz
	3rd April	Vanz	Navsari
	4th April	Navsari	Karadi
	5th April	Karadi
	6th April	Dandi

Special commemorative stamps have been issued by India Post to commemorate this historical Dandi March. A set of two se-tenant stamps was issued on 2 October 1980. To mark the 75th Anniversary of Dandhi March, a set of four commemorative stamps was also issued on 5th April 2005. Special covers and other philatelic material is also available on this subject.

Special Set of 22 Picture Postcards on Dandi March to be issued.....

On the occasion of Gujarat Philatelic Exhibition, Gujpex 2011, which is being held at Vadodara, from 23rd to 25th December 2011, a set of 22 special used picture postcards is being released to commemorate the historic Dandi March.

These special post cards shall be posted at Ashram Road Post Office, Ahmedabad and at 21 other locations along the route of Dandi March, wherever Mahatma Gandhi halted for the night and from where he resumed his march the next morning. All these post cards will addressed to Secretary, Gujpex 2011, c/o Postmaster, Dandi and shall be transmitted by normal postal channel to Dandi and delivered to the addressee.

Only 500 post cards shall be posted at each of the 22 locations and these post cards shall be serially numbered from 1 to 500. On delivery at Dandi, the postcards shall be arranged in 500 sets, each containing of 22 post cards of same number but posted at 22 different locations on the route as stated above. These post cards shall bear the cancellation of offices of posting and delivery stamp of Dandi Post Office. Each such set shall be placed in a Khadi pouch along with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by an appropriate Postal Authority.

Of the 500 sets of picture postcards so issued and arranged, only 450 sets shall be available for sale, each at a price of Rs. 1000/- only. However, first 100 pre-bookings will be provided at 30% discount, i.e. for Rs. 700/- only and remaining pre-bookings at 15% discount, i.e. for Rs. 850/- only. These shall also be available on sale at the venue of exhibition at a discount of 15%, i.e. for Rs. 850/- only.

Interested philatelists and collectors are advised to send their requests for pre-bookings and the requisite amount to Director, Postal Training Centre, Vadodara, by i-MO or e-MO with full contact details. The booking can also be made in person by paying in cash. If the amount is being sent by i-MO or e-MO then the amount may be sent presuming 15% discount. If the pre-booking order qualifies for the 30% discount as stated above, the remaining amount shall be refunded later. Pre-bookings shall be accepted upto 21st December 2011.

The receipt of i-MO or e-MO in original and photo identification is necessary to personally collect the booked set from the venue of the exhibition. If the booked set is not collected personally, then the same will be sent by insured post.

Address for sending e-MO / i-Mo:

Director,
Postal Training Centre
Harni Road,
Harni Colony P.O.
VADODARA - 390 022

Information based on the press note received from Gujpex 2011 Secretariat, O/o Postmaster General, Vadodara Region, Vadodara – 390002 dated 9th December 2011.

Original footage of Mahatma Gandhi and his followers marching to Dandi in the Salt Satyagraha (Dandi March)

Courtesy: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Survey of Post Independence Indian Postal History

2011-11-17T23:57:00.000+05:30

INTRODUCTION

Philatelic hobby is thriving in India unlike in North America and Western Europe. An important indicator of how well the hobby is doing is the number of new and younger collectors joining the hobby. It also seems that the more collectors in India are primarily interested in 20^thcentury and especially post independence period of India. Fortunately, some of the well known Indian philatelists have written articles and even published specialized books such as “Slogan Cancels of India” by renowned philatelist, Mr. Ashok Bayanwala. There are numerous articles on modern Indian stamps, postal stationery and postal history etc. in India Post, the official publication of the India Study Circle of UK.

A major attraction of collecting post independence India postal history is its relatively more abundant availability and comparatively inexpensive cost compared to say 19^th century British India postal history especially say 1854 lithographs on covers.

This article attempts to take a comprehensive overview of the breadth and depth of postal history of post independence Indian philately. The scope of post independence postal history of India is huge. This overview is undertaken with three objectives in mind:

1. Promote organized collection and exhibition of postal history of post independent India; and

2. Encourage further research and publication of articles, reports or books on different aspects of this subject.

3. Demonstrate that a collector can choose to develop a collection covering a certain dimension of post independence postal history on a relatively modest budget and use the collection to develop scholarly exhibits for both domestic and international philatelic exhibitions.

This overview is undertaken through an organized classification which can help collectors to figure out what aspects of post-independence postal history to collect and to organize the acquisitions and to develop suitable exhibits. Another important use of an organized classification would be to further facilitate research in particular areas by fellow collectors. Finally such an organized classification can also guide collectors to develop specific exhibit for a given area of post independence postal history.

However, the relative affordability of post independence India postal history is perhaps more an indication of limited interest and demand rather than relative availability. An example is the commemorative stamps issued during Rupee-Anna currency period (1947 to 1957) immediately after independence. Conversely, certain categories are both in significant demand and relatively scarce such as the covers from Indian armed forces serving under UN Peace Keeping Forces in Korea, Indo-China and Congo.

Before getting into detailed break out of different classifications of post independence India postal history, chronological time line is the most common parameter universally used by philatelists worldwide.

CHRONOLOGY:

Post Independence Time Line: The author proposes following chronological periods for collectors’ consideration:

a) August 15 1947 to March 31 1957: From the Independence to End of Anna period of Indian currency.

b) April 1 1957 to 27 September 1964: Metric Currency Transition. Indian Post Office allowed over six years to identify new currency (i.e. One Rupee = 100 New Paisa) on postage stamps denomination. In 1964, the Indian Post Office used both “nP” for about seven years after which “P” was used for Paisa denomination. SG#490 Raja Roy issue was the last one to show “nP” denomination.

c) October 1964 to December 31, 1999: Modern 20^th Century Period.

d) January 1, 2000 to Current: 21^st Century Period.

AN ORGANIZED APPROACH

Within the timeline described above, a collector can consider two different categories and classifications in the proposed organized approach as shown here:

i) Types of Postal Emissions.

a. Definitive Stamps including experimental coil.

b. Commemorative Stamps and souvenir sheets.

c. Official Stamps and postal stationery.

d. Indian Stamps Overprinted for Indian Army in international peace keeping forces in Korea, Indo-China, Congo and Gaza/Egypt.

e. Refugee Relief Tax Issues (Nasik Overprints, local overprints, special emission)

f. Postal Stationery Issues: Postal cards. Postal envelopes, airmail, express mail.

g. Meter Stamps

ii) Categories of Postal Services or Usages

a. Domestic Mail

b. International Destinations and Origins

c. Airmail

d. Book Post and Printed Matter

e. Registered Mail

f. Insured Mail

g. Parcel Post Service

h. Express Mail / Speed Delivery

i. Military Mail

j. Indian Stamps used Abroad: Indian Contingent of UN Peace Keeping Forces

The breadth and depth of post independence India postal history is huge and complex. However, just describing the organized approach above does not help us comprehend what it entails. Hence, this article will provide some illustrative examples of postally used covers and cards in terms of different emissions and different aspects of Post independence India postal history. These examples are merely to illustrate the scope, breadth and depth of post independence Indian postal history. This article does not attempt to show examples of every emission and every category of postal usage. Hopefully this article will lead to other collectors and writers sharing their areas of interest. Also, this article reflects examples of Post independence postal history for about first 25 year period from 1947 to 1972.

These different dimensions of Post Independence India postal history are illustrated with examples of covers with particular emphasis on uncommon foreign destinations:

A. DEFINITIVE STAMPS : 1947 to 1957: Anna Period:

Interestingly, the first definitive stamps were issued two years after the independence. It would be worthwhile to check Indian postal records to determine the reason for such a long wait after the independence. My hypothesis is that at the time of independence, Indian Post Office had a vast stock of British India definitive, commemorative and official stamps. It seems the Indian PO found it economical to use up this inventory before issuing a new set of definitive stamps. Consequently, it was fairly common to not only find British India stamps used post 1947 period but also to see them used in combination with independent India stamps. Such combination is called “Mixed-Franking” usage: Another category of mixed franking is the use of Indian stamps in combination with other country stamps which are also illustrated in this article.

A) DEFINITIVE STAMPS: Archeology and Five Year Plan Issues:

Mixed Franking Registered Usage: Here are two different examples of mixed franking usages to foreign destination. Mixed Indian Stamps Usage.

i) British India+Independent India Combination Usage:

Fig. 1A


Fig. 1B

Figure -1A (Front) and 1B (Obverse): This is a registered cover bearing British India SG#265-266 Pair with independent India SG# 309 Pair, 312 and 316 tied by EXP PO B-80 (Chembur, India) sent by surface mail to Ismir Turkey. The total postage of 7½ Anna consists of 3½ Anna for surface mail and 4 annas for registration postage.

ii) Double Mixed Usage:

Fig. 2

Figure-2: This Registered Cover bears British India (SG#259,267 and 275) used in combination with Independent India Archeology stamp (SG#317) on Independent India Registered mail postal stationery making 3 Rupees, 4 Annas, 6pies for registered airmail postage rate mailed from Darjeeling on 24 MY 1951 to Chalfont, Pa. Upon arrival in the US, the postal clerk applied USA 10c Prexy definitive (Sc#815) to pay for US Customs inspection service which was collected from the recipient. The use of second country stamp typically was either for postage due collection for short fall in postage stamps applied by sender and or for forwarding the mail to another destination during certain period. Use of US postage stamps for other services such as customs inspection is uncommon.

Book Post to Foreign Destinations: About the only way to have examples of low value definitive’s on covers to foreign destination is the book post rate as seen in the following couple of examples:

Fig. 3

Book Post-Surface Mail: Figure-3: Archeology 9 paisa issue (SG#311) used on circa 1950 Book Post cover from Nasik to Syria. Interestingly Syrian Post Office forwarded it to Beirut, Lebanon without charging any forwarding fees.

Book Post Airmail: Figure-4A and 4B: This is an airmail book post unsealed envelope bearing block of six of SG#357 (One Anna First Five Year plan definitive) is mailed to Havana, Cuba. This appears to be truly commercial usage and not philatelic.

Fig. 4A

Fig. 4B

Airmail to Foreign Destination:

A cover shows Archeology 8annas (SG#318) and One Rupee (SG#320) on a neat 1952 Airmail cover to Beirut, Lebanon. This is One Rupee and 8 Anna airmail rate.

Private Post Card to Foreign Destination:

A cover shows SG#312 (4anna Republic Issue) with SG#331 (One Anna archeology) issue is used in 1950 to Finland. What was the correct Airmail rate for sending post card to foreign destination? Private post card used to foreign destination are uncommon.

Exotic Foreign Destinations:

Fig. 7

Exotic foreign destinations are defined as the ones which with India had relatively limited business, social or cultural communications. Would you consider Falkland Islands an exotic destination? Figure-7 shows a short set of Archeology stamps on a cacheted First Day Cover used to Stanley, Falkland Island. The back of cover does bear the receiving cancel of Stanley Falkland Islands.

Fig. 8

Another example is Figure-8 shows a cover bearing Archeology stamps (SG#310, 312 representing 3½ Anna) used from Ahmedabad to Iceland! However, both covers are most likely philatelic correspondence.

B. COMMEMORATIVE STAMPS:

Commemorative stamps on covers are very collectible especially if one were to show examples of mint, used and on covers with different types of usages as part of the collection or exhibition. Beyond showing the use of commemorative covers on domestic, international mail and of different categories, one can also show unusual destinations and origins. Let us see some uncommon or unusual usages of early commemoratives.

i) Exotic Foreign Destinations

Fig. 9

Fig. 9B

Mahatma Gandhi stamps and its postal history are perhaps very popular and more so when used on cover to exotic foreign destinations. Figure-9A, and 9B shows 1948 Mahatma Gandhi 3½ Anna used correctly (Surface rate to foreign country was 3½ Anna). How often can one find Mahatma Gandhi stamp used to San Jose, Costa Rica? Back of cover does bear receiving cancel of San Jose the capital of Costa Rica. I wonder how many covers bearing Gandhiji stamps are known used to Costa Rica?

(a) A second example is the use of Tilak commemorative stamp (SG#374) with One Anna Five Year plan (SG#357) to Tibet (Figure 10A, 10 B). This cover was mailed from Kalimpong on 10-9-56 to Shigatse, Tibet. Interestingly by the cover also bears the receiving bilingual (Tibetan and Chinese) cancel of Chinese Post Office in Tibet. The 3 Anna postal rate needs further explanation. What was the postage rate from India to Tibet during 1956?

Fig. 10A

Fig. 10B

ii) Book Post Rate to Foreign Destination:

(a) Figure-11 shows the 9p Kabir Poet issue used on Book Post cover in 1952 to Philadelphia, Pa, USA. Low value Poet issue used singly on a cover is quite uncommon and difficult to find.

Fig, 11

iii) Registered Mail to Foreign Destination:

Figure-12 is a Post Independent registered postal stationery envelope (15 paisa postage and 50paise Registration fee with additional postage of Rs 3.45 made up with a strip of 3 of SG#465 (One Re overprint on Kalidas commemorative) with Map definitives (SG#402-5np; 409-25np) used on 1963 registered airmail cover to Busan, Korea..a rather uncommon destination.

Fig. 12A

Fig. 12B

iv) Indian Stamps Used by UN Peace Keeping Forces: Even though Indian Post Office prepared specially overprinted stamps for use by the Indian Armed Forces assigned as part of UN Peace Keeping Forces in Korea, Indo-China, Congo and Gaza, we have example of Indian commemorative stamps used from such missions. Figure 13A and 13B shows SG 421 (India Exhibition held in New Delhi) used in 1959 from Indian FPO 547 to Amritsar which was undelivered and eventually ended up in Dead Letter Office (DLO) at Amritsar.

Fig. 13A

Fig. 13B

C. OFFICIAL STAMPS:

Official stamps used on covers are fairly common due to large and extensive use. However as a postal historian, one would look for uncommon usages and or destinations. One of the more obvious areas is the use of Indian official stamps on mail to foreign countries representing different categories of postal services. Here we will high light some examples just to whet the readers’ appetite!

Fig. 14

i) Airmail to Foreign Destination: Figure 14 shows SG O155(2 Annas) x2+SGO160 (8 Annas) totaling 12 annas on a 1952 Airmail cover to New Zealand. The cover was mailed from Dispatch Clerk in General Manager of GIP Railway office. The stamps are tied by BOMBAY RMS (Railway Mail Service). Since the cover was short paid (correct postage would be 14 annas), the New Zealand post office collected 16cents of postage due from the recipient.

ii) Mixed Franking to Foreign Destination: Figure-15A and 15B shows a nice registered cover bearing mixed franking of British India and Independent India official stamps. The cover mailed from the office of Rajpramukh of PATIALA State to Santiago, Chile. The cover bears SG#O150, O155 and O161 making up a total of 2 Rs and 10 Annas. Cover bears the receiving cancel of Santiago, Chile. A very attractive and uncommon use. Please note that correctly used one Rupee official stamp especially to foreign destination such as to Chile.

Fig. 15A

Fig. 15B

iii) Air Parcel to Foreign Destination: In general full parcel envelope with stamps are not easy to find as they have low survival rate. Also by definition, parcels often bear high value and or large number of stamps to cover very high postage rate. An extreme example is shown as Figure 16A and 16B. This very large cloth parcel was sent by Airmail and bears a total postage of Rs1,485.00 consisting of 148 of 10 Re stamps; 2 of 2 Re stamps and single 1 Re stamp. According to customs declaration slip, the parcel contained a thesis from an Indian graduate student (now an Indian government employee) to his professor at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Coincidentally, the author also went to the same university though much earlier.

Fig. 16A

Fig. 16B

D. INDIAN STAMPS OVERPRINTED FOR INDIAN ARMY UNDER UN PEACE KEEPING FORCES:

Pre-1947 British India military postal history covers over 150 years and is very popular. Similarly the post independent Indian military postal history especially involving foreign expeditions under UN Peace Keeping Forces is a fertile field for post independent Indian postal historian. Readers are invited to share their example of commercial covers used from the Indian Custodian Forces in Korea since the author does not readily have one to show for this article.

i) Indian UN Forces in Congo: Figure 17A and 17B is a non-philatelic cover bearing India SG#U1(2) and U5 making 15np rate used from Indian Forces under UN Peace Keeping Forces at Indian FPO 660 in Congo. The cover was mailed on 9-4-62 and was received on 14-6-62 in Amritsar as per back stamp.

Fig. 17A

Fig. 17B

ii) International Commission in Indo-China: CAMBODIA: Figure 18 is a cover bearing SG#N1-N4 used from FPO 746 on 24-6-56 from ISCG at Phnom Penh Cambodia to Austria. The airmail cover bears 11anna and 3pies postage to Austria. Author believes this to be a philatelic cover and is overpaid.

Fig. 18

iii) International Commission in Indo China: Laos: Figure 19A and 19B is a cover bearing complete set of SG#N6-N10 used on Registered cover from FPO 744 (Vientine, Laos) dated 8-5-55 and sent to Perak, Malaya. Back of cover (Figure-19B) has FPO 744 registration slip and transit cancels of BASE POST OFFICE (13-2-55), KAMPAR (17-2-55) and IPOH(17-2-55). Most likely this is also a philatelic cover though properly used. Registered mail from Indian Forces under UN Peace Keeping Forces are uncommon.

Fig. 19A

Fig. 19B

iv) International Commission in Indo-China-Vietnam: Figure20A and 20B is a Registered cover bearing SG#N28 (13Npx5) and N43(1Npx16) used in 1964 on Registered cover from FPO 742 with official corner card of Controller of Accounts of International Commission in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Cover bears a total postage of 81nP and needs rate analysis. Cover was mailed to Ministry of Food & Agriculture in Bombay India. Cover bears Base Post Office cancel dated 30-6-64.

Fig. 20A

Fig. 20B

E. Postal Stationery: India to Foreign Destinations:

Most Indian postal stationery (Postal Cards, Postal Envelopes, Airmail Postal Stationery cards, envelopes Official postal stationery. Only one example is share in this article to whet the appetite.

i) Figure-21 is a 5np domestic postal card upgraded with Indian Map series definitive (SG#400, 401 and 403 making 16 nP rate on a 1954 surface mail cover to Latvia.

Fig. 21

CONCLUSIONS & FOLLOW UPS

It is hoped that this comprehensive survey will catch the interests of the readers to take pro-active actions. These pro-active actions can range from comments, clarifications or answers to questions raised in this article to digging into their collection to re-discover their treasure and share scans of examples. Or even better, how about contributing to a series articles as a regular feature in the Indian Philatelic literature. Thank you.

Contributed by : Mr. Ravi Vora, USA

Note: Readers are requested to send their comments, views, suggestions on this article.

1st April 1948 - Indian Embassy (Nepal)

2011-11-13T12:02:00.001+05:30

Registered mail posted in Dec. 1949 from Nepal to India.
Reg. slip No.R-167 shows the words "INDIAN EMBASSY
NEPAL" & " BRITISH LEGATION NEPAL"

The British Legation (Nepal) P.O. was transformed into Indian embassy (Nepal) PO after India's Independence on 15th August 1947, but no specific date is recorded yet. Mr. Wolfgang C. Hellrigl also in his book "Nepal Postal History" doesn't give any specific date when legation office was taken over by Indian Embassy. But in my opinion, the transformation date should be 1st April 1948 and reason for my belief, are as follows:

India was divided on 14th-15th August 1947 at night. But the postal treatment towards Pakistan was finalised on and from 1st April 1948 only.

The Postal administration of Persian Gulf countries i.e. Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait and Muscat was handed over by India to British Post Office Agencies on and from 1st April 1948.

It is recorded in Nepal Postal History by Wolfgang that the Postal Markings were altered from British Legation (Nepal) to Indian Embassy (Nepal), in between 23rd April 1948 and 10th May 1948. It means that the change in Postal Cancellation took place after 1st April 1948 and it also means that if alteration would have taken place earlier, the cancellation would have appeared earlier.

The Indian Embassy (Nepal) PO or British Legation (Nepal) PO or Residency PO was the name of the Indian Post Office in Nepal. The Residency PO started functioning in Kathmandu, Nepal in the year 1816. It continued till 1920 when it became British Legation PO, but postal markings were changed in 1941. After India's Independence the charge of this Indian PO was handed over to Indian Embassy in Nepal on 1st April 1948, and the postal markings were changed in between 23rd April 1948 and 10th May 1948. It was closed on and from 12th April 1965.

Privately printed FDC with the Cancellation inscribed words:
"INDIAN EMBASSY (NEPAL)".

The Indian Post Office, which worked for 149 years in Nepal, was actually worked as a Foreign Post Office of Nepal. All foreign letters (excluding India) had to be forwarded to its destination through this Post Office. Before 1950, Nepal had a rigid policy of isolation, which was relaxed during the early 1950's. Since then, Tourists Mail started flowing through Indian Embassy PO Mail arrangements between India and Nepal were as follows:

Fully Prepaid Unregistered correspondence namely, Letters, Single Post Cards, Printed papers, Business Papers, Samples and unregistered News Papers could be sent by the Post offices in India to Nepal through the offices of Exchange.

Reply Paid Post Cards, Money Order and V. P. Post Services were not available between two countries.

Registration, Insurance and Parcel Service were also not available throughout Nepal except kathmandu where Indian Post Office - Indian Embassy PO Nepal was working.

It means that Parcels within a limit of 400 tolas, Registered and Insured articles, addressed to and/ or care of this Indian Embassy PO, could be accepted. In case the addressee is not a member of the Indian Embassy, the Registered and Insured articles were handed over by the Indian Embassy (Nepal) PO to a representative of the Nepalese PO at Kathmandu, under acquittance and the later effects delivery. The above rules are recorded in Section XII of P & T Guide July 1948 and clarification there after are recorded in DGPO Circular No.49 dated 29th November 1949.

Source: Mr. Ashok Kumar Bayanwala, Ahmedabad.

1st April 1948 - Persian Gulf Countries

2011-09-10T14:25:00.000+05:30

The Persian Gulf is in between Iran and Saudi Arabia. It runs from the mouth of "Shatt el Arab" in north, to the "Strait of Oman" in the south. Its length is 600Kms and the breadth varies from 290 kms to 46kms.

The first Western Power in the Gulf was Portuguese, which came in between 1481 and 1487. They remained supreme in Gulf till 1621 and ceased to exist in between 1640 and 1650.

The British arrived in 1598, established first factory at Jask in 1619 and remained in low note. The Dutch visited Gulf in 1624 and soon became supreme in trade. They remained masters of the trade till 1708 but by 1760's lost all trade.

Thus British became paramount. "Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity" was signed in 1853. And its main function was the British Government should keep the peace in the Persian Gulf and all maritime disputes should be referred to them for arbitration.

Different treaties and agreements were signed, by which Great Britain alone was empowered to establish a Postal Administration. The Britishers opened Post Offices under Indian Postal Administration.

The first Postal Agency in the Gulf was opened at Muscat in 1856. Since then Bushire (1857), Ling (1867), Bandar Abbas (1867), Jask (1880), Bahrain (1884), Mahommera (1892), Kuwait (1904), Dubai (1909), Henjam (1913), Abadan (1914) and Ahwaj (1914) were opened. After the World War I, the conditions and values changed. The British influence was undermined. In 1923, all Indian Postal Agencies in Persia closed down. Only in areas on the western shore of the Gulf, the Postal Agencies continued in Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait and Muscat.

These 4 Postal Agencies were first under Bombay Circle and afterwards under Sind Circle but managed all along from Karachi Foreign P.O. They were using Indian Stamps but from 1st April 1923. Kuwait started using Indian Stamps overprinted "Kuwait" and from 1933, Bahrain started using Indian Stamps overprinted "Bahrain" and Muscat & Dubai went on using Indian Stamps without any overprint. We still find Indian Stamps without overprint "Kuwait" being used from Kuwait. Therefore, after partition of India Dubai and Muscat used Pakistan Stamps from 1st October 1947 till 31st March 1948.
The Postal Administration of Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait and Muscat in the Persian Gulf was taken over by His Majesty's Government and British Postal Office Agencies on and from 1st April 1948. Therefore, postal articles for and from the Postal Agencies were treated as foreign postal articles from 1st April 1948, vide Postal Notice No.67 dated 30th March 1948.

Correspondence for and from the Postal Agencies were of the following categories:

Letters, Single and reply paid post cards, Printed papers, Business papers, Sample packets and Blind literature packets. Parcels exceeding 22 lbs., in weight were not allowed. Insured letters and parcels only were accepted but limit should not exceed Rs. 3000/-. Money Orders, Indian Postal Order and V. P. Services were suspended on and from 1st April 1948.

With effect from 1st April 1948, the rate of postage was raised to full normal foreign postage rate. Letters not exceeding 1oz. would be 3½as and every additional oz. would be 2as. Post Card single would cost 2as and reply paid would be 4as.Printed papers would be 9 pies for every 2oz. Business Papers not exceeding 10oz. would be charged 3½as. and 9 pies for every additional 2oz. Sample Packets not exceeding 4oz. would be charged 1½as and every additional 2oz. would be 9 pies. Blind Literature Packets would be ½ anna for every 2½lbs. The maximum limit is 17½lbs. Pre payment of postage is compulsory vide Postal Notice No.66 dated 29th March 1948. The Air mail Fees inclusive of postage would be 6as per ½oz. for letters and 3as for Post Cards. When Air mail rates were revised on 1st September 1950, some changes were seen in Persian Gulf Countries. The air mail rate for letters were increased to 8as for Post Card to 4as and rate for Aerogramme was fixed at 6as only.

Source: Mr. Ashok Kumar Bayanwala, Ahmedabad.

1st April 1948 - Pakistan Treated as Foreign Country.

2011-08-07T22:57:00.000+05:30

After partition, the exchange of mails between India and Pakistan continued as it was before partition, but it was not smooth. Therefore from 1st November 1947, Offices of Exchange for Surface Mail, for Accountable Articles became Delhi for Lahore and Mcleodganj, Jodhpur for Hyderabad Sind and Bombay for Sea Mail to Karachi, for West Pakistan. Calcutta, Maldah, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Golakganj, Silchar, Agartala and Katihar for East Pakistan (Dacca).

Ordinary Mail including Registered & Unregistered Articles will be exchanged directly by Offices and Sections in India, in closed bags, vide DGPO Circular No.38 dated 31st October 1947. Dead Letter P. O. of India will directly deal with D. L. O., of Pakistan vide DGPO Circular No.47 dated 1st December 1947.

It appears that Air Mail to and from Pakistan was carried by Air India's Karachi - Madras Air Service. But from 26th January 1948, Air Mail from Pakistan will be despatched for India only through Orient Airways thrice weekly service between Karachi - Calcutta and by BOAC Service between Karachi - Delhi. Air Mail from India to Pakistan remain unchanged. The Postal Rates remained same, as it was prevailing before 15th August 1947 (Inland Postal Rates) vide Postal Notice No.56 dated 26th January 1948.

With effect from 1st April 1948, Pakistan will be treated as a foreign country for the exchange of postal traffic, vide Postal Notice No.66 and No.67 dated 29th & 30th March 1948 respectively. The main terms and conditions for delivery of postal articles in Pakistan will be as follows:

A. Letters, Single & Reply Paid Postcards, Printed Papers, Business Papers, Sample Packets, & Blind Literature Packets will be dealt as prescribed in Section III of the Indian P & T Guide.

B. Articles liable to Custom Duty will be dealt as per Clause 206 of the P & T Guide.

C. Registration, Express Delivery, Business Reply System, Money Order, Value Payable Post, Insurance and Parcel Services will be available as per terms of Indian Inland Service and as prescribed in P & T Guide. Prepayment of Postage is compulsory.

The Postal Rates will be as follows:

1.	Letters 3½ as., for 1oz., + 2 as., for every additional 1oz.
2.	Postcard 2 as., for Single and 4 as., for Reply.
3.	Printed Papers 9 pies for every 2oz.
4.	News Papers Inland Postal Rates will be apply.
5.	Business Papers 3½ as., for a weight not exceeding 10oz., and for every add. 2 oz., will be 9 pies.
6.	Sample Packets 1½ as., for 4 oz., + 9 pies for every additional 2oz.
7.	Blind Literature Packets ½ anna for every 2½ Lbs.
8.	Business Reply System The postage recoverable from the addressor on foreign postal rates.
9.	Insurance 5½ as., per Rs. 200/-.
10.	Acknowledgment 3 as., per article.
11.	Money Order, Air Mail MO, Telegraphic MO will be treated in same manner as of Burma.
12.	Value Payable Post articles will be dealt as of other foreign countries.
13.	Postal Order issued before 31st March 1948 will be paid till 30th September 1948. No Postal order will be accepted after 31st March 1948.
14.	Air Mail Postal Rates inclusive of Postage will be as follows: Letters 6 as., per ½ oz. (3½ as + 2½ as) Postcards 3 as each (2 as + 1a)

The above Postal Rates were reduced on and from 15th May 1948. The Indian Inland Postage Rates would apply on all classes of Postal Articles sent from India to Pakistan, except Business Reply Envelopes and Cards, which were not allowed to be exchanged between the two countries and Parcel Service would remain by registration only, vide Postal Notice No.13 dated 13th May 1948.

The Air Mail charges were also reduced and the new rates were as follows:
1) Letters and Packets 1½ as per tola or part in addition to ordinary postage 1½ as + 1½ as = 3 as.
2) Post Cards 9 pies per card in addition to ordinary postage 9p + 6p = 1¼ as.
3) Money Order 1½ as per Money order in addition to the ordinary MO Commission.

The above rates of Air Mail again confirmed by Postal Notice No.46 dated 25th October 1948.

Postal rates from 1st April 1949 for Pakistan again changed due to revision in Inland Postal rates of India. Air Mail fee remained same. Therefore by Air Letter or Packet will be 2 as + 1½ as = 3½ as, Post Card will be 9 pies + 9 pies = 1½ as and MO will be 1½ as irrespective of amount.

When Air Letter (Aerogramme) service was introduced to various foreign countries on 1st September 1950, the Air Mail rates for Letter Mail, Post Cards, Packets etc. were also revised. But the Air Mail fees for Pakistan remained same. For Letters 3½ as (2 as Inland postage + 1½ as Air Mail fees), for Post Cards 1½ as (9 pies + 9 pies) and for Aerogramme 3as (1½as + 1½ as).

The Airmail registered letter with Acknowledgement posted from Sambhar Lake (Rajasthan) to Lahore dated 21st February 1949 with the total postage of 8½ as.

(Front Side of Letter)

1½ as. Inland Postage Charges + 1½ as. Airmail Fees + 4as Registration Charges + 1½ as. ACK Charges = 8½ as. Total Postage (See the postage stamps affixed on front & back side of the envelope)

(Back Side of Letter)

Source: Mr. Ashok Kumar Bayanwala, Ahmedabad

Commencement of Commercial Airlines - 8th March 1948

2011-07-02T23:20:00.000+05:30

After the end of the World War II, the Government of India felt that they should have their own external Air Services without collaboration with United Kingdom.

Air India formerly known as Tata Airlines was owned by Tata Sons Ltd., which being foremost indigenous Airlines of India, had operated its First Commercial Air Service as far back as on 15th October 1932. On 29th July 1946, Tata Airlines came to be known as Air India Ltd. All assets and liabilities of Tata Airlines were taken over by Air India Ltd., at a cost of Rs. 39,46,116/-. The authorised capital of Air India Ltd., was Rs. 50 millions of which Rs. 15 millions was issued and paid up about the end of 1947.

The Air India Ltd., got the novel distinction of carrying Indian Flag for the first time ever in the sky, when the first Indian Ambassador to Moscow, Mrs.Vijiya Laxmi Pandit left India to take up her post in the Air India Fight DC-3VT-AT 1.

The Air India Ltd., submitted a proposal to the Govt. of India a scheme for the establishment of Air Services between India & U. K. The scheme contemplated the formation of a new company.

Air India International (A.I.I.) registered on 8th March 1948, with an authorized capital of Rs.70 millions and a paid up capital of Rs. 20 millions, of which the Government of India subscribed 49% and had on option to acquire a further 2% at any time. Air India Ltd., took 10% of the capital. The balance was subscribed by the public as well as other air transport carriers. The Air India Ltd., was appointed the General Technical Managers and Chief Booking Agents for a period of 10 years. Air India International Ltd., would have exclusive rights of operation over all routes to the West of India within a specified zone for a period of 10 years. The Government of India guaranteed to reimburse to A.I.I. Ltd., any loss incurred by it, after making provision for depreciation for a period of 5 years.

The Bombay - London Air Service of A.I.I. Ltd., was inaugurated on 8th June 1948. This was the blessed day, when Free India Tri-colour began flying in the sky outside India. From 8th to 31st December 1948, A.I.I. made 40 return flights on Bombay - London sector and flew 4,11,000 miles, 2600 passengers, 81170 pounds of mail with 83516 pounds of cargo.

Source: Mr. Ashok Kumar Bayanwala, Ahmedabad

Completion of 70 years of Active Philatelic Activity by India Post

2011-06-15T13:47:00.000+05:30

India Post is going to complete 70 years of active philatelic services to the nation on 21^st June 2011.

The first philatelic bureau came in to operation at Bombay GPO on 21^st June 1941 vide DGP Circular no. 14 dated 21^st June 1941.

This needs a celebration from India Post by issuing a special cancellation and a special cover.

Sad demise of Senior Philatelist Dr. P. G. Krishnamurthy.

2011-06-12T18:31:00.000+05:30

Today I came to know from online news channels about the sad demise of Senior Philatelist Dr. P. G. Krishnamurthy, a retired assistant professor at the Manipal Institute of Technology. To the utter shock Dr. Krishnamurthy’s body was found floating in an open well in the compound of his house in Hiriadka village in Karnataka on 10th June evening. He was 75.

Dr. Krishnamurthy was an ardent philatelist and researcher of Modern Indian Postal History. He had contributed several articles on Modern Indian Postal History for ‘Vadophil’ news letter of Baroda Philatelic Society. He did extensive study on various aspects of Modern Indian Postal Services. Some of his well known articles are Media Post - One facet of Modern Indian Postal History, “M.D.G.” - A new appendage, Acknowledgement Due Form - An Alert, “L.S.G.” & “H.S.G.” – Two more appendages, Bar Coded Speed Post CPSL, Modern Peon Marks, His Random Notes on various services were also very interesting.

May his noble soul rest in peace.

Note: We shall publish his articles on Modern Indian Postal History in near future.

30th January 1948 – Telegraphic messages regarding Gandhiji's Assassination information.

2011-06-12T12:40:00.000+05:30

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. - Mahatma Gandhi.

Before death, Gandhiji uttered "HEY RAM" as if he wanted to say "SAB KO SANMATI DE BHAGWAN" it means - Give Prudence to all.

Gandhiji's Assassination information was given to all the then Native States of India, by sending Telegrams from Government of India.

The telegraphic message from New Delhi to Nawab of Balasinor it was stated that:

New Delhi 31 The most immediate
most immediate His Highness Nawab Balasinor

Government of India Regret mahatma Gandhi was victim of shooting outrage Gandhiji expired yesterday evening cremation will take place Saturday 4 PM. Prime minister has broadcast Saturday 31st be observed as day of fasting and prayer suggest offices should close entirely and flags half mast from sunrise = Statesind"

One more telegram sent by Government of India, Secretary Western India to Rajkot Administrator Balasinor- in message it was stated that:

"D/8.7 mourning for mahatma Gandhi XXX government of India observing State mourning for thirteen days from thirtieth January flags will be flown at half mast and there will be no public entertainment during this period. = Secretary Westindia"

Courtesy: Mr. Ashok Kumar Bayanwala, Ahmedabad.

INDIAN POSTAL CIRCLES

2011-06-04T16:41:00.000+05:30

When the Postal facilities were opened to public on 1st April 1774, there were 3 Postal Circles namely Bengal, Bombay and Madras. Bengal was catering whole of Eastern and Northern regions of British Empire. Madras was handling whole of Southern region and the rest was catered by Bombay.

In 1839, North West Province Circle was formed and since then, new Postal Circles were formed, as the need was born to have separate Circles.

In December 1860 Punjab Circle, in 1861 Burma Circle, in 1866 Central Province Circle and in 1869 Sind Circle were formed. Till 1880 Oudh (1870), Rajputana (1871), Assam ((1873), Bihar (1877), Eastern Bengal (1878) and Central India (1879) were formed. Since then, new Circles were formed and existing Circles were amalgamated with other Circles.

The Indian Postal Guide of August 1880 shows the following Postal Circles

The Indian Postal Guide of August 1881 shows the following Postal Circles

The Indian Postal Guide of July 1909 shows the following Postal Circles
Postal Circle	Head Quarters	Postal Circle	Head Quarters
Bengal (Including Bihar)	Calcutta	Bombay (Including Sind)	Bombay
Burma	Rangoon	Central	Nagpore
Eastern Bengal & Assam	Dacca	Madras	Madras
Punjab & North West Frontier	Lahore	U. P. (Agra & Oudh)	Lucknow
Sorting Circles-Northern	Ambala	Sorting Circles-Eastern	Allahabad
Sorting Circles-Western	Nasik	Sorting Circles-Southern	Bangalore

In 1914, there were only 7 Postal Circles namely - Bengal & Assam, Bihar & Orissa, Bombay (including Sind), Burma, Central, Madras, Punjab & NWF and U. P.

By 1937, there were 8 Postal Circles, though Burma was separated from India on 1st April 1937. The Postal Circles were Bengal & Assam, Bihar & Orissa, Bombay, Sindh, Central, Madras, Punjab & NWF and U. P.

On 1st April 1946, the British India had the following Postal Circles - Bengal & Assam, Bombay, Madras, United Province, Punjab & NWF, Bihar & Orissa, Central and Sind & Baluchistan.

After partition, the independent India had the following Postal Circles - Assam, Bengal, Bihar & Orissa, Bombay, Central, East Punjab, Madras and U. P.

When this article was written by Mr. Ashok Kumar Bayanwala in 2001, there were 20 postal circles in India. Now we have 23 Postal Circles in India.

1. Andhra Pradesh	13. Madhya Pradesh
2. Assam	14. Maharashtra
3. Bihar	15. North Eastern
4. Chhattisgarh	16. Orissa
5. Delhi	17. Punjab
6. Gujarat	18. Rajasthan
7. Haryana	19. Tamilnadu
8. Himachal Pradesh	20. Uttar Pradesh
9. J & K	21. Uttarakhand
10. Jharkhand	22. West Bengal
11. Karnataka	23. Army Postal Service
12. Kerala

Courtesy: Mr. Ashok Kumar Bayanwala, Ahmedabad.

First Indian Postage Stamp Depicting National Flag - 21st November 1947

2011-05-27T16:33:00.000+05:30

First Indian Postage Stamp depicting Indian National Flag was issued on 21st November 1947. Two other stamps were issued on 15th December 1947. Release of stamp was notified by Postal Notice No. 43 dated 19th November 1947.

Text of Postal Notice is given below:

Postal Notice No. 43

Issue of India Independence Commemorative
Postage Stamps

It is hereby notified that in commemoration of India's Independence new postage stamps in pictorial design are being issued in three denominations, namely 1½ annas, 3½ annas and 12 annas. The new 3½ annas stamp will be available for sale at Post Offices in India on and from the 21st November 1947. The remaining two denominations will be released on the 15th December 1947. All the three denominations will remain on sale upto April 30, 1948. These commemorative stamps will be used for all postal purposes and will not replace ordinary postage stamps of the corresponding denominations which will continue to be current.

New Delhi
19th November 1947.

First Three Stamps issued in 1947


: Issue Date : 21st November, 1947 Watermark: Multi Star Perforation: 13½ x 14	: Issue Date : 15th December, 1947 Watermark: Multi Star Perforation: 14 x 13½	: Issue Date : 15th December, 1947 Watermark: Multi Star Perforation: 13½ x 14

Courtesy: Mr. Ashok Kumar Bayanwala, Ahmedabad

15th August 1947 - Bharat (India) became Independent

2011-05-20T14:22:00.000+05:30

This article is written by Mr. Ashok Kumar Bayanwala and examples are from his own collection. This article was earlier published in GPA News and later it was made available on the website www.indianphilately.net with the permission of author. Once again for collectors of Modern Indian Postal History, I am publishing this article on this blog with permission of author.

The Freedom Struggle actually began after 1905, when the Britishers partitioned Bengal. Boycott Movement started. In December 1906 a tricolor National Flag was unfurled for the first time at Calcutta Congress. The Revolutionary Movement spread throughout India. The British Government launched assault on the Indian National movement. In August 1920, Gandhiji launched a Nonviolent and Non Cooperation Movement. In December 1929, the resolution for Complete Independence was accepted at Lahore Congress and it was decided to celebrate 26th January every year as Independence Day. Gandhiji launched Civil Disobedience Movement with Historic Dandi March on 12th March 1930, which shacked the British Empire. When the Cripps Mission failed, the country began to prepare for a final confrontation with British Imperial Power. On 8th August 1942, the Quit India Resolution was passed and the clarion call "DO or DIE" was given by Gandhiji. Some 60,000 people were arrested and more then 10,000 people were killed, when ruthless repressive measures were taken by British Army and Police. In 1943, Netaji S. C. Bose organised "Azad Hind Fauj" from Indian Prisoners of war by Japan and launched an attack on India through Imphal. On 29th February 1947, the Britishers agreed to transfer power to responsible Indian Hands. The long awaited Freedom of India came on Midnight of 14th - 15th August 1947. Due to paucity of time at their disposal, the Department of Posts could not come out with a Postage Stamp. But several labels, privately printed, were issued to celebrate the event. "Let's March on" label with Gandhiji, along with nine different labels in ten different colours were printed by New Jack Printing Press, Prabhadevi - Bombay. Thus 100 different labels are in this series. Beside these labels, many others were also issued.

"JAI HIND" - First Slogan of Independent India

To celebrate the attainment of Independence, the Indian Post & Telegraph Department introduced a Special post mark and/or a slogan on 15th August 1947, reading "JAI HIND", in bilingual from all major post offices of India.

“JAI HIND" was the first commemorative post mark of Independent India, which was actually a war slogan of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, the Supreme Commander of the Indian National Army which was adopted by Free India as National Slogan of the country - Bharat. A close scrutiny of this slogan post mark, reveals that the cancellation was produced locally by the post office concerned from a master drawing. The alphabets of the word "JAI HIND" in English and Hindi, varies from 61mm to 67mm, and the width varies from 11½mm to 15mm.

There is something more in this slogan, which has attracted me. After checking/collecting 100 of this slogan, I have came to a conclusion that this post mark was withdrawn on 31st December 1947. And it was reintroduced from Girdikot P.O./Jodhpur for the first time in June 1948. That is why, this post mark, found after 31st December 1947, are mainly (say more than 95%) are from this post office only, and the remaining 5% are the late use of the post mark. The late use of any post mark can not be ruled out as it was done at the whim of Postal Clerks. We even find early India cancellations of the 19th Century on Independent India stamps.

Another interesting finding is pointing towards a fact that this slogan was withdrawn from Girdikot (which was the second main PO of Jodhpur) in April 1949, but reappeared in June 1949 in a new format from Jodhpur PO the new format is in a rectangular box measuring 51mm x 26mm and also reads "JAI HIND" in English and Hindi in two lines, with date, time and place in 3rd, 4th and 5th line respectively. The time and date are flanked with 3 wavy lines on each side. It was also used as a canceller. It remained in use until November 1955, according to my collection.

My collection of this post mark reveals that this slogan was used from the different Post offices/towns.

"Jai Hind" Slogans were used from the following Post offices/towns.

Name of the Town/Post office	Length in mm	Height in mm	Date of Cancellation
1. Ahmednager	65½	12½	02.09.1947
2. Alibag	62½	12½	17.08.1947
3. Amritsar	65	12	?
4. Bara Bazar (Calcutta)	61	14½	23.08.1947
5. Bareily	62½	13	15.08.1947
6. Baroda	65	13	13.09.1947
7. Barrackpore	62	11½	?
8. Bhavnager	62½	13	15.08.1947
9. Bhopal	?	11½	04.09.1947
10. Bijapur	64	14½	?
11. Bijnor	63½	14½	25.11.1947
12. Bikaneer	62	13	?
13. Bombay GPO	67	14½	15.08.1947
14. Bulandshahr	63	13	09.09.1947
15. Calcutta GPO	63	13	15.08.1947
16. Chapra	?	13½	05.09.1947
17. Chikmagalur	64	14½	30.08.1947
18. Cooch Behar	64	13	05.02.1959
19. Delhi	65	14	?
20. Dhanbad	63	12	03.09.1947
21. Dharwar	65½	14½	24.08.1947
22. Etar (si)	?	15	21.08.1947
23. Fetehpur	64	13	17.09.1947
24. Gaya	63	12½	19.08.1947
25. Girdikot (Jodhpur)	63	13	22.10.1948
26. Girgaon (Bombay)	63	15	16.08.1947
27. Hissar	64	12	23.08.1948
28. Hoshiarpur	64	13	?
29. Hyderabad (Deccan)	64	12	15.08.1947
30. Jaunpur	64	13	03.09.1947
31. Jodhpur	64	14	28.08.1947
32. Kalbadevi (Bombay)	62	14½	06.09.1947
33. Kotah	62	14½	15.08.1947
34. Kumbakonam	63	11½	11.09.1947
35. Laharia Sarai	63½	12	02.09.1947
36. Madras GPO	62	14	15.08.1947
37. Mujaffar Nager	62	13½	17.09.1947
38. Neemuch	64	14	??
39. New Delhi	62½	12½	15.08.1947
40. New Delhi GHQ PO	66	13	15.08.1947
41. Nowgong (Assam)	64	12½	15.09.1947
42. Purnea	63½	13½	15.08.1947
43. Rajkot	63	12½	02.09.1947
44. Ranchi	63	13	04.09.1947
45. Sambhar Lake	62	14	26.08.1947
46. Sangrur (Jind State)	63	14	20.08.1947
47. Saugor	64	12	?
48. Sholapur	63	13	21.08.1947
49. Simla	63	13	18.08.1947
50. Trivandrum	?	12	02.09.1947

Courtesy: Mr. Ashok Kumar Bayanwala

History of the Indian Post Office

2011-05-19T00:42:00.001+05:30

Dear Readers,

Before we start discussing modern Indian postal history, let us have a look at an article on history of Indian Post Offices since its inception.

- Prashant

History of the Indian Post Office

No other institution ever has come closer to human lives as the Post Office. Post office reaches every nook and corner of the country. This is one of the reasons why many of the Government, non-government organizations, when faced with difficulties of reaching the largest possible number of people, have thought of utilizing the agency of the Post Office for the purpose.

The Indian Post Office was recognized as a separate organization of national importance and was placed, for the first time, under the unitary control of a Director General of the Post Office in India on October 01, 1854. It thus completes 150 years of its operations this year.

The Indian Postal System is not carved out of a single rock. The postal systems of more than 650 princely States, the district postal systems and Zamindari Dak were merged with the main British postal system. The bonding of the fragments has been so fine that one could be tempted to think that the institution is monolithic.

Lord Clive first established the postal system in the country in 1766. Later on Warren Hastings developed the system by establishing Calcutta Grand Post Office (GPO) under a Postmaster General in 1774. In other Presidencies of Madras and Bombay, it came into existence in 1786 and 1793. The Act of 1837 first regulated the Post Office on a uniform basis to unite the organization throughout the three Presidencies into one all India Service. The Post Office Act of 1854, however, reformed the entire fabric of the postal system with placing the Post Office of India on the present administrative footings on October 01, 1854.

In 1854, both the Posts and Telegraph departments were born. From the beginning, the set up was run on welfare lines. Profit was not the motto. In the second half of the 19th century the Government declared that so long as the Department payed its own expenses, nothing more was desired. The same trend continued even in the 20th century. The operations of post office and telegraph developed side by side. On the eve of the World War I, in 1914, both the departments were amalgamated.

Integration of Services

The financial and political integration of the Indian States made it necessary and inevitable that the Government of India should pursue the policy of integration of the postal system of the Indian States with the larger postal system. There were States, which maintained district and independent postal organization with local postage stamps of their own. The letterboxes of these states were painted in green colour to distinguish them from the Indian Post Office letterboxes, which were painted red.

In 1908, it was found that out of the 652 native states in India, 635 States had cast their lot with the Indian Post Office. Only 15 States remained out; the outstanding ones being Hyderabad, Gwalior, Jaipur and Travnacore.

A major reorganization of the Posts and Telegraph (P&T) Department took place in 1925. The accounts of the P & T were reconstituted to examine the fiscal profile of the Department. The attempt was to find out the extent to which it was imposing a burden on the tax payers or bringing in revenue to the Exchequer, how far each of the four constituent branches of the department, the Postal, Telegraph, Telephone and Wireless were contributing towards the result.

Multifarious Activities

Indian Postal service has not only confined to its main task of delivering letters and being an effective mode of communication. It might appear surprising but the Post office was maintaining the dak (post) bunglows and sarais in those early days. For well over three decades from 1830s, the Post Office also facilitated road journey of the passengers. A traveller could book his seat in any palki, boat, horse, coach and cart carrying mails and parcels on payment to the post office a fixed amount in advance and take rest on wayside dak chowkee, later on known as dak bungalow.

During the plague epidemic in the late 19th century, the Post Office was assigned the task of selling quinine packets. It is a country of joint families and small incomes where millions of rupees have to be sent in the shape of small sums. The money transactions were carried out through the agency of the 321 Government treasuries, located in district headquarters. In 1880, the extensive agency at the command of the 5090 Post Offices was handed over the transfer of small sums by way of Money Order, thereby obviating the difficulties of travelling to the district headquarters and identification of the payee.

In 1884, Postal Life Insurance was born, to insure the lives of ‘native’ postal employees other than those in high positions since the insurance companies operating in India were unwilling to insure common natives.

Freedom Struggle

When the nation went through turbulent times, the post office also suffered. It witnessed arson and loot after 1857. A Deputy Postmaster and an overseer were killed, a runner wounded and a number of Post Offices in Bihar, UP, North West Frontier Provinces (NWFP) were looted. In the NWFP and Oudh practically all communication lines were closed and quite a number of post offices could not be reopened for a whole year even after the violence had subsided.

Postal strikes of 1920, which lasted for about five months, caused complete dislocation of the postal services. In the 1942 Quit India movement, a number of Post Offices and letterboxes were set on fire and mails could only be exchanged with great difficulty. It led to dislocation of postal lines in many sectors.

Milestones

Over the years evolution of mail delivery has grown from foot to Speed-post and e-post. Post Card was introduced in 1879 while Value Payable Parcel (VPP), Parcel and Insurance were brought into being in 1877. Indian Postal Order had its origin in 1930. For faster delivery, Postal Index Number (PIN) Code was introduced in 1972. In view of fast emerging changes and scenario Postal and Telecom Departments were segregated in 1985. Speed-Post was launched in 1986 while keeping pace with the changing needs of the times, Metro/Rajdhani/Business Channels, EPS and Money Order via VSAT were introduced in 1994.

Postal Runner

The postal runner finds a prominent place in the folklore in every traditional society. In India one comes across stories and poems on it in almost every regional language.

Earlier there was provision of providing a drummer to each runner while passing through forest tracts. In dangerous tracts an escort of two torchbearers and two archers were also supplied after nightfall. There were numerous instances of runners being carried away by tigers, drowned in flooded rivers, bitten by venomous snakes, buried in avalanches or murdered by robbers. The Director of Public Information, Government of India, informed the Parliament in 1923 that during the year 1921-22, there were 57 cases in which the mails were plundered by highway robbers as compared with 36 in the preceding year. Seven out of 457 cases were attended with loss of life and in 13 instances the mail carriers were wounded.

Integrating Factor

The post office has helped bind the nation together, support the growth of commerce and ensure a free flow of ideas and information. The evolution of mail delivery grew from foot to horseback, stagecoach, railroad, automobile and airplane. The character, volume and transportation of mail have changed over the years. Today, emphasis is on postal mechanisation and automation, which have been undertaken to improve productivity and quality and provide access to quality postal services.

Postal services have social and economic functions that clearly go beyond a simple business rationale. This is especially true in the developing world. A reliable postal system is a critical component of the modern information and distribution infrastructure and an important catalyst for social and economic development and poverty reduction.

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Source: http://www.parinda.com

Welcome to the Glimpses of Modern Indian Philately Blog!

2011-05-17T17:46:00.001+05:30

Welcome to the Glimpses of Modern Indian Philately Blog!

Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of postage stamps and covers and associated material illustrating historical episodes of postal systems, various postal facilities and services etc.

Indian philately has found its due place on the map of world philately. Since Independence, several definitive and commemorative stamps portraying various aspects of the country’s life and culture have been issued. If we look back, we will find that since Independence many postal services were introduced out of which some were revised and few were discontinued. There were many postal services, which are not even known today. There are many facts which are not known to collectors.

Postal History of Modern India is also very and vibrant and provides a vivid, varied and wealthy treasure of information.

Idea of creating a blog ‘Glimpses of Modern Indian Philately’ is conceived to provide, share and discuss information exclusively on Modern Postal History or Modern Philately of India.

Collectors of Modern Indian Philately around the world are invited to share the knowledge and information on the subject.

Prashant Pandya