By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha will feature on 10 postage stamps that will be released India Post this year. In the meeting of the philatelic Advisory Committee held last year, 243 proposals for issuing commemorative postage stamps were received out of which 45 were approved. These include stamps on Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sucheta Kripalani, Dada Vaswani, Gen. Thimayya, Minoo Masani among others.
Odisha personalities and themes have been approved for ten stamps which include: Akshaya Mohanty, Kelucharan Mohapatra, Pandit Nilakantha Das, and Parbati Ghose. Besides these, a stamp on the Eram Martyrs and a five-set stamps on Sambalpuri Bandha, Sambalpuri Folk Dance, Sital Sasthi Jatra, Nuakhai and Dhanu Jatra Mahostav too will be issued.
This is a bumper issue for the state, as never before had Odisha had so many stamp issues. Philatelists from Odisha have been demanding the issuing of stamps on various personalities and sites of Odisha. According to Kashinath Sahoo, a philatelist of the state, Odisha has always figured the least in the commemorative stamps issues.
Anil Dhir, another eminent philatelist, and author, said that postage stamps showcase the history and culture of a State and that this is a welcome move by India Post. Odisha has a vast repertoire of personalities, places, natural heritage, flora and fauna, historical events, etc. which should find a place in stamp issues. Dhir also lauded the efforts of the Eastern India Philatelic Association and the Orissa Philatelic Association for listing these issues for the release of stamps.
Anil Dhir said that Odisha is now the Philatelic Capital of the country, with some of the best philatelists who have won awards both at the national and international levels. He once again reiterated that Philately should be made a co-curricular subject in schools. There are ten independent stamp clubs and societies in the state, founded by eminent philatelists like the Late Major Mohanty, Late Bijayshree Routray and Sahadev Sahoo.
