PHILATELIC

EXHIBIITON

ON TAGORE

PHILATELIC

EXHIBIITON

ON TAGORE

A N I C C R P R E S E N T A T I O N

Thou hast made me known

to friends whom I knew not

Thou hast given me seats

in homes not my own.

Thou hast brought the distant near

and made a brother of the stranger.

Rabindranath Tagore : Gitanjali Poem No. 63

Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s versatility extended to his being a poet, novelist, painter and musician. Tagore believed that the world was a crucible of cultures from which the universal man could find nourishment. Thus man – made division of nations held little value for him. His spirit soared above these, while his limitless curiosity to learn about different people and cultures inspired him to undertake the most adventurous travel. The Post Office had a special place in the Poet’s heart. One of Tagore’s famous plays is Dak Ghar. In this play, he has portrayed the Post Office as a symbolical messenger of hope and deliverance.

In the philatelic world, the handsome profile of the Poet continues to be the subject of commemorative stamps not only in India and its neighboring countries but also in countries as far as Bulgaria and Brazil. Postal Departments of around 20 countries have issued stamps on him. This exhibition consists of rare philatelic items on Tagore from all over the world, which includes Official Postage Stamps, Postal Stationery, Postmarks and Customised Stamps. In the Tagore centenary year, a large number of stamps were issued in his honour in different parts of the world. On his 150th Birth Anniversary, collectors from all over the world are hoping to add to their collections on the Tagore theme.

During the Freedom Struggle many items of patriotic postal stationery were printed. Tagore, as an iconic figure in the Nationalist Movement, featured in many of these patriotic national stationery items.

The first stamp issued by the Indian Postal Department in honour of Rabindranath Tagore was in a set of 6 stamps on leading poets and saints of India. This 12 anna stamp, issued on October 1, 1952, was printed at the India Security Press using the Photogravure process, the latest development in printing technology in those days.

To mark the Poet’s Birth Centenary, the Department of Posts issued a stamp of 15np denomination, on May 7, 1961. The stamp was designed by Satyajit Ray, an alumni of Visva-Bharati and renowned film director. The design was based on a photograph taken during Tagore’s visit to Milan in 1926.

The text of the brochure published on the occasion was penned by Humayan Kabir, the then Union Minister for Scientific Research and Cultural Affairs.

On the same occasion, the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) issued a 6 K stamp on May 8, 1961. The USSR was the first nation outside India to issue a stamp

honouring Tagore.

A special commemorative letter sheet was also issued during the same period in the USSR. The letter sheet wrongly states Tagore’s lifespan as 1861 -1945, instead of 1861- 1941.

Argentina issued a 2 peso stamp on May 13, 1961. This is the first ever First Day Cancellation which has the autograph of Rabindranath Tagore.

Brazil issued a stamp of value 10 cruzeiros on Tagore, on July 28, 1961.

On October 12, 1961, Romania issued a set of 6 stamps on world famous personalities, one of whom was Tagore. The stamp of 40 bani value, has the Poet’s portrait in green on white. ‘R. Tagore’ is inscribed on one side of the stamp.

Though the United States of America did not issue any stamps commemorating Tagore in his centenary year, the USIS Business Centre in Calcutta issued a meter franking stamp on all letters sent from the office for a limited period in 1961. The franking had the following caption:

RABINDRANATH TAGORE

AMERICA SALUTES TAGORE

1861 – 1961

To commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Visva Bharati University, Tagore’s dream project, the Indian Postal Department released a 20p stamp on

December 24, 1971. Twenty-five years later, to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee of the University, the Department of Posts provided from Santiniketan a special cover and a pictorial cancellation on December 28, 1996.

On December 10, 1973 Sweden issued a set of 3 stamps to honour Nobel Laureates of 1913, on the 60th Anniversary of their receiving the honour. The 1.40

Kroner stamp depicts Tagore in profile. Since 1961, every year, the Royal Swedish Post Office commemorates Nobel Prize winners on ‘Nobel Day’ which falls on December 10.

The Republic of Paraguay issued a miniature sheet in 1977 depicting the Nobel Medal for literature. The sheet margin has the list of n a m e s o f a l l recipients of the N o b e l P r i z e i n Literature from 1901 t o 1 9 7 6 , w h i c h includes Tagore, who received the prize in 1913.

Comoros issued a 50 Franc stamp and a miniature sheet in 1977 to commemorate 75 years of the institution of the award. This stamp depicts Tagore’s portrait in profile in the extreme left hand corner with three other Nobel Laureates. Tagore’s name is incorrectly written as R. T. Tagore.

A painting of Tagore is seen on a Rs. 1 denomination stamp released by the Indian Postal Department in 1978, in a set of 4 stamps, issued to commemorate contemporary Indian painters. The oval pensive face of the painting reminds one of Tagore’s favourite sister – in – law Kadambari Debi. The other stamps issued in this series had paintings by Sailoz Mookherjea, Amrita Sher Gil and Jamini Roy.

Vietnam issued a 30 xu stamp on September 20, 1982 to commemorate the Poet’s 120th Birth Anniversary. The stamp has Tagore’s autograph superimposed on his profile, with his name spelt as ‘Rovindoranat Tagoro’.

Bulgaria issued a stamp on Rabindranath on December 12, 1982, on his 120th birth anniversary describing him as a philosopher. The photograph used on this stamp had been used 21 years earlier by Romania, and hence the similarity between these two stamps.

Tagore’s 125th Birth Anniversary was commemorated by the Indian Postal Department through a number of releases.

A special cover was sponsored by the Rabindra Bhawan, Patna, on May 7, 1986,with a pictorial cancellation.

The stamp of Rs. 2 denomination, showing Tagore’s self portrait was issued on May 8, 1987. Hussain’s painting of Tagore with his signature in Bengali was used to illustrate the First Day Cover.

A special postmark depicting the Jorasanko Thakurbari was provided for the Inauguration Day of WEBPEX Stamp Exhibition on January 2, 1987. The postmark also commemorated the Poet’s 125th Birth Anniversary.

On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of India’s Independence, Venezuela issued a miniature sheet. In this sheet, Rabindranath is depicted as a unique crusader of a unified Earth that would nurture all mankind with love and affection.

On October 13, 2008, India Post released a commemorative stamp on the Post Office, based on Rabindranath’s play ‘Dak Ghar’.

Tuvalu issued a miniature sheet with 3 stamps on Albert Einstein on September 21, 2005. The photograph of Rabindranath Tagore and Einstein is shown on the margin of the miniature.

Tuvalu also brought out 2 miniature sheets on Personalities of India. One was on Mahatma Gandhi, the other included Tagore along with Amrita Sher Gil, Subramanyan Chandrasekhar and Satyajit Ray. These miniature sheets also highlighted the World Stamp Exhibition ‘INDIPEX 2011’ held at New Delhi in February 2011.

The first commemorative stamp from Bangladesh Post on Tagore was of Taka 1 denomination, issued on Bengali New Year Day on April 16, 1987 with a quotation from the poem ‘Esho He Baisakh’ from Tagore’s Nataraj Ritu Rangashala.

Bangladesh Post issued a commemorative stamp on Tagore’s 50th Death Anniversary in 1991. The Taka 4 denomination stamp had the renovated Kuthibari as the backdrop.

Romania also paid a tribute to the Poet on this occasion, t h r o u g h a special pictorial postmark.

Romania has from time to time issued various kinds of postal stationery honouring Tagore.

The Chinese State Postal Bureau has also issued a picture postcard in honour of the Poet.

The National Anthem of Bangladesh based on a Baul song of riverine East Bengal was written by Tagore in 1908. Bangladesh Post issued a First Day Cover with Tagore’s illustration and signature and the National Anthem of the country on its Independence and National Day on March 25, 2008.

Between 1991 and 2000, Bangladesh Post issued 15 miniature sheets in memory of the martyred intellectuals of 1971. The illustration of the miniature sheets, has a stanza from Tagore’s poem titled ‘Supravat’.

A set of 6 special postcards depicting Tagore in different performing roles in his Dance Theatre Productions was issued by the West Bengal Circle of I n d i a P o s t o n October 12, 2010.

The Uruguayan Postal Department has issued a stamp to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. The stamp was released on February 16, 2011 by Vice President Danilo Astori at a ceremony in the Foreign Ministry at Montevideo. The stamp, illustrates the portrait of Rabindranath Tagore, the flags of Uruguay and India and the logo of INDIPEX 2011.

The Royal Mai l , UK, commissioned a limited edition (only 1000 sheets) customized stamp sheets, which was brought out to commemorate the Poet’s 150th Birth Anniversary. The ten connected stamp-labels on the sheet, feature images from Tagore’s life.

Rabindranath Tagore Centre, ICCR Kolkata 9 A , H o C h i M i n h S a r a n i , K o l k a t a 7 0 0 0 7 1

Mr. Sekhar Chakrabarti is an internationally famed senior collector, who has served as a Jury Member in several Philatelic Exhibitions, organized by the Department of Posts, Government of India .His collections have been shown in many international exhibitions in India and abroad, under the auspices of Federation International de Philatelie ( F I P ).

Mr. Moloy Sarkar is a well known philatelic personality both within and outside the country. A life member of the Philatelic Congress of India, he has participated in many International Philatelic Exhibitions in India and abroad. He has in his collection all philatelic items in original issued on Tagore from all over the world.

Mr. Souvik Roy has been collecting and exhibiting philatelic items at National and International Exhibitions since 1977. His collection on Rabindranath Tagore, which was displayed at Rabindra Bhavan, Santiniketan in August,2010, inc luded s tamps , covers , enve lopes , cancellations and rare picture postcards on Tagore from all over the world.

www.tagorecentreiccr.org