Can Philatelists help India Post plan for 2015-2022? (Archived)

Update (21 Jan 2018): This post has outlived its utility and I'm planning to move to a new version soon. I'll archive this one and create a similar post with the remainder of the proposed stamp subjects and add whatever I learn from 2018 onward. Happy collecting.

Click here for the new version of this post.

Update on 26 Nov 2017
Update on 29 Oct 2017
Update on 10 Sep 2017
Updates on 01 Jul 2017
Updates on 28 May 2017
Updates on 01 April 2017
Updates on 23 Dec 2016
Updates on 03 Dec 2016
Updates on 26 Nov 2016
Updates on 17 Nov 2016
Updates on 10 Sep 2016
Updates on 20 Aug 2016 (Pink font)
Updates on 06 Aug 2016 (Red font)
Updates on 16 Jul 2016 (Purple font)
Updates on 15 May 2016 (Green font)
Updates on 16 Mar 2016 (Orange font)
Updates on 14 Feb 2016 (Blue font) 


Update (10 Sep 2016): A sub-section has been added toward the end of this post to list all the stamps that eventually get released from the proposals listed below. A few minor updates to some stamp subjects have been added as well. Appreciate the feedback and comments from all the readers. Keep'em coming.

Update (06 Aug 2016): Just re-organized this post while keeping all the information unchanged. Dates and colors indicated below will allow easy navigation.  Black font was the original post and additions or updates are in different colors and each color represents a specific date. Post a comment if there's a question. Enjoy.

There are numerous stamp issues that were put out by India Post for release in a particular year, but have not yet been released. Since the subjects were shared with the public, I am assuming these issues were approved for release. Many of these morphed into different stamp subjects. There could be various views about the list below, but one can be objective about it to help increase accountability and transparency in the process of selecting and issuing stamps.

I will try provide perspective to some of the stamp subjects hoping that these stamp releases languishing in Dak Bhawan (India Post HQ) will see the light of day. The stamp for Mumbai Stock Exchange was to commemorate 125 years of the stock exchange. Was this pulled out because it could be seen as an anti-poor move? Other issues for 2001 should be brought back, redesigned and released. Especially, the Jataka Tales and Hitopadesha stamps. The Panchatantra Stories stamps released in 2001 were quite popular and I remember hearing from our philatelic bureau those stamps being the highest seller for 2001. The Jataka Tales and Hitopadesha stamps can be released in two sets and complete a Folktales of India series (comprising of all these three folktales).

Joint issues were planned with Oman (2005) and Peru (2013), but were never released. I believe the issue with the Peru joint issue was that Peru released their stamp in March and India Post was not ready with its version. Although planned to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations, the joint issue with Oman was also not released as planned.

SAARC could have had two stamp issues - one for 20 years celebration in 2005 and the other one for South Asian Postal Union. SAARC has had a troubled history with little progress made on the ground. It would not be surprising if the Charter Day issue was abandoned due to political reasons. The SAPU stamp was overcast with the Wild Flowers of India issue during the APPU Congress in New Delhi (2013). In the past some SAARC stamps had good themes and designs - Year of Youth (1995), Year of Shelter (1991), 10 year celebrations (1996). Planning to release the pending issues will add to the new vigor with neighborly relations.

Pramathesh Barua was part of the Legendary Filmmakers series planned for release in 2006. Neither was this series started, not was a stamp released on Barua. Instead, stamps on  most other filmmakers were released individually (A. V. Meiyappan, Bimal Roy, Mehboob Khan, Ritwik Ghatak, L. V. Prasad).

On the other hand, the Himalayan Lakes, Landmark Bridges and Horses of India series were put in place, but some of the originally included subjects were not released. It would be ideal if these series can be continued with newer additions along with the ones that were intended for release but not included in the first issuance. A similar issue existed with stamps issues under the Festivals of India and Textiles of India stamp series. Honest opinion for Textiles stamps - Tat and Chanderi textiles were dropped to include Kalamkari (Andhra; Panbaka Lakshmi was MoS Textiles in 2009) and Apa Tani textiles (Arunachal; attempt to include North-East India).

A large set of stamp subjects (Calendar Stamps) were publicized in 2009 in the short lived Phila Post magazine. None, make note, none of these stamps have been released so far. Like the India Post-PCI collaboration on the magazine, PAC's idea of Calendar Stamps did not take off. The stamp subjects were terrific and would have done yeomen service to spread Indian culture across the world, but sadly nothing was achieved.

This post is getting quite long. I will rest my case here. This list should be used for furthering discussions with India Post and Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad (MoCIT) about stamp issues and recommendations for future releases. These stamp subjects alone should provide enough material for the next few years, leading up to the 75th Year of India's Independence (Amrut Mahotsav in 2022).

Stamp Issues Approved, but Not Released
2001

Set of 4 stamps on Greetings

Set of 4 stamps on Dances of India

Set of 4 stamps on Hitopadesha and Jataka Tales (Approved for release in 2017)

2005

India-Oman Joint Issue

SAARC Charter Day

2006

Himalayan Lakes – Loktak, Suraj Tal, Naini Tal

Landmark Bridges – Coronation Bridge, Kandrour Bridge, Laxman Jhula, Godavari Bridge
Pramathesh Barua

2007

Battaqh Ali Ansari

2008

Festivals of India – Kulu Dussehra

Infantry Soldier – Year of Infantry

Jammu & Kashmir Light Regiment

Maulana Atikur Rehman Alvi

Mahanamrata Brahmachari

Textiles of India – Tat, Chanderi, Ikat, Paithani, Maheshwari, Jamdani, Kota, Sambalpuri, Angami Weaves

2009

Architectural Splendor – Ujjayanta Palace, Patwon ki Haveli, Mattancherry Palace

Buddha Jayanti

Caves (Tracing Civilizations) – Bhimbetka, Barabar, Udaigiri, Nagarjuna

Children’s Fables – Vikram & Betal, Mogli, Tenali Rama, Birbal

Hill Stations (Colonial Heritage) – Gulmarg, Darjeeling, Ooty, Shimla

Endangered Species – Ganges River Dolphin, Nilgiri Tahr, Lion Tailed Macaque, Himalayan Musk Deer

Greetings – Christmas, New Year

Horses of India – Spiti and Kati

House Boats – Kerala, Kashmir

National Gallery of Modern Art

Seasons of India

Shakti Temples – Kalighat, Meenakshi, Vaishno Devi, Kamakhya (Approved for release in 2017)

Unique Villages of India – Toda, Kutch

UN Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities

2012

Asiatic Black Bear and other wild animals (Set of 4 stamps)

Boats of India (Set of 4 stamps)

Flowers of India (Set of 2 stamps)

Government College, Ajmer

Railway Bridges of India (Set of 4 stamps)

Traditional Embroideries of India - Chikankari, Kutchi, Kashmiri, Phulkari, Kantha (Approved for release in 2017)

Tribal Dwellings (Set of 4 stamps)

2013

Dr. Nilratan Sircar

India-Peru Joint Issue

South Asian Postal Union

2014

Jyoti Basu (Uncertain for issuance)
Machali, The Tigress

2015
Bhupesh Gupta (Likely to be released in 2016) (Uncertain for issuance)
D. Devaraj Urs (Likely to be released in 2016) (Uncertain for issuance)

The following subjects should be/are being considered for release in the next few years as well:
2016

Balasaheb Deoras
Banda Singh Bahadur
Bishop Cotton School, Bengaluru

Delhi High Court - Golden Jubilee
Eknath Ranade
Gaurishankar Govardhan Joshi 'Dhumketu' (Approved for release in 2017)
International Year of Pulses

St. Mary's School, Pune

St. Mary’s Convent Inter College, Allahabad

2017

70 Years of Independence

100 Years of Kheda Movement

100 Years of Sabarmati Ashram
200 Years of Paika Rebellion
Amritlal Nagar
Auroville (Golden Jubilee)
Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute

Bombay Scottish School, Mumbai
FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017

Hindu School, Kolkata

India-Armenia: Joint Issue (Approved for release in 2017)
India-UN Joint Issue: International Day of Yoga
Laxmanrao Inamdar
Lions International Centenary

Presidency University, Kolkata

Queen Heo Hwang-ok (Korean queen from Ayodhya)
Swami Abhedananda

Patna University
Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh
Gir Wildlife Sanctuary
Dayalbagh

2018

Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
Rajkumar School, Rajkot
Ravenshaw University, Cuttack (150 Years) - MyStamp
Osmania University, Hyderabard (100 Years) - MyStamp
Sikander Bakht

Nelson Mandela
Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha
Srimant Sankardev
Vinda Karandikar
50 Years of Commercial Nuclear Power - Tarapur
Maharshi Mahesh Yogi
Bose Institute
Ramamand Sagar
Chandrakant Patel
B. Nagi Reddi
Oliver Reginald Tambo
Maniram Dewan
The Yoga Institute, Mumbai (100 Years)
Jyotirlinga Temples
The Maihar Band (100 Years)
Bhagvadgita
ISRO - Golden Jubilee

2019

150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi

CISF - Central Industrial Security Force

High Court of Punjab & Haryana Centenary
Sherwood College, Nainital

St. Aloysius Senior Secondary School, Jabalpur

Amrita Pritam
Maharani Gayatri Devi
Guru Nanak Dev - 550th Parkash Utsav
International Film Festival of India (Golden Jubilee)

2020

Modern School, New Delhi

ASSOCHAM
36th International Geological Congress
Pandurang Shastri Athavle
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

2021

India-Bangladesh: Joint Issue (50 & 75 Years of Independence)
75 Years of India's Independence

BetterPhilately Wish List
B. D. Jatti

Balasaheb Thackarey

Balasheb Deoras

Chinmayananda Saraswati (1916-1993)

Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy

Eknath Ranade

Gopal Swarup Pathak

I. K. Gujral

J. Jayalalithaa

K. R. Narayanan

Khushabhau Thakre (1922-2003)

Mohammad Hidayatullah

N. Sanjeeva Reddy

P. V. Narasimha Rao

Shivmangal Singh Suman

Siyaram Sharan Gupt

V. P. Singh

Stamps Released, Eventually

2001 - Mumbai Stock Exchange (To be released in July 2016; released on 09 Jul 2016)

2012 - Indian Metal Crafts (Set of 2 stamps) (To be released in Aug 2016 as a set of 6 stamps, released on 26 Aug 2016)
2015 - Fire Services in India (Released on 14 Apr 2016)
2016 - Singers of India (To be release in 2016 as Legendary Singers of India) -  Issued 31 Dec 2016
2016 - Acharya Vimal Sagar (Approved for release in 2016) - Issued on 14 Dec 2016
2016 - Samrat Vikramaditya - Issued on 22 Dec 2016
2013 - Headgears of India - Issued on 10 Feb 2017
2013 - Means of Transport through the Ages - Issued on 25 Mar 2017
2017 - Montfort Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School, Yercaud - MyStamp issued on 11 Feb 2017
2017 - 100 Years of Champaran Movement - Issued on 13 May 2017
2017 - Srimad Ramanujacharya (Approved for release in 2017) - Issued on 01 May 2017
2017 - Banaras Hindu University (Approved for release in 2017) - Issued on 28 Jun 2017
2017 - Srimad Rajchandra (Approved for release in 2017) - Issued on 29 Jun 2017
2017 - Survey of India (250 Years) - Issued on 22 Jun 2017
2017 - Bhisham Sahni (Approved for release in 2017) - Issued on 31 May 2017

2015 - Ramayana - Issued on 22 Sep 2017

2017 - Mathura Refinery - MyStamp on sale in Sep 2017
2017 - India-Russia: Joint Issue (Approved for release in 2017) - Issued on 26 Oct 2017
2016 - Nanaji Deshmukh - Issued on 11 Oct 2017

2008 - Maulana Mehmood Hassan (Released as Silk Letter Movement) - Issued in Jan 2013
2015 - Mahabharata (Approved for release in 2017) - Issued on 27 Nov 2017
2018 - Shirdi Sai Baba - Samadhi Centenary - Issued on 15 Dec 2017
2013 - Traditional Indian Handfans (Approved for release in 2017) - Issued on 30 Dec 2017

2012 - Step Wells of India – Maharaja Agrasen Baoli and others (Approved for release in 2017) - Issued on 29 Dec 2017
2009 - Rani ki Var (Issued on 29 Dec 2017 in Stepwells issue)

India Post 2016 - Stamp Releases & Designers (Archived)

ARCHIVED POST

Click on the images below to enlarge.

Update (19 Jan 2017): Here's the final update for stamps issued by India Post in 2016. This update was slightly delayed because details for many of the stamps released in late-December was still unavailable. All attempt has been made to provide accurate information, but drop a message if there are any errors or if you have any questions. The issues highlighted in yellow have relatively low print runs and it is suggested that collectors attempt to buy these and keep in their collection.

Update (17 Dec 2016): An update will be posted either in the last week of December or at the beginning of January 2017. Given that some pending issues for 2016 are yet to be released and India Post has not provided any information on the issue dates for the remainder for the stamps, it is difficult to provide accurate information.

Update (18 Sep 2016): Here's another update including India Post's stamp releases from  January to August 2016. There will likely be a barrage of stamps released in the last quarter, so keep checking the blog and our tweets to stay updated. It's been an interesting year for philately, to say the least. On a positive note, very few personality stamps were released while picking up some old stamp series like Orchids. On the other hand, limited release of stamp sheetlets and high denomination stamps have struck the wrong chord with a majority of the philatelists. Let's hope these issues get addressed soon. Until then, keep collecting.

Update (16 Jul 2016): Updating stamp releases for the first two quarters of 2016 covering January to June 2016. 

 

Update (07 May 2016): Updated stamp releases from January to April 2016.

 

Here's the list of stamp issues from January to March 2016. New additions will be made close to the end of each month. Enjoy.

O. P. Jindal stamp scheduled for release in March 2016 has been postponed.

Stamp a Trip to Jadughar

Indian Museum (also known as Jadughar in the bygone era) has been a repository of art, artifacts, sculpture and rarities for over 200 years. It celebrated its bicentennial in 2014 with celebrations throughout the year. A souvenir sheet of three postage stamps was released in February 2014 to commemorate the occasion. This stamp sheet was prepared with images of masks, paintings and sculptures from the museum's collection. Another stamp was released as part of the Museums of India stamp set in July 1978. This stamp (see image below) showed a 2nd century BC. sculpture from Besnagar, Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh. A banyan tree, considered a wish-fulfilling one, is surrounded by a fence. Above the fence a lotus, a conch shell and vase with coins are depicted. This sculpture, believed to have been a part of a pillar is now placed at the main entrance of the Indian Museum.

During a visit to the museum in 2015, it was noticed that most of the galleries were either closed or were under renovation. Even though only about 20% of the museum was accessible, some images are from that trip to the museum. One big change that was noticeable was the removal of the fountain in the central portico of the museum's iconic building. Now this open space is used for staged events. See in the image below (first row), last two images show the current state and an old image with the fountain and a four directional path leading to it. Laid in three rows below are images of the objects used to design the recent stamp souvenir sheet. It provides a decent insight into the collection of this museum. That said, in its current state, the museum is best viewed virtually. All galleries and collections must be spruced up and opened at the earliest for visitors to enjoy a trip in history.

Artifacts from Indian Museum, Kolkata used to design the stamp Souvenir Sheet

First row (left to right): Sculpture (2nd BCE) from a railing leading to a gateway in Bharhut Gallery, main building without the fountain (current state) and main building with fountain (old image)

Second row (left to right): Papier mache Ganesha mask (20th c.), Bamboo-clay-cloth mask of Aristhasura (21st c.) used for Satriya Dance in Assam, Bamboo-clay-cloth mask of Baghasura (21st c.) used for Satriya Dance in Assam, Wooden mask of Kali (20th c.) used for Kali Nach in Malda and Papier mache-cloth-clay-tinsel Durga mask (21st c.) by Kanchan Sutradhar used for Chhau Dance in Purulia

Third row (left to right): Turkey cock by Ustad Mansur (1612 AD) using Gouache on paper, Buddha sculpture in Bhumisparsa Mudra (11th c.) from Chittagong in Bangladesh, Siva the archer (19th c.) in Kangra Pahari style using Gouache on paper and Kalpasutra (17th c.) Jainism painting in Western Indian style using Gouache on paper

Souvenir Sheet of Stamps released in 2014 to celebrate the bicentennial of Indian Museum, Kolkata

Design: Sankha Samanta

The image on the left of the stamp sheet is a 10-11th c. sandstone sculpture from Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh) showing a mother with three children, one in her arms and two standing on both sides. Images for this sculpture and another painting (next to the masks in the stamp sheet) could not be obtained for sharing here.

A stamp from 1978 Museums of India stamp set depicted Kalpavriksha, wish-fulfilling tree