BetterPhilately Wishlist for India Post Stamps

Update (23 Aug 2020): A few minor things added and updated below.

Update (02 Feb 2020): Some more stamps from my wish list have been issued over the last few months. I've also added a few more subjects that I believe deserve to be commemorated on India Post stamps.

Update (08 Sep 2019): Some of the stamps on my wish list have been issued recently. I've added some more subjects and details that I hope are considered when finalizing the stamp issues over the next few years.

Update (23 Jun 2019): I've been making minor updates to this list. A few of the stamps on the wish list have been getting approved, so that's a cool thing. I'm hoping India Post takes input from stamp collectors in building out the stamp issue program for the next several years and keeps the average cost for collectors somewhat manageable.

Original Post (04 Oct 2018): This post will be a source to aggregate stamp subject suggestions or ideas that India Post can use to design stamp programs for future years. I have posted some of this information in couple of other posts and on the twitter feed as well. The list is simply organized by year, and separately lists some other personalities, events and themes that I'd like to see being issued as postal stamps. Feel free to leave your ideas in the comments section below. When I make modifications, those will all be mentioned at the bottom of this post.

2018
19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche
Acharya Bodhidharma
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (Approved)
Chandrakant T. Patel
Dhanraj Bhagat
L. L. Narayan
Laxmanrao Inamdar
Ramanand Sagar
Sikander Bhakt
Srimant Sankardev
Vinda Karandikar

100 Years of Kheda Movement
100 Years of Sabarmati Ashram
The Maihar Band (100 Years)
The Yoga Institute, Mumbai (100 Years)

2019
Amrita Pritam
Chandrashekhar Saraswati Mahaperiyavar
I. K. Gujral
Kasturba Gandhi (75th Death Anniversary)
Maharani Gayatri Devi
Maniram Dewan
Raja Todarmal
Rana Kumbha (600th Birth Anniversary)
Shivmangal Singh Suman
Sudhir Phadke
Vijaya Raje Scindia (Approved)

50 Years of Rajdhani Express
Auckland House School, Shimla
CMC Ludhiana
High Court of Punjab & Haryana Centenary
ISRO - Golden Jubilee (Magalyaan, Chandrayan and Vikram Sarabhai)
La Martiniere Girls’ College, Lucknow (150 Years)
Margazhi Music Season (Brahma & Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabhas)
Rajkumar College, Rajkot (150 Years)

Sherwood College, Nainital

2020
Pandurang Shastri Athavle
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
36th International Geological Congress
Modern School, New Delhi
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee

2021
75 Years of India's Independence
India-Bangladesh: Joint Issue (50 & 75 Years of Independence)

Army War College, Mhow

Other Events & Organizations
Bishop Cotton School, Bengaluru

Bombay Scottish School, Mumbai

Dayalbagh
Gir Wildlife Sanctuary

Thematic Issues

Ancient Universities - Nalanda, Vikramshila, Takshashila, Odantapuri, Vallabhi, Nagarjunkonda
Architecture
Art & Culture
Caves - Ajanta, Borra, Ellora, Elephanta, Kanheri, Badami, Bhimbhetka, Kandagiri, Undavalli, Udayagiri
Dams and Reservoirs
Famous Libraries - Allahabad Public, Saraswathi Mahal, Amar Mahal, Asiatic Society Mumbai, Goa, Kerala, Karnataka and Telangana State Central libraries
Festivals - Kullu Dussehra, Holi, Chhath Festival, Janmashtami (Krishna Jayanti), Baisakhi, Raksha Bandhan, Ganesh Utsav, Eid Mubarak
Horses - Spiti and Kati
Indian Lakes - Bhoj Tal, Chilika, Dal Lake, Damdama, Hussain Sagar, Loktak, Naini Tal, Nal Sarovar, Pichola, Pushkar Lake, Sambhar, Suraj Tal, Vembanad, Wular
Indian Perfumes - Musk, Saffron, Khus, Kewra, Vetiver, Champa
Indian Traditions
Joint Stamp Issues with Australia, Bhutan, Germany, Nigeria, Oman, Switzerland, UK, UAE, USA
Jyotirlinga Temples (12 designs)
Landmark Bridges - Dhola Sadiya, Bogibeel
Luxury Trains - Palace on Wheels, Deccan Odyssey, Golden Chariot, Maharajas Express
Master Healers of AYUSH - Rajendra Lal Dutta, P. S. Varier, B. K. S. Iyengar
Medicinal Flowers of AYUSH - Saffron, Rose, Marigold, Violet, Avaram Senna, Hibiscus, Jasmine, Thumba, Neelkamal, Nagchampa, Palash, Sahijana (Drumstick)
Musical Instruments

Museums of India - Napier Museum, Bhau Daji Lad Museum, National Rail Museum, CSM Vastu Sangrahalaya, Gass Forest Museum, Watson Museum
Natural Heritage - National Parks and Tiger Reserves
Post Office Heritage Buildings - Patna GPO, Bhagalpur HPO, PTC Darbhanga, Mandi HPO, Panaji HPO, Amritsar HPO, Darjeeling HPO, Varanasi HPO, Circle Offices in Bengaluru, Lucknow and Trivandrum
Railway Bridges - Godavari Arch Bridge, Vembanad Bridge, Farakka Barrage, Digha-Sonpur Bridge
Railway Station Buildings
Social Causes - Blood donation, Organ donation, Heart health, Child safety, Prevent child mortality, Epilepsy awareness
Textiles - Chanderi, Maheshwari, Paithani, Jamdani, Kota, Sambalpuri, Angami Weaves, Tat
Toy Trains - Neral Matheran Railway, Nilgiri Mountain Railway

Other Personalities
Ashok Singhal
Babasaheb Apte
Banda Singh Bahadur
B. D. Jatti
Balasaheb Thackarey
Balasheb Deoras
Balraj Madhok
Chinmayananda Saraswati
Dattopant Thengadi (approved)
Dadu Dayal
Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy
Dayanand Saraswati
Eknath Ranade
Gopal Swarup Pathak
Ghulam Sarwar
J. Jayalalithaa
Kaka Hathrasi
Kesahavdas
K. R. Narayanan
Khushabhau Thakre
Madhukar Rao Bhagwat
Madhvacharya
Makhanlal Chaturvedi
Marnopant Pingley
Mohammad Hidayatullah
M. S. Golwalkar
Nimbakacharya
N. Sanjeeva Reddy
P. V. Narasimha Rao (approved)
Pandurang Kane
Rajendra Singh
Ramchandra Das Paramhans
Raskhan
Sachchidananda Vatsyayan 'Agyeya'
Satguru Ram Singh
Shivmangal Singh Suman
Sita Ram Goel
Siyaram Sharan Gupt
Swami Abhedananda
Swaraj P. Gupta
V. P. Singh
Jnanpith Award Winners
Cartoonists - Sudhir Pillai, Abu Abhraham, Mario Miranda
Musicians/Singers - G. M. Durrani, Mahendra Kapoor, P. B. Sreenivas

Issued by India Post
150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (02 Oct 2018)
200 Years of Paika Rebellion (24 Dec 2018)
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (Special definitive on 25 Dec 2018)
Mahamati Prannath (25 Jan 2019)
Vedanta Desikan (01 May 2019)
Jallianwala Bagh Incident Centenary (13 Apr 2019)
Maharshi Mahesh Yogi (30 Aug 2019)
Master Healers of AYUSH - Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Vaidya Shastri Shankar Daji Pade, Vaidya Bhaskara Vishwanath Gokhale, Vaidyabhushanam K Raghavan Thirumulpad, Rajvaidya Shri Brihaspati Dev Triguna, Swami Kuvalayananda, Hakim Md. Abdul Aziz Lakhnawi, Vaidya Yadavji Trikamji Acharya, Dr. Dinshaw Mehta, T. V. Sambasivam Pillai (30 Aug 2019)
Accessible Elections (Election Commission) (MyStamp 13 Apr 2019)
Queen Heo Hwang-ok - Suriratna (30 Jul 2019)
International Labor Organization Centenary (22 Jan 2020)
50th International Film Festival of India (MyStamp 20 Nov 2019)
150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (1869-2019) (02 Oct 2019)
50 Years of Commercial Nuclear Power – Tarapur (MyStamp 28 Nov 2019)

Doordarshan (60 Years) (MyStamp 16 Sep 2019)

Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh (08 Oct 2019)
Guru Nanak Dev (550th Parkash Utsav) (09 Nov 2019)

Blood donation (Apollo Hospitals MyStamp 2019)

ASSOCHAM (MyStamp 20 Dec 2019)

Conference of the Parties to Convention on Migratory Species (MyStamp 17 Feb 2020)

India Post Approved & Pending Stamp Proposals

Update (23 Aug 2020): Added new updates below.

Update (02 Feb 2020): Added new updates below.

Update (07 Sep 2019): Added updates for pending, approved and recently issued stamps. 

Update (15 Jan 2019): Now showing the stamps on Greeting (2001) as issued in 2001 itself. Blog reader had pointed out, and I'm in agreement with the suggestion.

Update (05 Jan 2019): Added the list of approved stamps (2017-19) from the last PAC meeting of India Post in 2017. Many of the approved subjects were issued in 2017 and 2018, but the remaining subjects could be used for issuance in 2019 and beyond. I've included stamps on Jamshedpur and CIPET that were recently approved as well.

Original Post: I will post details for stamp subjects and proposals that have been submitted to India Post over the last two decades. This can be used as a source to track approved stamp subjects and dead issues.

Stamp Issues Approved, but Not Released
2001
Set of 4 stamps on Dances of India
Set of 4 stamps on Hitopadesha and Jataka Tales (Approved)

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

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
House Boats – Kerala, Kashmir
National Gallery of Modern Art
Seasons of India
Shakti Temples – Kalighat, Meenakshi, Vaishno Devi, Kamakhya (Approved)
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
Tribal Dwellings (Set of 4 stamps)

2013
Dr. Nilratan Sircar
India-Peru Joint Issue
South Asian Postal Union

2014
Machali, The Tigress

2016-17
Gaurishankar Govardhan Joshi 'Dhumketu' (Approved)
Lala Thunthee Mull
M. Balamuralikrishna
Raja Todarmal

Sant Pipaji Maharaj
Swami Karpatri Ji

Aquaculture

Birds: Endangered & Critically Endangered

Boats of India
Bridal Costumes of India

Jataka Tales

Mangalyan

Mehandi (Lawsona inermis)
Minerals of India
Palace on Wheels
Puppets

Shaktipeeth Temples

Tribes of India

Wildlife – Flora & Fauna

2018-19

Acharya Bodhihdharma & Efflorescence of Zen Culture

Acharya Konda Laxman Bapuji
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
Dr. B. P. Radhakrishna
Girdharilal Bhargava

Pandit Savai Gandharva
Raja Jailal Singh
Vijaya Raje Scindia

Aga Khan Foundation
Eastern Naval Command (50 Years)
HMS Minden & HMS Trincomalee (1810-1811)
Induction of Pilatus PC-7 Mk II
University of Mysore

Pending Stamp Proposals
2017 Proposals
All India Management Association
Architectural Heritage of Pune
Bangiya Sahitya Parishad
Blue Star Limited
CMC Ludhiana
Erani Martyrs
Federation of Gujarat Industries
Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (50 years)
Guntur Municipality (150 years)
Haifa Victory
Institute of Company Secretaries of India
Madras High Court Heritage Building (125 years)
Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain
Musical Instruments (Paid by Datta Peetham)
National Commission for Women
National Housing Development Corporation
Nilgiri Mountain Railway
Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana (50 years)
Rann Utsav
Sangam (Prayagraj)
St. Michael High School, Patna
World Blood Donors Day
World Thalassemia Day

2018 Proposals
36th International Geological Congress (IGC)
70 Years of Olympic Hockey Gold Medal
Akhil Bharatvarshiya Jaiswal Jain Mahasabha
Dhola Sadiya Bridge of Assam
Epilepsy
Golden Jubilee of Howrah Rajdhani Express
Honey Bee
Kolkata GPO
Queen Pineapple (Tripura)

2019 Proposals
All Saint' College, Nainital (150th Anniversary)
Acharya Shanti Sagar Maharaj
Dr. Rafiuddin Ahmed
I. K. Gujral (100th Anniversary)
International Widows' Day
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (Bi-centenary)
ISRO (50th Anniversary)
Kishori Das Vajpayee
La Martiniere Girls' College, Lucknow (150th Anniversary)
M. S. Naicker
Mysore V. Doraiswamy Iyengar
Nadar Saraswathi Primary School, Theni
National Service Scheme (50th Anniversary)
Rao Jaimal Rathore
Sherwood College, Nainital (150th Anniversary)
Shivakumara Swami Ji
Thangasseri Fort, Kollam (500 Years)
Ustad Allarakha Khan (100th Anniversary)
Venkatarama Reddy (150th Anniversary)
Vikram Sarabhai (100th Anniversary)
Wazir Mohammad Hakla

Stamps Eventually Issued
2001 - Set of 2 stamps on Greetings (Issued on 18 Dec 2001)
2018 - Professor Ram Chand Paul (Issued on 06 Mar 2019)
2018 - Vedanta Desikan (Issued on 02 May 2019)
2018 - Aero India 2019 (Issued on 23 Feb 2019)
2018 - MyStamp - Accessible Elections (Karnataka CEO) (Issued on 13 Apr 2019)
2018 - Kumbh Mela 2019 (Issued on 02 Feb 2019)
2018 - Master Healers of AYUSH (Issued on 30 Aug 2019)
2018 - Central Institute of Plastics Technology and Engineering (Issued on 24 Jan 2019)
2016 - India's Participation in World War I (Issued on 20 Aug 2019)
2016 - Indian Perfumes (Issued on 01 Aug 2019)
2016-17 - Embroideries of India (Issued on 19 Dec 2019)
2018 - Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (Issued on 26 Dec 2019)
2018 - International Labor Organization (Issued on 22 Jan 2020)
2019 - The Samaja (Odia Daily) (Issued on 04 Oct 2019)
2019 - MyStamp - National Institute of Bank Management, Pune
2018 - MyStamp - 60 Years of Doordarshan (Issued on 16 Sep 2019)
2018-19 - Mathew M. Kuzhiveli (Issued on 22 Nov 2019)
2016-17 - Four Dhamas (Char Dham) (Issued on 29 Nov 2019)
2016-17 - Fragrant Stamps (Chocolate, Strawberry) (Issued on 01 Aug & 15 Oct 2019)
2016-17 - Historical Gates of India Forts (Issued on 19 Oct 2019)

2018-19 - Jamshedpur (Issued on 17 Feb 2020)

2016-17 - Musical Instruments (Issued on 25 Jun 2020)
2016-17 - Terracotta Temples of India (Issued on 08 Aug 2020)

Dead Stamp Issues
O. P. Jindal
Devaraj Urs
Jyoti Basu
Bhupesh Gupta

Errors in UNESCO World Heritage Sites Stamps India 2020

I'm posting after a long break, but hope this will be a fresh start. During yesterday's Independence Day celebration, India Post issued a set of stamps (3rd in a series) on UNESCO world heritage sites. These stamps were intended to showcase selected cultural sites that have been inscribed on the list comprising over 1000 sites from around the world. Like previous 5-6 years of crowd-sourced stamp images, photographs were submitted by public through a competition on the MyGov platform. These competitions are typically being organized 1-2 months in advance of the actual stamp issuance, always delivering half baked designs. This particular stamp issue was no exception. 

Total of five cultural sites were selected:

1. Churches and convents of Goa - Church of Bom Jesus
2. Historic city of Ahmadabad - Sarkhej Roza
3. Group of monuments at Pattadakal
4. Khajuraho group of monuments - Javari Temple
5. Qutb Minar and its monuments, Delhi

Several elements are inconsistent and incorrect with these poorly designed stamps, and I request that India Post recall this stamp issue. Firstly, there are some gross errors in the stamp images. The stamp on Churches and convents of Goa shows an image of Se Cathedral, but describes it as Church of Bom Jesus. Information and images found on the internet clearly prove this is a mistake. Also, it's Basilica of Bom Jesus, not Church of Bom Jesus. Next is the stamp on Khajuraho temples. The stamp shows and image of Vamana temple, but is described as Javari temple. The second panel below clearly shows the difference between the two temples. Again, quick searches on the internet will be enough. 

Third error is some what technical, so it may need further verification. Nomination documents for Historic city of Ahmadabad that can be found on UNESCO World heritage web site says that Sarkhej Roza is outside the nominated world heritage site property. Why was this shown on the stamp then?

Lastly, the stamps are so poorly designed. Low quality fonts were used and placements of the words are not even on all the stamps either. The stone wall shown on Khajuraho temple stamp could have been easily cropped to highlight the actual temple more. There was also no need to put Qutb Minar on a stamp again - it has already been seen on several previous postal stamps issued by India Post.

An overall disaster, this stamp issue should be immediately recalled and new images, whether crowd sourced or not, should be selected, errors rectified and printed. Not cool, India Post.

India Post 2020 - Stamp Releases and Designers

Coming Soon...

India Post 2019 - Stamp Releases & Designers

Coming soon...

India Post Stamp Release Updates (Jan-Jun 2020)

Coming soon...

Gandhi 150: The Global Indian through Postal Stamps

Update on 22 Sep 2019: Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary celebrations were kicked of in October last year and will continue until late 2020, a two year long series of commemorative and remembrance events celebrating the father of India's independence movement. Several countries and philately companies are issuing postal stamps on Gandhi. I will update the list and also add pictures as more get added. Leave a comment if there's more information to share with fellow collectors.

#Bapu150 #Mahatma150 #Gandhi150

List of Stamps issued on Mahatma Gandhi's 150th Birth Anniversary (1869-2019).

India Post Stamp Updates (Jan-Jun 2019)

Update (02 Feb 2019): Firstly, a list of stamps being issued in 2019 can now be found at the end of this post. I will keep adding new releases down below. The year began with the stamp release on CIPET Golden Jubilee by the Vice President of India at an event in Chennai (24th Jan). The stamp was very poorly designed, and is actually worse than the one on BRBRAITT (April 2017). 

MoS Communications dedicated the stamp on Mahamati Prannath the very next day in New Delhi. Prannath Ji was a spiritual leader in the 17th century. King Chhatrasal of Bundelkhand was among his followers. His 400th birth anniversary was celebrated in October 2018 and I'm assuming due to excessive number of stamp issues last year, this was moved out to this year. I'd have liked to see a full color image on the stamp, similar to the one on Sant Eknath (2003), but the designer chose muted pastel colors instead. The next two stamp issues provided much needed relief.

Satish Gujral, a well known contemporary artist designed a stamp on Financial inclusion, which was issued by MoS Communications and the Finance Minster in the presence of Mr. Gujral on 30th Jan to celebrate 2 years of the launch of India Post Payments Bank. The stamp shows the artists' take on digital payments, and a postman delivering mail. It was a nice change from the mundane artwork of several artist that have been working with India Post for many decades.

Soon after, on 2nd Feb, MoS Communications dedicated another stamp, this time on the on-going Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. I'm yet to confirm this, but the stamp was likely designed by Kamleshwar Singh and shows several aspects of the mega religious gathering like bathing in the holy Ganga, tent city, a pontoon bridge, a railway/road bridge, pilgrims and temples. I'm hoping all of the future stamp issues will have artists use such detailed research, original artwork and thoroughness.

Commemorative stamps have been approved on Aero India 2019 (air show and expo in Bengaluru) and Professor Ram Chand Paul. I had informed collectors about the stamp on Paul in early December on Twitter. Somehow the stamp on Republic Day on nonviolence theme was not issued, and there's no clarity on the issue date. A customized MyStamp sheetlet was also issued by the Jharkhand government in mid-January showing Sohrai, a winter harvest and cattle festival.

Forthcoming Stamp Issues
20-23 Feb - Aero India 2019
28 Feb - Professor Ram Chand Paul

Update (19 Jan 2019): Some stamp issues are lining up for issuance in January. The first one appears to be on 50 Years of Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology to be released on 24th January. It will be a Rs 41 stamp in sheets and miniature sheet formats. Next day, 25th January will see the stamp on Mahamati Prannath being released. It's likely the Republic Day crowdsourced stamps will be issued soon after as well. I've included the following stamp subjects in the list below: Children's Day, Independence Day and Republic Day. Will there be a stamp on Kastruba Gandhi's 75th death anniversary in February? 

Original Post (15 January 2019): Just beginning to build out the list of approved stamp subjects for the new year. It appears than India Post is continuing to use stamp subjects that were approved a couple of years back, especially the non-personality ones to plan new released. I actually don't mind this approach because it doesn't throw many surprises and relegate approved issues to the back burner. I know several stamp designers have been working on these remaining stamp subjects, so let's hope these come to light. On the other hand, stamps on personalities have been added as the years have gone by, with no particular bias toward the ruling federal government. It has generally been an even distribution for various states and types of personalities.

I've seen some social media posts with a definitive stamp on Atal Bihari Vajpayee (Rupees 2) being sold in some post offices. This is a welcome move. The stamp was possibly released on 25th December 2018, but that's yet to be confirmed.

Do share your thoughts about stamp subjects and releases for 2019. Happy New Year!

Approved Stamp Subjects
Non-personality Stamp Issues
Aquaculture

Birds: Endangered & Critically Endangered

Boats of India
Bridal Costumes of India
Four Dhamas (Char Dham)

Fragrant Stamps (Chocolate, Strawberry, Fruits and Vegetables)
Historical Gates of Indian Forts
Indian Fashion (Series 2)

Indian Perfumes

Jataka Tales

Mangalyan

Mehandi (Lawsona inermis)
Minerals of India
Musical Instruments (Chimta, Dotara, Ektara, Khartal, Tumbi)
Palace on Wheels
Puppets

Shaktipeeth Temples (Kalighat, Kamkhya, Meenakshi, Vaishno Devi)

Terracotta Temples of India
Traditional Embroideries of India
Tribes of India
UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Series 2)

Wildlife – Flora & Fauna

Aga Khan Foundation
Children's Day
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (60 Years)
Eastern Naval Command (50 Years)
HMS Minden & HMS Trincomalee (1810-1811)
Independence Day
Jallianwala Bagh Incident Centenary
Jamshedpur (India's First Industrial City)
India’s Participation in World War I
India-South Korea: Joint Stamp Issue
Induction of Pilatus PC-7 Mk II
Republic Day (Nonviolence/Ahimsa Parmo Dharma)
University of Mysore

Personalities
Acharya Bodhihdharma & Efflorescence of Zen Culture

Acharya Konda Laxman Bapuji
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
Dr. B. P. Radhakrishna
Gaurishankar Govardhan Joshi 'Dhumketu'
Girdharilal Bhargava
Guru Nanak Dev (550th Prakash Utsav)
Lala Thunthee Mull
M. Balamuralikrishna
Mahatma Gandhi (150th Birth Anniversary)

Pandit Savai Gandharva
Raja Todarmal
Sant Pipaji Maharaj
Swami Karpatri Ji
Vedanta Desikan

India Post Commemorative Stamp Issues 2019
24 Jan - Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology
25 Jan - Mahamati Prannath
30 Jan - Financial Inclusion
02 Feb - Kumbh Mela, Prayagraj
19 Feb - IIT (BHU)
23 Feb - Aero India 2019
06 Mar - Ram Chand Paul
09 Mar - Kubernath Rai

India Post 2018 - Stamp Releases & Designers

Click on the images below to enlarge and right click to save.

Update (23 Jan 2019): Details for India Post stamp issues from October to December 2018 was slow to trickle in, but it appears that design and printing information is now available. Print quantity for most of the stamp issues were increased to about 0.5 million, and only a couple of them were printed in smaller quantities (0.3 million). Stocks for all the stamp issues were generally available in the post offices, except some major delays from the printer (SPP, Hyderabad). India Post appears to have realized this issue late in the year and started indenting some issues with ISP Nashik as well. I truly hope CSP Kanpur and EPP/MSP Chennai, two private printers that supplied postal stamps until 2014, will be used again. It will not only improve supplies to post offices, but will improve paper and print quality and security features as well. Both these printers have superior printing equipment than the government presses. MyStamp lists with most of the print quantities are listed below as well. I've tried to verify the print quantity and designer info, but do let me know if there are any errors. I'll be happy to update.

Update (14 Oct 2018): I've finally managed to get around posting details for commemorative stamps and MyStamps issued by India Post from January until September. India Post's philately department was posting regular updates on social media until March this year and has gone completely missing since then and that has made finding print quantities and stamp artist information much difficult. Information brochures don't reach post offices in time to gather this either. Anyways, the tables below cover most of the year, but I will likely add a couple more updates, depending on the number of stamp issues in the last quarter of this year. Until then, enjoy.

India Post Stamps 2000-2018

Update (20 Jan 2019): It had been a while since I'd updated this post, especially total number of India Post stamps etc from 2017 were still pending. Given the massive number of stamps and philatelic products, I was somewhat unsure about categorizing some of the stamps. The tally is finally complete, including last year, which was another blockbuster with 117 commemorative stamps. I've further expanded the MyStamp list to split personalize and customized/corporate MyStamp sheetlets. These products have been evolving over the last few years, and I thought it best to separate the two. If there's any confusion or clarification needed, please let me know in the comments below. Hope this list helps shed some light on the trends in India philately.

Update (06 Feb 2017): Here's an update to the count of total commemorative/MyStamps, which now includes totals from 2016 as well. There was a huge increase in the cost of stamps and sheetlets issued last year along with the introduction of customized MyStamps sheetlets. Do check lists of se-tenant stamps and MyStamps for further details.

Update (15 May 2016): Given that so many MyStamp sheetlets have been released in 2016, it was considered prudent to separate MyStamp sheetlets. Pricing for MyStamps are not fixed so, the lowest known price will be included going forward.

Original Post (29 Jan 2016): Here's a count of commemorative and special postage stamps issues by India Post from 2000 to 2015. For the reader's reference the list also shows face value of the stamps. If there are errors in the list below, just leave a comment.

Note:
1. Definitive stamps are not included.
2. MyStamps have all been issued in Sheetlet format and are included in the Sheetlet count. Each MyStamp is valued at Rs 25 because that appears to be the most common retail price for these personalized/customized stamps.
3. Each se-tenant stamp issue is counted only once (even if multiple se-tenants can be formed from a given issue). For e.g. Social & Political leaders stamp from 2000 was available in strip and block se-tenant formats, but is only counted as one.
4. Souvenir sheets and Siamese Twin issues are included in Miniature sheets as well.

Se-tenant Stamps of India

Update (20 Jan 2019): Just wanted to update the se-tenant list of stamps to include issues from 2018. There were much fewer se-tenant stamp issues last year when compared with 2017. Two se-tenant commemorative stamps, one souvenir sheet (se-tenant of 4) and two MyStamp sheetlets with se-tenants were issued throughout the year.

Update (21 Jan 2018): I've got around to update this list as well. Last year (2017) was so huge, but this list was relatively easily compiled. There were 11 true se-tenant issues, majority of them issued as miniature sheets only. There were no separate fill panes for these stamps and thus they were considered as se-tenant stamps. Two stamps, Deekshabhoomi of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and Banaras Hindu University were the only issues that were issued as se-tenant full sheets. Overall, it was a good year for se-tenant stamp collectors. Do check the formatting rules for the table below in the previous update.

Update (07 Jan 2017): An updated list of se-tenant stamps of India from 1974-2016 is being posted here. This list should serve as a basic reference for se-tenant stamp issues for Republic of India stamp collectors. Specialized se-tenant collections will need additional details, but that's beyond the scope of this blog post. A few minor changes have been made to the format of the list as well. The list is separated in a few sub-sections by the year of stamp issuance, 1970-1989 is divided by each decade (1970s, 1980s etc) and then year-wise from 1990 onward. A quick break down for the 'format' column: Se-tenant implies a pair of 2 stamps, Se-tenant of 3 or higher could be in different formats such as vertical or horizontal strips, blocks etc. All care has been taken to provide accurate information, but as always, if there are any errors, just leave a comment and it will be fixed.

A list of se-tenant stamps of India from 1974-2015 is posted here. This list should serve as a basic reference for se-tenant stamp issues for Republic of India stamp collectors. Specialized se-tenant collections will need additional details, but that's beyond the scope of this blog post. The list is separated in two main sections: 1970 to 2000 is divided by each decade (1970s, 1980s etc) and then year-wise from 2000 onward. A quick break down for the 'format' column: Se-tenant implies a pair of 2 stamps, Se-tenant of 3 or higher could be in different formats such as vertical or horizontal strips, blocks etc. All care has been taken to provide accurate information, but as always, if there are any errors, just leave a comment and it will be fixed.The total number of se-tenants should also correspond to the list in another post.

MyStamps: Customized & Personalized Stamps of India

Update (20 Jan 2019): It's time for another update to the MyStamp listing. In addition to listing all issues from 2018, I've been able to find print quantities for several more sheetlets. Like 2017, a large number of customized/corporate MyStamps were printed by India Post last year as well. This trend appears to continue even in 2019, but given the exorbitant cost to complete this collection, and Scott Catalog not listing the customized stamps, I'm not sure about purchasing all sheetlets this year. It would be best if India Post could make single MyStamp sets available for collectors. The Indian Journal of Ophthalmology MyStamp printed in 2017 is still nowhere to be seen and I haven't heard anything about its availability so far. Let me know if you'd like to see any other details or want to share other MyStamp information with fellow collectors.

Update (28 Jan 2018): Two things I should have pointed out earlier - one for the LIC MyStamp and another for Indian Journal of Ophthalmology MyStamps. The MyStamp on Life Insurance Corporation of India was released in 2016, but I've recently learned that LIC may have ordered another print of 8000 sheets in 2017. I will confirm this soon, but this is likely to have happened. The second mention is for the IJO MyStamp, which was printed in 2017, but never issued by the proponent. Given that the stamp has not been made available for purchase or no release event has occurred, I may wait until 2018 or later to include on the list of MyStamps. That's all. There are new MyStamp sheetlets already being released, but that discussion is for a later date.

Update (21 Jan 2018): Given that most of the MyStamp issues from 2017 are known now, I've updated the list below. This past year saw further increase in the total number of MyStamp sheetlets put out by India Post, albeit one less personalized sheet when compared with 2016. Before I go further about some new things about the MyStamp issues from last year, let me make it clear that these are new and valid postal stamps and are likely to be part of a complete Republic of India collection. India Post is ripping off collectors by selling the sheets at such high premium. Now, for some new observations from 2017. The personalized sheet on Rose (issued on Valentines Day) had a floral fragrance embedded on the sheets, which was the first time on a MyStamp sheet. In order to celebrate Dr. MGR's birth centenary, Tamil Nadu state government ordered customized sheetlets for 4-5 events in various districts. The main stamps show monuments from these districts, but the blank label has an image of MGR. A complete collection of these sheets will be a good item for MGR fans. Yet another personality, second one after V. Ramakrishna in 2016, Banarsi Dass Gupta was depicted on a customized MyStamp sheet. Last point is about the design of MyStamps. Majority of these stamps were decently designed, but the Wedding wishes, Happy anniversary and Happy birthday stamps needed more thought than just printing in different fonts. I've started to collect data for print quantity of these stamps, which you can see below. If there is anything else that you'd like to share, let me know in the comments below.

Click on image to enlarge and right click to save

Update (07 Jan 2017): The updated list of MyStamps for covering all of 2016 is posted below. In the last quarter of 2016, seven new MyStamp sheetlets were put for sale. Among them was the first MyStamp on a personality (V. Ramakrishna of KCP Limited, Chennai). Majority of the rest were corporate institutions, barring the one on World AIDS Day 2016. The MyStamp on ECGC and Indian School of Business was released by the President of India, the one on World AIDS Day 2016 by the Health Minister of India, V. Ramakrishna by the Urban Development Minister of India, National Insurance Company and State Bank of Mysore by the respective companies' leadership. The cost of collecting one sheetlet of each kind in 2016 exceeded Rs 10,000 and will likely deter stamp collectors from purchasing these stamps if the cost and number of issues remain similarly high in 2017. Let's wait and see what the cataloging companies list for these new MyStamps.

Click on the image to enralge

Update (25 Sep 2016): Quite a few MyStamp sheetlets have been issued in  the last few months. Most of these stamps have been made available for purchase on ePostOffice. Prices for these sheetlets vary between Rs 300 and Rs 1000, with most of the customized sheets being sold for Rs 500. The list below is now being categorized as Personalized and Customized along with the known sale price. Curiously, the Western Union MyStamp was released in May 2016, but not made available for sale until July and the design on the sheetlet being sold is different from what was published in news articles back in May. Customized MyStamps are here to stay. In reply to a question in Lok Sabha, MoS Communications informed the house that this was a planned scheme introduced by India Post to allow corporate and educational institutions to order a minimum of 5000 MyStamp sheetlets with a logo or design of their choice. No wonder a spate of customized sheetlets have been released this year. Collecting MyStamp sheetlets is indeed an expensive affair, so hopefully collectors can buy individual MyStamps from the secondary market to complete their collections. Linn's that publishes the Scott catalog has listed MyStamps with catalog numbers. See below for the catalog numbers.

Scott Catalog Numbers for India's MyStamps (Linn's Stamp News)
Click on the images to enlarge

Western Union MyStamp - Original design (left) and stamps sold on ePostOffice (right)

Update (26 Mar 2016): MyStamps have all been issued in sheetlet format. Some of the sheetlets contain more than one design as well, forming se-tenants of 2 or 4. Each of the MyStamps released so far have been in Rs 5 denomination. MyStamps are sold as complete sheetlets only, individual stamp are not sold by the post office. Price of each sheetlet ranges from Rs 240 to Rs 300,  rendering cost of each stamp to be between Rs 20 and Rs 25. Most of these stamps released after 2012 have been made available only in the relevant postal circles. For e.g. Ajanta Caves (2014) sheetlets were available only in Mumbai Maharashtra Circle, Red Fort (2014) in Delhi Circle and so on. This poses a challenge for philatelists to complete their Republic India collection. Now that ePostOffice is working well, it would be ideal to put up these sheetlets for sale online making it much easier to purchase MyStamps.

On a different note: Although, the Avila Convent, Coimbatore MyStamp release was delayed from 21 Mar, it was issued the very next day on 22 Mar 2016, by the Postmaster General and Jagat Shah (Mentor on Road) in Coimbatore. The school is selling the sheetlet in two different packs for Rs 1000 and Rs 2000. Similar to the recent Hindustan Aeronautics MyStamp sheetlet, this is also a customized stamp sheetlet and surprisingly contains Avila's email and website as well.

This approach of issuing customized MyStamps can be clearly seen to be going the Customized Greeting Card route that India Post had ventured in the early 2000s. Given that the MyStamps are actual stamp and not just pre-paid envelopes, it is important for India Post to restrict the total number of such customized postage stamps being released in a year. It is highly recommended that these stamps be made available to a stamp collectors at a minimum price and online.

Original Post: By now all philatelists with interest in Republic of India (Post-independence) stamps would be aware of MyStamps that India Post has been issuing since early 2011. The first set of stamps were released during the Indepex 2011 International Stamp Exhibition held in February 2011 in New Delhi. After success at this premier stamp show, other regional stamp exhibitions asked for the same stamps to be distributed in other cities as well. Since 2012, other philatelic events and even philatelic bureau have been providing there personalized or customized stamp sheetlets for collectors.

MyStamps have blank space next to an official India Post stamp. The post office upon submission of a photograph prints the image in the empty column of stamps on the sheet of MyStamps. Initially, it was unclear whether the MyStamp themes were modifications to previous issues or were new stamp releases. Over the last few years, it has become clear that one needs to collect MyStamps in order to have a complete collection of Republic India stamps.

Below is a list of MyStamps issued by India Post. Recently, the first customized MyStamp sheetlet was released to celebrate 75 years of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

India Post Stamp Updates (Oct-Dec 2018) - Archived

ARCHIVED POST

Click here to the first half of 2018

Last Update (05 Jan 2019): This will be the final post for 2018 stamp issues. India Post delivered a surprise December with 10 stamp issues, majority in last two weeks of the month. After the stamp on Sabri Khan, the ones on Rajkumar Shukla and Gulabrao Maharaj were issued in quick succession. The stamp on Rajkumar Shukla was prematurely available since April 2018 and I'd shared images of letters posted with this stamp much earlier than the issue date on Twitter. MoS Communications dedicated the stamp on Shukla in New Delhi. A stamp was issued on Raj Kumar Shukla in 2000 as well. Print quantity of that stamp in 2000 was only 0.1 million and currently sells at a high premium. 

A stamp on philosopher and saint Gulabrao Maharaj was dedicated at a ceremony in Amravati district in Maharasthra. This stamp was approved and issued with no unexpected delays or problems. I'd shared issuance date of this stamp in late-September itself (click here).

Prime Minister of India had dedicated the National Police Memorial to the country on 21st October this year. This day is celebrated as Police Commemoration Day (Customized MyStamp was issued in Oct 2017). Within two months of inauguration of this memorial, the Prime Minister dedicated two stamps on the National Police Memorial at a Police officials conference in Kevadia Colony (where Statue of Unity is situated), Gujarat. The stamp was designed by Alka Sharma and is probably among the only decent design by this artist in the last several years.

A stamp on Paika Rebellion (Paika Bidroha) to celebrate its 200 years was issued on 24th December by the Prime Minister of India in Bhubaneswar. The bicentenary was actually completed in March 2017 itself, so the stamp issue was about 1.5 years delayed. Subir Das designed the stamp, which will likely be his last (information sheet shows his name as Late Subir Das). Alka Sharma helped design the first day cover. The stamp and FDC used images from a memorial in Odisha, and wasn't creatively the best. The stamp Vellore Mutiny (2006) was rather nicely done.

Another two personality stamps were issued last month. One on spiritual duo of the Swaminarayan-Gunatit sect of Hinduism, Kakaji and Pappaji Maharaj and the other on Maharaja Suheldev. Stamp on Kakaji and Pappaji was diamond shaped and dedicated at an event in Vadodara district, Gujarat during Kakaji's birth centenary celebrations. India Post had issued a stamp Kakaji Maharaj in March 2003 as well. This new stamp now includes Pappaji as well. India Post officials were present at the event in Gujarat. Prime Minister of India also dedicated a stamp on King Suheldev in Ghazipur (UP). Issuance of this stamp was announced by MoS Communications in February this year.

Now about the blockbuster stamp issues. It began with initiation of a new stamp series on UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India. The first issue in the series was on Hill Forts of Rajasthan including Amer, Chittorgarh, Gagron, Jaisalmer, Kumbhalgarh and Ranthambore forts. Brahm Prakash designed the stamps in his classical style that uses photos of places/objects. The miniature sheet was in the stamp of UNESCO's logo, becoming the second odd-shaped sheet from India Post. The previous one was on Hockey World Cup in November 2018.

Prime Minister of India dedicated a record fourth stamp in December. This one was a set of three stamps to commemorate 75 years of first flag hoisting in Port Blair (Andaman & Nicobar islands) by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The stamps were appropriately done by Sankha Samanta, depicting several details of the events that may have occurred in 1943 when Netaji visited Port Blair. The first stamp shows his arrival at the airport and receiving a guard of honor. The second stamp shows Netaji saluting the Indian flag and the third stamp has Cellular Jail as the main subject. Netaji had visited Cellular Jail in 1943 and this national monument has remained important for Indian freedom struggle. Similar to the Gandhi 150 stamp issue in October, denominations of these three stamps total to Rupees 75 symbolic of the 75th anniversary of this event. 

Yet another series of stamps appeared to have begun. This one on Indian Fashion. Suresh Kumar designed the first set of four stamps titled Indian Fashion - Through the Ages. The stamps show clothing and fashion from Harappan age to the Indian princely states. The stamps cover Harappa, Mohenjo-drao, Mauryan, Sunga, Mughal (Nur Jahan), Awadh (Ghazi-ud-din Haider) periods and Indian princely states.

The final commemorative stamps for the last year were a follow up on the Geographical Indication (GI) stamps. This set of stamps were on Handicrafts of India. All the five stamps show GI registered handicraft products. These along with the Handlooms of India stamps (August 2018) are probably among my favorite of 2018 and were designed by my favorite stamp artist, Kamleshwar Singh. Layout of these five stamp miniature sheet was identical between the Handicraft and Handloom stamps. Blue pottery of Jaipur, Palakkad Maddalam, Karnataka bronzeware, Kutch embroidery and Sikki grass products of Bihar are the five products shown on the handicraft stamps. 

Couple of other customized/corporate MyStamp sheetlets were issued as well. This wraps up another mega year in Indian philately. The year saw 117 commemorative stamps totaling to Rupees 1068 were issued. Along with these, 23 miniature sheets (Rupees 876) and 20 sheetlets (Rupees 2295) were also issue. The year saw only 5 se-tenant stamps being issued (CISF, Safdarjung Hospital, Prithviraj Chauhan, MyStamp-Andhra Tourism and MyStamp-IIT Bombay). Let me know if you need any additional information; I will try to find. Happy New Year.

India Post Commemorative Stamps in Dec 2018:
18 Dec - Rajkumar Shukla
19 Dec - Gulabrao Maharaj
22 Dec - National Police Memorial
24 Dec - Paika Rebellion
28 Dec - Kakaji & Pappaji
29 Dec - Maharaja Suheldev
29 Dec - Hill Forts of Rajasthan (UNESCO World Heritage Sites)
30 Dec - 75th Anniversary of First Flag Hoisting at Port Blair
31 Dec - Indian Fashion - Through the Ages
31 Dec - Handicrafts of India (GI Registered Handicrafts Products)

India Post Customized/Corporate MyStamp issues in Dec 2018:
15 Dec - MyStamp - Bangalore Club
18 Dec - MyStamp - SBI Hyderabad Branch (150 Years)

Update (16 Dec 2018): The typical last-minute rush to issue many stamps in December is on again. This is quite typical with India Post, when several stamps are printed, but delayed in issuance. All these stamps end up being released in December, to avoid confusion in the following year.

Toward the end of last month, a set of five stamps was issued during the Hockey world cup that is being played in Bhubaneswar (Odisha). Kamleshwar Singh did the design, which had some elements of local temples, deities etc on the miniature sheet that was shaped like an Olive Ridley turtle. It appears to be the first odd shaped miniature sheet issued by India Post. The stamps were issued by the Chief Minister of Odisha with government officials.

The first half of December did not see much activity, but many issues are planned for the remainder of the month. It began with the issuance of a stamp on Sarangi musician, Ustad Sabri Khan on 13th December by MoS Communications in New Delhi. This stamp was proposed for issuance in July-August this year, and I'd shared two stamp designs by Kamleshwar Singh back then on Twitter. One of these designs was issued as the final design.

Several MyStamps were also dedicated or put for sale in the last few weeks. Prime Minister of India issued the corporate MyStamp on 75 Years of Dainik Jagran, a news daily in Hindi in early December. Coincidentally, commemorative stamps have been issued by India Post on two previous editors (Narendra Mohan and Puran Chandra Gupta) of the newspaper and the new MyStamp shows both the editors as well. Another corporate MyStamp was issued in New Delhi on Maulana Azad Dental Institute. I recently also found a personalized MyStamp on Red Panda being sent to post offices, but I'm yet to see completed sheets out with collectors.

India Post Forthcoming Commemorative Stamps in Dec 2018:
18 Dec - Rajkumar Shukla
19 Dec - Gulabrao Maharaj
22 Dec - National Police Memorial
24 Dec - Paika Rebellion
28 Dec - Kakaji & Pappaji
29 Dec - Maharaja Suheldev
30 Dec - 75 Years of Azad Hind Government (First Flag Hoisting in Port Blair)

India Post Commemorative Stamps in Nov-Dec 2018:
28 Nov - Odisha Men's Hockey World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 (5 designs)
13 Dec - Ustad Sabri Khan

India Post Customized MyStamps in Nov-Dec 2018:
07 Dec - MyStamp - Dainik Jagran
11 Dec - MyStamp - Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences
November - MyStamp - TNPL - Paper from Bagasse
December - MyStamp - Red Panda

Update (25 Nov 2018): It's been a quiet period last two months for new postage stamps from India Post. Barely any new stamps were issued in most of October and November. It must be a good reprieve for stamp collectors that were inundated with new stamps over the last two years. There are scored of pending stamp issues, which have been delayed or postponed. Maybe some of these will be issued in December 2018, let's see. I'm hoping a properly vetted stamp issue program is put out for 2019 and shared with collectors. In the meanwhile, here's a list of the few stamps that were released recently.

India Post Commemorative Stamps in Nov 2018:
03 Nov - 3rd Battalion The Rajputana Rifles (1818-2018)
14 Nov - Children's Day - Communal Harmony (2 designs)

India Post Customized MyStamps in Oct-Nov 2018:
29 Oct - MyStamp - World Stroke Day
11 Nov - MyStamp - Union Bank of India
Oct - MyStamp - Hyundai
Oct - MyStamp - ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad 

Update (20 Oct 2018): Apart from the circular stamps to start Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary celebrations, not much has happened in October. India's Prime Minister dedicated stamps in 7 designs showing different facets of Mahatma Gandhi's life during a sanitation event on 2nd October. These were the first ever circular stamps issued by India Post. A miniature sheet comprised of all 7 stamps (denominations of stamps symbolically total to Rupees 150) and individual sheets of 20 stamps each were issued. Similar to the Ramayana stamp issue last year, these stamps were showcased at all of India's embassies abroad. 

Many new stamp proposals and subjects have been approved for issuance, but not much has been done about fixing release dates. In response to an RTI application earlier this year, India Post had indicated a tentative release plan for several stamps, but most of that has not been followed through. Instead of issuing well designed commemorative/special stamps, a steady stream of corporate MyStamps are being issued. These customized MyStamps are quite expensive, and are less likely to be listed in stamp catalogs.

India Post Commemorative Stamps in Oct 2018:
02 Oct - 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi

India Post Customized MyStamps in Sep-Oct 2018:
30 Sep - MyStamp - Dr. MGR & Selvi Jayalalithaa Memorial
04 Oct - MyStamp - Rayat Shikshan Sansthan
05 Oct - MyStamp - Narayan Seva Sansthan
12 Oct - MyStamp - National Human Rights Commission
Oct - MyStamp - Taj Connemara
Oct - MyStamp - Hyundai
Oct - MyStamp - ICMR - National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad

Update (14 Oct 2018): I'm back to add details for commemorative stamps issued in September and possibly cover MyStamps as well. The first stamp in September was issued in Bengalurur on freedon fighter Mahadevappa Mailar (1911-1943). Mailar was the only representative from Karnataka on Mahatma Gandhi's Dandi March in 1930. He was shot by the British along with two others while they were attempting to loot a temple in Haveri, Karnataka. The stamp was requested to be issued by Jagadish Shettar, former CM of Karnataka and MoS Communications obliged by being present at the dedication ceremony. Even though a sheetlet of 9 stamps has been issued, it doesn't seem to be available for sale on ePostOffice or many post offices. I wonder if SPP Hyderabad is still backlogged with this product like the Solar System miniature sheet, which has been unavailable for the last 7 months.

Yet another joint stamp issue was released in September - that's fourth straight month of joint stamps this year. Joint stamps between India and Serbia were planned to be released on 9th October, but then rescheduled for issuance in early September when India's Vice President was to travel to Serbia for an official visit. The trip was postponed due to the demise of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and as a result the stamp was dedicated a bit later on 15th September when the trip finally happened. I've written a detailed post on these stamps showing Swami Vivekananda and Nikola Tesla, which was definitely a good choice by both the postal administrations. I don't really like the miniature sheet and first day covers prepared by India Post - there's not creativity in either. Gulistaan was the credited designer.

Two other stamps - Hislop College, Nagpur and Sant Ganinath were issued later in September. Minister of Shipping and Roads was present at the ceremony in Nagpur and MoS Communications dedicated the stamp on Ganinath in his parliamentary constituency, Ghazipur. The stamp on Ganinath was decently designed, showing the sage as an incarnation of Lord Shiva, but the one on Hislop College was among the worst stamp designs in recent times. I don't really understand why such low quality work is being approved for printing. Colleges typically have buildings that can be shown on stamps, worst just the logo may suffice. Vinita Sinha, who also did the stamp on Damodar Hari Chapekar designed this dull and lackluster stamp. It's quite disappointing that even though Kamleshwar Singh and Sankha Samanta work with India Post, but are not being engaged often enough to lead the design process.

On to MyStamps now. Let me make it clear that the customized corporate MyStamp sheetlets are probably not as important to collect, but the ones that can be personalized may be good to buy. India Post has been continually put both types of MyStamps for sale over the last few months. A series of 12 sheetlets, one each for zodiac signs was made available for purchase since early July. So was a sheetlet on the Ridge in Shimla. This is the second set of MyStamp sheetlets on Zodiac signs, after the first one in 2011 issued during Indepex 2011. August saw two personalized sheetlets being issued -  one on Kurinji flower and another one on Victoria Memorial, Kolkata. Kurinji flower blooms once in 12 years, and a commemorative stamp was released on its last mass flowering in 2006. This is also the second MyStamp on Victoria Memorial after the one in 2015, albeit a new design and a larger MyStamp this time around. For some unknown reason, ePostOffice has stopped selling personalized MyStamp sheetlets and is only selling the corporate ones with pre-printed tabs.

Lastly, the least interesting, customized MyStamp sheetlets. These are the expensive stamps issued at the behest of organizations or companies by making a payment to India Post. There is very little interest in stamp collectors to buy these and Scott catalog is not listing these either. I cover them, just in case some collectors plan to complete their MyStamp collection, given this is still valid postage. July saw a new size of MyStamp being issued. It was on Christ University Bangalore's golden jubilee. The sheet still contains 12 stamps, but the stamps are much longer than the standard size. Indian Paper Traders Association got a MyStamp printed and released on Paper Day, so did Ashok Leyland, the truck manufacturer. Lilavati Hospital got two types of MyStamp sheetlets printed and issued whereas Jharkhand Government paid to get a stamp on Karma Parab, a festival in Jharkhand.

This catches up to end of September for India Post stamps. Leave me a message below if there are any questions or comments. Apart from the circular stamps on Mahatma Gandhi, there hasn't been much activity to report in October.


Update (01 Oct 2018): Here you go. I'll start describing the stamp issues chronologically as they were issued from July onward. The stamp on ICAI - the organization dealing with certified accountants was nicely designed by one of my favorite stamp artists, Kamleshwar Singh. The stamp design clearly elucidates the role of ICAI and that occasion for issuance. It was issued in New Delhi by the President of India to celebrate 70 years of the institute. Will a stamp be issued on the Company Secretary Institute's golden jubilee as well?

Next was a stamp on the 90th birth anniversary of classical singer M. L. Vasanthakumari of the Carnatic music tradition. She was one among the trinity of modern Carnatic singers - other two being M. S. Subbulakshmi and D. K. Pattammal, both were earlier seen on stamps from 2005 and 2014, respectively. Sankha Samanta designed the stamp that was issued in Chennai Music Academy by India's defense minster and MoS Communications. Carnatic musician Sudha Raghunathan led the efforts to get the stamp proposal approved and issued. I remember Ms. Raghunathan also being present at the event for M. S. Subbulakshmi stamp release event at United Nations as well. Well done, madam.

The stamp on Damodar Hari Chapekar, freedom fighter from Pune was issued by the Speaker of Lok Sabha. This stamp along with one on Rajkumar Shukla were prematurely available in some post offices and I've seen several examples of these stamps being used on cover before official issue date. Surprisingly, the stamp on Rajkumar Shukla is yet to be issued and is being freely sold on eBay. I wish the stamp on Chapekar was issued as one that included all three Chapekar brothers and not just the elder one. Their heroic fight against the British rule was a combined effort and it would've been best to recognize them together, as previously done for Murmu brothers (2002) and Pandiar brothers (2004).

The second joint with South Africa within this year was issued in Johannesburg when the Prime Minister of India was traveling for the 10th BRICS Summit. The stamp sheet celebrates the birth centenary of Nelson Mandela and 125th year of Mahatma Gandhi's Pietermarizburg Station Incident. I've posted additional details for this and other joint issues with South Africa here, but here's another point to note. India Post's souvenir sheet for this issue is the size of regular printer paper, which is almost four times the size of South African sheet. I've also noted comments on Twitter about poor paper quality used by SPP Hyderabad. I really hope miniature sheet size is reduced in the future to make them aesthetically pleasing and friendly for stamp collection albums and stock sheets.

Hepatitis B and C are the major types of hepatitis and these two infections may not show for a long period. Timely testing and treatment are required to overcome potential threats from the disease. On World Hepatitis Day (28th July), India Post launched a stamp to create awareness about a new federal government program on Viral Hepatitis Control. The stamp deigned by Suresh Kumar shows a pair of hands acting as a protection for the liver and graphics depicting treatment and hygiene in the bottom half of the stamp.

August began with a set of stamps being issued on National Handloom Day (7th August). A well designed issue, again by Kamleshwar Singh, showed five textiles/products that have Geographical Indication registrations. Textiles/products included were Baluchari saree, Kashmir Pashmina, Ikat, Pochampally and Bhagalpur silk. The dedication ceremony was held in Jaipur, where the main event for Handloom Day was held. Initially the Textile minister, MoS Communications and Rajasthan Chief Minister were to attend, but none of them showed up and instead MoS Textiles came late for a brief stopover. So much, for weavers and artists.

India Post had solicited entries for a photography competition in June and July to showcase some holiday destinations in the country. Several thousand pictures were received and a two stamps along with a miniature sheet were issued on Independence Day (15th August). Crowdsourcing for ideas including the ones on stamps has been a consistent feature of this federal government and is a welcome change. The only gripe with these stamps was the denominations being high for no apparent reason and no mention of the actual placed shown on the stamps and philatelic products.

The stamp on Patna University, which was originally planned for issuance in January/February was finally released by HRD Minister in the centenary closing event in Patna on 25th August. Brahm Prakash designed the stamp exactly the same way as the one on Banaras Hindu University stamp last year - by creating a collage of university buildings. I don't mind this style, but once was enough. Anyways, this is an important school, and the stamp was worth the wait.

Finally, the much delayed joint stamp issue with Armenia was dedicated at an event in Yerevan on 29th August. After the delay in March and June, I was informed by the HayPost staff about a late-August release, and that turned out to be true. I was surprised to see that the Armenian dance form was changed last minute and that resulted in India Post having to redo its first day cover as well. The original plan was to include Manipuri and Berd dances, but eventually Aremnia decided to go with Hov Arek instead of Berd. I've posted details for the joint stamps here, go check it out.

That covers July and August commemorative stamps. I'll post more details for September issues as well as all the MyStamps shortly.

Update (30 Sep 2018): I know its been three months since this post was last updated, but I've been busy at work; also thinking of a couple of better ways to organize future stamp subjects and the BetterPhilately wish list. So here's the path I have in mind: I will continue to share information about the current and announced issues in individual posts, but maintain a separate post for wish list and another one for stamp proposals that have been submitted to India Post and may be considered pending. I have a list of over 500 stamp proposals that were given to India Post over the last decade. These can eventually all be categorized as dead proposals or the ones that still have potential. I will start doing this within 2018. Here's a quick list of stamps that were issued from July to September. I'll come back later and add some interesting details or anecdotes for each of the issues.

India Post Commemorative Stamps in Jul-Sep 2018:
01 Jul - The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (70th Year)
03 Jul - M. L. Vasanthakumari
08 Jul - Damodar Hari Chapekar
26 Jul - India-South Africa: Joint Issue (Mahatma Gandhi & Nelson Mandela)
28 Jul - National Viral Hepatitis Control Program

07 Aug - Handlooms of India - Geographical Indication registered (5 designs)
15 Aug - Holiday Destinations in India (2 designs)
25 Aug - Patna University (1917-2017)
29 Aug - India-Armenia: Joint Issue (Manipuri and Hov Arek dances)

03 Sep - Martyr Mahadevappa Maliar
15 Sep - India-Serbia: Joint Issue (Swami Vivekananda and Nikola Tesla)
15 Sep - Hislop College, Nagpur
23 Sep - Sant Ganinath

India Post Personalized MyStamps in Jul-Sep 2018:
07 Jul - MyStamp - Zodiac Signs (12 sheetlets)
09 Jul - MyStamp - 'The Ridge' Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
15 Aug - MyStamp - Kurinji
Aug - MyStamp - Victoria Memorial, Kolkata

India Post Customized MyStamps in Jul-Sep 2018:
11 Jul - MyStamp - Christ (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, India
01 Aug - MyStamp - Paper Day (1st August)
24 Aug - MyStamp - Lilavati Hospital (Purple background)
24 Aug - MyStamp - Lilavati Hospital (Blue background)
07 Sep - MyStamp - Ashok Leyland - Ennore Plant (70 Years)
18 Sep - MyStamp - Karma Parab

Stamps Approved for Issuance

Thematic Issues
Aquaculture

Birds: Endangered & Critically Endangered

Boats of India
Bridal Costumes of India
Four Dhamas (Char Dham)

Fragrant Stamps (Chocolate, Strawberry)
Historical Gates of Indian Forts

Indian Perfume

Jataka Tales

Mangalyan

Mehandi (Lawsona inermis)
Minerals of India
Musical Instruments (Chimta, Dotara, Ektara, Khartal, Tumbi)
Palace on Wheels
Puppets

Shaktipeeth Temples (Kalighat, Kamkhya, Meenakshi, Vaishno Devi)

Terracotta Temples of India
Traditional Embroideries of India
Tribes of India

Wildlife – Flora & Fauna

Other Issues
Aga Khan Foundation
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (60 Years)
Eastern Naval Command (50 Years)
HMS Minden & HMS Trincomalee (1810-1811)
India’s Participation in World War I
Induction of Pilatus PC-7 Mk II
University of Mysore

Personalities
Acharya Bodhihdharma & Efflorescence of Zen Culture

Acharya Konda Laxman Bapuji
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
Dr. B. P. Radhakrishna
Gaurishankar Govardhan Joshi 'Dhumketu'
Girdharilal Bhargava
Lala Thunthee Mull
M. Balamuralikrishna

Pandit Savai Gandharva
Professor Ram Chand Paul
Raja Todarmal
Sant Pipaji Maharaj
Swami Karpatri Ji
Vedanta Desikan

Stamps Issued from the approved proposals
150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (02 October)
3rd Battalion Rajputana Rifles (03 November)
Children's Day - Communal Harmony (14 November)
Utkal University - 75 Years (27 November)
Odisha Men's Hockey World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 (27 November)
Ustad Sabri Khan (13 December)
Rajkumar Shukla (18 December)
Gulabrao Maharaj (19 December)
Kakaji & Pappaji Maharaj (28 December)
Maharaja Suheldev (29 December)
Paika Rebellion (24 December)
UNESCO Heritage Sites (29 December)
Indian Fashion Industry (31 December)