Breeds Of Dogs Of India: FDC

A very beautiful FDC from India with a set of 4 gorgeous dog stamps. Stamps  featuring 4 different breeds of dogs include following:-

• Himalayan Sheep Dog (Left-most stamp)
• Rampur Hound (2nd stamp from left)
• Mudhol Hound (3rd stamp from left)
• Rajapalayam (Right-most stamp)

The 4 dog breeds from India are also featured on the left side of the First Day Cover while the postmark features only three of them.Which one is missing is hard to tell..... At least for me... :)

The series of stamps on Indian Breeds of Dogs was released at the5th National Dog Show of the Kenel Club of India in Chennai on 9 January 2005. The postmarks on the cover are from the capital -New Delhi.

Indeed a magnificent cover! Isn't it? What do you say???

India: 50th Anniversary Of 62 Cavalry

One of my personal favorites is this magnificently designed First Day Cover (FDC) from India.

The stamp and the FDC; featuring the king of the battlefield - A Tank; were issued to mark 50th Anniversary of 62 Cavalry - An armoured regiment of Indian Army.

The Rs 5 stamp and FDC were issued on 1 April 2006.
What do you think about this beautiful stamp and the cover?

Youm-e-Takbeer - The Day When Pakistan Conducted 1st Nuclear Test

"Youm-e-Takbeer" was NOT a day like all others but it was special day which turned Pakistan into A PROUDER PAKISTAN - A STRONGER PAKISTAN!!!
This beautiful stamp from Pakistan was issued on 28 May 1999 - the first anniversary of "Youm-e-Takbeer" - The day when Pakistan conducted its first Nuclear Test. The Rs 5 stamp shows the site of the nuclear tests at Chaghi, Balochistan.

 Brief History of the Indo-Pakistan Nuclear Issue.
What started in 1974 when India conducted their first nuclear test at Pokhran Range in Rajhistan, ended on 28 May 1998 when Pakistan successfully carried out its first nuclear test in Chaghi, Balochistan. Since its a hobby blog, therefore, I don't want to spark a controversy but here is just a run down of events:-

• India conducted its first nuclear test in Pokhran Range, Rajisthan in 1974.
• In 1974, Pakistan started its nuclear program.
• As per Pakistani Atomic Scientists, by early 1980s, Pakistan was in a position to test detonate its device but did not step forward because of various reasons including International Pressure.
• On 11 May 1998, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee surprised everyone by announcing that India has conducted 3 nuclear tests earlier that day.
• Two days later on 13 May 1998, India conducted two more nuclear tests, surprising the international observers.
• Under immense pressure from public and continued humiliating statements from Indian leaders, Pakistan finally decided to respond by testing its own nuclear technology.
•  On 28 May 1998, at 3:16 pm Pakistan conducted its first nuclear test in Chaghi, Balochistan. Pakistan detonated five nuclear devices in total. The time has been termed as "Pakistan's Finest Hour".
• In an TV address to the nation, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif congratulated the Pakistani nation and said that "Today, we have settled a score and have carried out 5 successful nuclear tests.
• Pakistan had become the world s 7th nuclear power and the first nuclear weapons state in the Islamic World. Two days later, Pakistan conducted its sixth nuclear test at Kharan, a flat desert valley 150 km to the south of the Ras Koh Hills.
• The day was remembered as "Youm-e-Takbeer".

 

May 28, 1998 - Pakistan's quest for Self-Reliance 

  LONG LIVE PAKISTAN!!!

Pakistan FDC Featuring Nishan-e-Haider Winners

Here is one of my personal favorites from my collection. Its a FDC from Pakistan featuring two of the eleven (including Saif Ali Janjua who was awarded Hilal-e-Kashmir in 1948, which was afterwards made equivalent to Nishan-e-Haider) recipients of the Highest Military Award of Pakistan - Nishan-e-Haider.

 Both stamps are for Rs 4 denomination and were issued on 6 September 2002 - the Day being celebrated as the Defence of Pakistan Day every year. It was on this day in 1965 that India launched a dawn attack on Pakistan's territory without a war declaration BUT Pakistan Armed Forces fought valiantly and bravely. They beat back the attack and inflicted heavy losses over the attacker.

Nishan-e-Haider is awarded to military personnel for extraordinary bravery in combat. 9 out of 10 awards have been received by Pakistan Army while 1 has been received by Pakistan Airforce.

The stamp on the right features Sawar Muhammad Hussain while the stamp on left shows Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfuz. Here is a brief account of their heroic actions:-

 

 

• Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfuz (Shaheed), Nishan-e-Haider. 
  Born in Pind Malikan (now Mahfuzabad, Rawalpindi District) on October 25, 1944, Muhammad Mahfuz joined the Army on October 25, 1962. When war broke out in 1971, Lance Naik Mahfuz was serving in "A" Company of 15 Punjab Regiment deployed on the Wagah-Attari Sector. On the night of December 17-18, his company was assigned the task of occupying Phul Kanjri village located in the section. Platoon No. 3, to which Lance Naik Mahfuz belonged, was the forward unit in the assault and had to face torrential volleys of enemy fire from concrete Pill boxes. When the Company was about 70 yards from the Indian position, it was pinned down by unceasing frontal and cross fire from automatic weapons of the enemy. With the break of dawn, the enemy artillery also opened up. Fighting like a man possessed, Mahfuz, whose machine-gun was destroyed by an enemy shell, took over a light machine-gun from a gunner who had already fallen and advanced towards an enemy bunker from which automatic fire had inflicted heavy casualties on his Company. Wounded in the legs by shell splinters, he continued to fire, dragging himself forward. At the bunker he got up with almost superhuman effort and pounced on the enemy and was hit at point-blank range. His weapon dropped from his hand, but despite being unarmed and mortally wounded, he caught hold of an Indian Soldier and began to strangle him when another Indian bayoneted him to death.
  After the ceasefire, the Commander of the enemy admitted to his Pakistani counter-part in a meeting that the like of the courage and tenacity displayed by Lance Naik Mahfuz had seldom been witnessed before.
   
• Sawar Muhammad Hussain (Shaheed), Nishan-e-Haider. Born in Dhok Pir Bakhsh (now Dhok Muhammad Hussain Janjua) on June 18, 1949, Sawar Muhammad Hussain joined the Army on September 3, 1966 and was trained as a driver. When war broke out in 1971, he was in 20 Lancers. Though only a driver, he took active part in every battle his unit was engaged in. He would take over a machine-gun and fire on the enemy, unmindful of any danger no matter how grave. On December 5, 1971, he went from trench to trench delivering ammunition to our men in the Zafarwal-Shakargarh Area, braving intense shelling and direct fire from enemy tanks and infantry. On the following day, he went out with four fighting patrols and undertook most hazardous missions. On December 10, he spotted the enemy digging in near village Harar Khurd along our Minefield and informed the second- in-command of his unit. He moved, on his own initiative, from one anti-tank gun to another directing the crew to fire accurately at enemy tanks, and was thus responsible for the destruction of sixteen enemy tanks. At 1600 hours on December 10, while directing fire from one of our recoilless rifles, he was hit on the chest by a burst of machine-gun fire from an enemy tank and thus died in action.
  Sawar Muhammad Hussain had the distinction of being the first Jawan to be awarded Nishan-e-Haider.
  Source: Pakistan Post Official Website

India - President's Fleet Review, Visakhapatnam

After a long absence, finally I managed to post a new First Day Cover (FDC) on the blog. Thus time it is a gorgeous FDC from India featuring 4 stamps showing submarines, aircraft carrier, helicopters, aircrafts and battle ships.

 The set of four postage stamps to commemorate President’s Review of Fleet at Visakhapatnam was issued by India Post on February 12, 2006. Each stamp is of the denomination of Rs 5. 

India Security Press printed the stamps in sheets of 16 stamps that is 4 se-tenant blocks by Photo Gravure in the quantity of 0.8 million blocks.The stamps are printed 4 x 4 and the vertical row 1 and 4 are 54 mm in width while vertical row 2 and 3 are only 52.5 mm. As the stamps in vertical row 1 and 3 (also row 2 and 4) are identical this results in two size for all the four stamps. While overall block size remains same in all cases, the individual stamps differ in size with the horizontally adjacent block.

 The marking on the FDC shows a large number of Naval Arsenal held by Indian Navy, mentioning the name of every submarine or war ship.
Please feel free to leave your comment below!