Date of Issue : 3 October 2015
Norway Post issued a new stamp on music theme featuring Orchestra. Norway Post celebrates the 250th anniversary of Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. Musikselskabet Harmoniens Orkester was founded in 1765, and its long history makes it one of the oldest orchestras in the world.
The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra is a national orchestra and has been based out of the Grieg Hall since 1978. The orchestra, which consists of 100 musicians, holds around 80 concerts a year and is an important part of the Bergen International Festival every May. It also tours extensively and holds concerts both in Norway and internationally.
The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1765, and its long history makes it one of the oldest orchestras in the world. People from various countries flow there to feel the anxiety that can bob up in soul while listening to a classic music.
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra has a rich discography and it has received Spellemannprisen in both 1991 and 2007.
In the past few years, more than 30 recordings with the orchestra were released, including series with music by Johan Halvorsen and Johan Svendsen.
Sweet Piano tunes on stamps…
Date of Issue : 1 October 2015
Polish Post issued a beautiful stamp on Music theme to commemorate International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition. The FDC bears a beautiful musical note cancellation. Collectors of Music theme would love this lovely issue to include this stamp in their collection.
The International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition is one of the four biggest piano competitions in the world and the oldest one among them. Since its first edition, held in 1927, it has yielded considerable group of superstar pianists such as Marta Argerich, Krystian Zimerman or Maurizio Pollini. It takes place every 5 years in Warsaw and engages its inhabitants stronger than any other classical music related event.
The International Chopin Piano Competition, often referred to as the Chopin Competition, is a piano competition held in Warsaw, Poland. It was initiated in 1927 and has been held every five years since 1955. It is one of few competitions devoted entirely to the works of a single composer, in this case, Frédéric Chopin.
The first competition was founded by the Polish pianist and pedagogue Jerzy Żurawlew. Subsequent editions were organized in 1932 and 1937; the post-war fourth and fifth editions were held in 1949 and 1955. In 1957 the competition became one of the founding members of the World Federation of International Music Competitions in Geneva.
Traditional special awards include the Polish Radio prize for the best Mazurka performance (since 1927), the Fryderyk Chopin Society in Warsaw prize for the best Polonaise (since 1960), and the National Philharmonic prize for the best performance of a Piano Concerto (since 1980). The competition is organized by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute of Warsaw.
1. A Domestic: Rescue team on wintery mountain 2. A Domestic: From the visiting service in Oslo
Date of Issue : 20 February 2015
Norway Post is celebrating the Norwegian Red Cross jubilee with four stamps. The country’s largest humanitarian organisation truly deserves to be recognised.
3. A Domestic: Relief work in the Philippines after the typhoon Haiyan in 2013 4. A Domestic: The world’s largest human red cross
The Norwegian Red Cross currently has 120,000 members. Six thousand employees and 42,000 volunteers make a huge contribution to helping people in need.
The Norwegian Red Cross was founded in 1865, but it did not grow into a folk movement until the 1920s. It was considered an organisation for the upper class for more than fifty years, but this changed in 1921 when the Norwegian Red Cross rolled out a recruiting campaign with the tagline, «If you are a friend of peace, sign up for the Norwegian Red Cross». This touched a chord throughout the entire country, and by the end of 1921 the Norwegian Red Cross had more than 100,000 members.
Author Eldrid Mageli has described the work of the Norwegian Red Cross as follows: «When people get lost, Red Cross rushes out to find them. When mountain villages are cut off due to landslides or snowstorms, Red Cross ships food and equipment. At events where large crowds of people gather, the Red Cross is always there to offer first aid.(…) Immigrants, the lonely, the sick, the incarcerated, the drug addicts, minors seeking asylum and all others who find themselves in a difficult situation are focus groups for the Red Cross organisation.»
The international humanitarian efforts of the Norwegian Red Cross increased rapidly after the extensive movement to help the people of Biafra and Nigeria during the famine in 1968. The organisation of the massive aid project was the largest international project in the history of the Norwegian Red Cross. Every year the Norwegian Red Cross spends almost NOK 1 billion on aid in Norway and other countries and these resources are distributed in accordance with the seven Red Cross principles that were adopted in Vienna in 1965: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality
Special Cover on Mahanaleshwar Temple, Menal - 20th February 2015
A Special Cover was released on Mahanaleshwar Temple, Menal on 20th February 2015 during the third district level philatelic exhibition, 'Bhilwarapex-2015' held at Bhilwara. The cover depicts the ancient Mahanaleshwar Temple and the cancellation depicts natural water fall of Menal.
Menal is situated between Bhilwara and Chittorgarh. It is about 40 Km from Bhilwara and 70 kms east of Chittorgarh. According to the people this is used to be the mountain retreat of the great Raja Prithviraj Chauhan. The name Menal is derived from Maha Nal (great gorge), and that is what Menal really is. The Menal temple complex consists of a group of Siva temple on both sides of the waterfall.
Mahanaleshwar Temple of Menal is one amongst the most ancient temples of Lord Shiva. The 11th century Mahanaleshwar temple is a perfect example of the western Indian style of stone temple architecture. The entrance is embellished with a seated stone lion, and there are number of guardian deities carved on protruding panels in the walls. The inner sanctum is dominated by projecting balconies while the roof is a pyramidical array of ribbed and finely carved stone.
Courtesy : Indian Philately Digest
Date of Issue : 10 November 2014
Here are Christmas 2014 stamps from Norway issued on 10 November 2014.This year’s two Christmas stamps depict Sølvguttene boys’ choir and Per Asplin’s popular play, «Putti Plutti Pott and Santa’s Beard». Beautiful Maxi cards were also issued with this issue.
Sølvguttene dates back to 1940, when the choir was founded by Torstein Grythe. He led and conducted the choir for 64 years. In 1968 Sølvguttene joined forces with NRK’s boys’ choir, and for those who witnessed the early days of television, the annual Sølvguttene concert was an important part of the Christmas tradition. Per Asplin wrote and composed «Putti Plutti Pott and Santa’s Beard» in 1969. It was first published as a book, and then had its debut as a TV show in 1970. In 1987 a more extensive musical version was created for the stage, and it has been there since. For many «Putti Plutti Pott» is also a natural part of the Christmas tradition.
Maxi cards
The Norwegian Posten issued a set of four stamps commemorating the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games.
The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics started on February 8. Sochi, the popular resort city on the Black Sea, is located at the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, which are a main reason why the city is now hosting the Winter Olympics. Sochi has a population of 328,000, and the Olympic facilities are planned to strengthen winter tourism in the mountainous region surrounding the city. In this way, the Krasnodar Krai region and Sochi will stand out as one of the biggest combined summer and winter destinations in Europe.
When the International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the Winter Games to Sochi, it represented the first time Russia or the former Soviet Union was named host of the prestigious sporting event.The stamps feature famous Norwegian athletes: Marit Bjorgen, Tora Berger, Petter Northug and Aksel Lund Svindal.
XXII Olympic Winter Games souvenir sheet from Belarus
The post of the Republic of Belarus issued a souvenir sheet commemorating the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. The 2014 Winter Paralympics will be held after the XXII Olympic Winter Games at the same venues in Sochi.
The souvenir sheet was printed with the logo of the XXII Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.
PostNL ( Nederland Post) issued special stamps in honour of 400,000 blood donors in the Netherlands. This stamp sheetlet shows the relationship between blood donor and patient.
The World Blood Donor Day stamp sheetlet comprises ten stamps, with two different designs. Designer Suzanne Rosier from The Hague looked for the essence of the relationship between patient and donor, and how to best depict this. She decided upon a concept based on playing cards. The red-and-white stamps are designed as a King of Hearts, which has a white background, and a Queen of Hearts, which has a red background. Like the real playing cards, the images are mirrored.
World Blood Donor Day celebrated on 14 June every year is an initiative by the World Health Organisation, WHO, which is a part of the United Nations. By means of this day, the WHO wants to draw world-wide attention to the importance of blood donations.
From our Readers…
My stamp on Red Cross
The Red Cross Society celebrated its "150 years of Humanitarian Services" on the Red Cross Day in Srinagar. The District Red Cross Society had organized the Red Cross Mela. To mark this occasion, Mr John Samuel, CPMG, J&K Circle released a My Stamp on Red Cross. -Raj Kumar Choudhary,Jamshedpur - email : coinrajkumar@gmail.com
Same Covers with different cancellations
I received the Special cover issued at Bhubneswar on 26-03-13 of White Tiger of Nandan Kanan Zoological Park.Both the cover have different cancellation.
- Sandeep Chaurasia – Gorakhpur - email : sandeepchaurasiagkp@gmail.com
Date of Issue : 19 April 2013
“Active Holidays” is the subject featured on new stamps issued by Norwegian posten. The activities range from glacier climbing for experts and rafting for the brave to an easy climb up Gaustatoppen (Mount Gausta) for the ordinary tourist.
Gaustatoppen (1883 meters above sea level) towers above Rjukan in Telemark. From the top you have the best panoramic view in Norway. There is a tourist chalet near the top which has about 30,000 visitors each year, but very few go to the very top because it is located on a sharp ridge some hundred meters further on and is difficult to reach.
A pleasant walk up Gaustatoppen contrasts dramatically with being left to your own resources in white-water rapids churning between ominous cliffs and huge rocks. This is Rafting. It attracts people with an urge for excitement and is thus a great tourist magnet.
Glacier climbing has its risks too. This is an activity that is best left to specialists.
The stamps of the issue illustrate:
Club News
Young philatelist wins scholarship
A young philatelist from Jamshedpur, Yamini Tiwari has been awarded a scholarship of 1 lakh 20 thousand dollars by Timken Company for higher studies. Yamini is the daughter of Mr Ashok Tiwari a noted philatelist of Jamshedpur. Timken has awarded scholarship to 38 students ( Associated with Timken) at 24 different places all over the world . Yamini is the student of Rajendra Vidyalaya, Sakchi.
The Norwegian Posten has issued two stamps on fashion this week .
In recent years new designers have emerged in Norway with the help of the Oslo Fashion Week, which started up in 2003. Two of these are Nina Skarra and Camilla Bruerberg, who have created the designs shown on the stamps.
Nina Skarra hit the headlines in autumn 2012 when, as the first Scandinavian designer, she was invited to show her collection during the New York Fashion Week, one of the biggest and most important fashion events in the world. Today Nina Skarra creations are to be found in fashion shops in London, Paris and New York, not to mention in the wardrobes of actress Angelina Jolie and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
Camilla Bruerberg has achieved great recognition with her C/BRUERBERG line - designs for confident men, for men who are not afraid to be different, as she says herself. She uses a lot of wool and silk and has a preference for knitted garments, often loose-fitting and roomy. Nor is it unusual for her to let men show bare skin through transparent clothes. Camilla Bruenberg has drawn a great deal of inspiration from working with Norwegian musicians like Morten Harket and the Røyksopp duo and cultural institutions such as Det Norske Teatret.
Club News
On Line Philatelists’ Directory
Register at : http://www.indianphilately.net/
Date of Issue : 15 June 2012
Hi !
Here are the two most beautiful stamps with Lighthouses..The picture shown on these Norwegian stamps are just wonderful with mist in the background…These are in the Oslo Fjord. These stamps are perhaps showing the most beautiful view of these light hoses !! It is a delight for those collecting stamps on Light houses !!
Kavringen Lighthouse was built in 1892 and is located on Søndre Kavringdyne, a group of skerries in the western seaward approach to the Port of Oslo. There had previously been two lighthouses in the Oslo harbour basin, Heggholmen and Dyna, situated in the old main sea lane. Towards the end of the 19th century, however, larger vessels began to prefer the western lane between Kavringen and Hovedøya, round Vippetangen and into Bjørvika. After DS Norge ran aground on the Kavringen skerries in 1890, there was a cry for better lighting in the western approach. The Kavringen lighthouse was completed and operational only two years later. Until 1956, when both lighthouses were automated and the job of lighthouse keeper became redundant, the lighthouse keeper on Dyna was also responsible for Kavringen. On 15 May (St. Hallvard’s Day), as part of Oslo’s millennium celebrations in 2000, a time capsule made of titanium was bolted to the inside of the lighthouse. The time capsule is designed like the lighthouse’s lantern housing and it contains letters and greetings from the citizens of Oslo to people of the future. The capsule cannot be opened until the year 3000.
Medfjordbåen is a sunken rock in the middle of the Oslo Fjord, off Slangentangen in the county of Vestfold. Here the lighthouse was built and went into operation in 1876. Medfjordbåen Lighthouse is a familiar rounding mark in the annual Færder Regatta, on the way to Åsgårdstrand and Horten.
Club News
HYDERABAD PHILATELIC & HOBBIES SOCIETY
50 YEARS OF CELEBRATIONS - HYPEX – GOLD – 2013
The Hyderabad Philatelic & Hobbies Society is celebrating its 50 years of service to the Philatelists, Numismatists & other Hobbyists, in 2012. As a part of the celebrations, HYPEX – GOLD - 2013, a Philatelic and Numismatic Exhibition will be held from 04 January – 06 January 2013 at Secunderabad (Hyderabad). During this exhibition, a grand meet of Dealers and Collectors is proposed to be held followed by a palmare cum dinner get together wherein doyens of Philatelic & Numismatic fields will be invited.
For further details, please write to: HydPhilSociety@yahoo.co.in or contact :
Shri Sunder Bahirwani, President, HPHS, Phone: 09985357370
Shri Agarwaal, Shri Prakash, Chairman, HYPEX-GOLD-2013, Phone: 09346777206
Shri B K Nagpal Secretary, HPHS, Phone: 09885031013
- Secretary, HPHS
From our Readers ..
Special Cover : Speed Post
Cancellation from 1 CBPO & 2 CBPO
: Ashwani Dubey - Gorakhpur
Date of Issue : 16 September 2011
The world’s first comic strip character, The Yellow Kid, appeared in the “New York World” newspaper in 1896. It was created by freelance illustrator Richard Outcault, the father of American comic strips.
Norway’s first comic strip, Knoll og Tott (The Katzenjammer Kids), was issued in book form in 1911. Norway Post is issuing four stamps to commemorate this Norwegian centenary.
The bird in the nest is a character created by John Arne Sæterøy, under the synonym Jason. His fourteen Mjau mjau (Meow, Baby!) albums contain a variety of animal characters. His drawing style is simple and his characters are usually silent with expressionless faces. However we, the readers, are not silent. We have been chuckling and laughing at comic strips for a hundred years, and we haven’t finished yet!
Hold Brillan (Hold my Glasses) is the main character in Christopher Nielsen’s latest comic strip, Bygdegutar. Julius, a country boy, likes to be called Hold Brillan because he always asks a mate to hold his glasses for him before he gets into a fight. He finds himself participating in a reality series on a tropical island, where the aim is to win the favour of Petra, a sophisticated but spirited woman. Only one Bygdegutar album has been issued so far, but more are expected.
Nemi is the creation of Lise Myhre. This is a humoristic comic strip about a young, black-clad goth/metal girl. Non-committally, with both scorn and self-irony, she comments on the world around her. She made her debut in Larsons gale verden in 1997, first under the name of Den svarte siden (The Black Page). The Nemi strip first appeared on a daily basis in “Dagbladet” in 1999 and has since been issued in magazine and book form in Norway and other European countries.
Pondus is drawn and written by Frode Øverli. This comic strip became known when the “Dagbladet” newspaper started publishing it in 1997. Pondus is a football supporter (Liverpool) and a walking football encyclopaedia. He loves heavy rock, is married to Beate and they have two children, Påsan and Sneipen (Frida). There is plenty of action and the list of characters is long. Close to Pondus is Jokke, his childhood friend and best mate. This strip now appears in more than 130 newspapers and the Pondus comic comes out twelve times a year.
New Norwegian stamps on Music featuring popular female singers
Date of issue : 16 September 2011
Norway Post issued as et of four stamps featuring famous Norwegian singers on 16 September 2011.This beautiful set of stamps on Music depicts black n white profile pictures of the artists as well as their pictures in singing pose !! A nice set of stamps for collectors on Music theme.
Wenche Myhre (b. 1947) had her first big hit in 1962 with Katta vår. She took part in the Norwegian heats for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1964 with La meg være ung. Though only third in the heats, this song was clearly the real winner and became a huge hit. Wenche Myhre soon won international acclaim. She had the honour of representing Germany in the ESC in London in 1968 and started singing with well-known Swedish entertainer Povel Ramel the same year. She has always been very popular in Norway.
Inger Lise Rypdal (b. 1949) started her career at Club 7 in Oslo in 1968. Her two classic songs, Romeo og Julie and Fru Johnsen, were released the same year. Both reached the top of the Norwegian hit lists and are regarded today as milestones in Norwegian pop history. In 1974 she enjoyed success with Benny Borg’s En spennende dag for Josefine, which was top of the hits for many weeks. After that she released fewer records, but did not disappear from the limelight. She has been successful on the stage, in plays and shows, and as an actress in several films.
Mari Boine (b. 1956) released her first album, Jaskatvuoða Maŋŋá, in 1985. Here she calls into question the Læstadian Christian movement amid which she grew up and the discrimination of the Sami minority in Norway. In 1989 she had her great breakthrough with her album Gula Gula. Her music is modern in expression and combines the use of electrical instruments with traditional elements of Sami folk music.
Sissel Kyrkjebø (b. 1969) won her first talent contest at the age of eleven. Three years later she took part in a children’s TV programme, Halvsju, and was soon a familiar face on the TV screen. Her great international breakthrough came in 1986, when she performed during the intermission of the Eurovision Song Contest final at the Grieg Hall in Bergen. This was followed by records, theatre and film roles and concerts. Internationally, Sissel is best known for having sung the Olympic hymn at the Olympic Games in Lillehammer in 1994, for the Christmas concerts with Plácido Domingo and José Carreras and for having participated in the "soundtrack" for the film Titanic. The music from this movie has sold 30 million copies.
Date of Issue : 15 April 2011
Norway Post issued a postage stamp on 15 April 2011, to commemorate 50th anniversary of Amnesty International . Amnesty International is one of the most influential organizations in the world today. The United Nations and governments in many countries listen with respect to Amnesty’s representatives, and its ability to expose cruelty and injustice is feared by those who are guilty of ignoring human rights. Amnesty International was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 and the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights in 1978.
Amnesty International bases its work on the 1948 United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, which states for example that:
• Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person
• Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion
• Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression
• No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
Story behind Amnesty International
In 1960, British lawyer Peter Benenson read a newspaper article about two Portuguese students who had been sentenced to seven years in prison for proposing a toast to freedom.
Benenson wrote immediately to the Portuguese government protesting against the sentence. A year later The Observer newspaper printed his article, The Forgotten Prisoners, in which he appealed for the release of persons all over the world who had been sent to prison for their opinions or beliefs. He called them prisoners of conscience. The response was enormous, and by 1961 Amnesty International had been established with its headquarters in London. Soon afterwards, national offices were opened in seven countries. Initially, Amnesty concerned itself mainly with prisoners of conscience and torture. Gradually it included the death sentence, violence to women and poverty among its central tasks. Prisoners of conscience may be people who have criticized their country’s government, have connections with an opposing party, have refused to do national service or belong to a religious community that opposes the regime.
My recent Covers
Many thanks to Mr Wolfganag Beyer of Germany for these nice covers !!