A set of four
postal stamps and a special cover on Prime Minister Narendra Modi
conceptualised by a philatelist from Bihar has been issued by the Department of
Posts (DoP). “I conceptualised the stamps and special cover to mark the
ascendancy of Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of India. It was a popular
event and not only our own country but the entire world was watching it with
keen interest. The DoP issued it under ‘My Stamp’ series on May 26, the day he
took oath,” philatelist Pradeep Jain said.
The set of four
stamps with a face value of Rs 5 each shows a smiling Modi in four different
poses, covered with petals of flowers like Lily, Pansy and Dahlia. The cover
depicts a smiling Modi emerging from a fully blossomed lotus. The famous Navkar
Mantra of the Jains is printed on the cover, which is titled ‘The Power of
Namo’. The stamps and the cover were taken to Delhi by a senior Bihar BJP
leader and presented to Modi and BJP President Rajnath Singh.
Seemingly
impressed, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has contacted him to get a
few of them to send them to the neighbouring countries. “I got the idea during
the inauguration of Barack Obama as the US President in 2009. It was a popular
global event and stamps were released in Washington. If people in US can do
this, why can’t we,” asked Jain.
The philatelist,
who is a member of Royal Philatelic Society, London, and the only Indian member
of the International Association of Philatelic Experts, based in Innsbruck,
Austria, scoured the internet to download four photos of Modi. Jain then roped
in senior artist Sapan Javeri of National Institute of Design (NID) to bring
the concept on paper. Once everything was completed, the DoP was requisitioned
to print 1,800 stamps. The entire operation stamp cost him Rs 75,000, which
includes Rs 13,000 charged by the DoP. What will he do with the stamps next? “I
did it for my own happiness. I will now gift them to people who are keen about
having Namo in their stamp collection,” smiled Jain.
Source-www.indianexpress.com
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