The color image playing cards depict at the very least 3 of 18 breeds that roam Antarctica (Representational)
Mumbai:
In a novel initiative, the India Put up, Maharashtra & Goa Circle, have organized for a huddle of Penguins – essentially the most recognisable authentic inhabitants of the Antarctic continent – to sail to India on a set of particular postcards, officers stated right here on Monday.
The flightless birds with flippers – the one aquatic selection that dwell and breed on ice – are thought of the image of the frozen, 14.2 million sq. km of landmass surrounding the South Pole.
The India Put up color image playing cards depict at the very least three of the 18 breeds that roam Antarctica – the majestic ‘Emperor Penguin’, the regal ‘King Penguin’ and the minimize however a lot smaller ‘Adelie’.
Union Ministry of Communications Secretary (Posts), Vandita Kaul, launched the Penguin postcards within the presence of Chief Postmaster Common Amitabh Singh, PMGs Suchita Joshi (Mumbai) and R. Okay. Jayabhaye (Pune), high officers, staffers and philatelists on the Common Put up Workplace Mumbai, right this moment.
“These postcards, 250 of every image, or totalling 1,500, shall be taken by the forty fourth Antarctica Expedition, organized by the Nationwide Centre for Polar and Ocean Analysis (NCPOR), scheduled to sail from Goa round Dec. 13,” Assistant Put up Grasp Common Sudhir Jakhere advised IANS.
NCPOR Scientist Ravi Mishra, main the forty fourth Antarctica Expedition, may also be the designated particular Postman this 12 months and can convey again the coveted post-cards consignment on the return journey someday late subsequent 12 months.
Relying on the voyage and climate en route, it’s anticipated to succeed in Antarctica the Indian stations there, Dakshin Gangotri (the primary one established in 1983, defunct since1990), adopted by Maitri (instituted in 1990), and Bharati (arrange in 2015).
The identical expedition will convey them again after getting stamped there, with a legend: ‘Bharati Department Workplace’ and ‘Maitri Department Workplace’, each beneath NIO, Dona Paula, Goa, with a typical PIN Code – 403004, stated Jakhere.
The postal stamp symbolises India’s sovereign dominance in these areas, the articles get a particular postmark stamped there and these can be introduced again to India, he defined.
Bharati Department and Maitri Department sharing the identical PIN Code are the one two abroad submit places of work of India, and now have strategic significance, Jakhere added.
In addition to India, greater than 30 international locations like China, the U.S., Russia, France, the U.Okay., Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Australia and others have everlasting/momentary analysis bases there.
That is 125 years after the primary base got here up there through the Southern Cross Expedition (1899) – 12 years earlier than the South Pole was conquered by a Norwegian explorer, Ronald Amundsen on December 14, 1911.
By the way, simply three weeks later, Britisher Robert F. Scott additionally reached the South Pole however died throughout a extreme blizzard that lashed the area on his return journey.
Jakhere stated that the IndiaPosts began the custom of particular postcards in 2020, with the sooner annual themes being: Antarctica flora-fauna, Icebergs, Aura of Aurora, the Bharati Station, and now the Penguins.
Kaul launched a everlasting pictorial cancellation of ‘Strawberry at Mahabaleshwar Put up Workplace, Pune’, commemoration the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the state’s favorite winter fruit, a slogan cancellation with a mascot and tagline of “Acquire, Join, Have fun’, the Competition of Stamps” for Mahapex-2025, on Jan. 22-25 subsequent 12 months, and reviewed the progress on the facelift occurring for the GPO Heritage Constructing.
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