Permanent Pictorial cancellation : Mudumalai

I recently visited the Mudumalai Tiger reserve, a beautiful place to roam around especially for nature lovers like me.  But unfortunately, we could spot nothing more than a few spotted deers, bisons, mongoose and a handful of langurs, peacocks and peahens.  Though being the home of a variety of animals especially tigers ( Mudumalai Tiger Reserve) because of we humans they have been much disturbed. For example, the honking of cars, pollution and people's attitude towards these poor creatures have made these creatures insecure depriving them the comfort of their habitat. I have always wanted to become an environmental engineer to make a little difference in these matters. I also encourage each one of you to help towards preserving nature.

Now coming to the philatelic aspect of the topic, Mudumalai is a reserve located in the Nilgiris in between the boundaries of Kerala and Karnataka. It is at an elevation of about 1000 m and extends over an area of 323 sq. kms. Mudumalai B.O. had introduced a permanent pictorial cancellation of the Indian bison or Gaur on 05.04.1975.  Gaurs, spotted deers, elephants are few among the most common species found here.

Project Tiger through Stamps

Last month, staff from Sanctuary Asia conducted a workshop in our school in order to spread awareness on saving tigers. To check whether we understood about their aim towards saving our wildlife they asked a few students to make a project on tigers. And the student with the best project will win a free 3 nights stay in a sanctuary in India!! As usual, I made my project through stamps. Let me see whether my hobby fetches me any luck.

29th July: World Tiger Day

Today is World Tiger Day. Starting from 2010, every year 29th of July is celebrated as World Tiger Day or Global Tiger Day.  In Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit they decided to create awareness about Tiger and the necessity to preserve their habitat because they were very close to extinction.

In 1913 an estimated 100,000 tigers were there in the world.  But today, there are only 3000 tigers and most of the tiger species like Javan tigers, Bali tigers already in the extinct list.

India is having the highest number of tigers which is around thousand. Let us save the majestic animal from extinction and make them double by 2022 as decided at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit. India had started the "Project Tiger" campaign under the then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1973.

Because Tiger is India's National Animal, I felt compelled to write a small poem about this wonderful animal to create awareness.

Guess Who I am

- Deepthi Sudharsan - 

I am Yellow with black stripes

Hunting in the dead of night,

I crouch and pounce on my prey

Before they take flight

Me and my friends are very few

Victims of mad poaching,

We are losing our hide-outs

To people who are encroaching

If you guessed I am a Tiger

You are surely very bright,

I would like to meet you

But you would die of fright!