World's Oldest Post Office

 World's Oldest Post Office

The world's oldest post office is celebrating its 310th birthday in 2022.  The Sanquhar post office in Dumfriesshire began its journey in 1712.  Since then it has been operational till now, in spite of a lot of struggles.

It turned 300 in 2012.  To celebrate this iconic mile stone this post office received a legend postmark, "Worlds Oldest Post Office" on request of people from around the world.  It received recognition from both the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and the Guinness Book of World Records.  

When the post office was opened, the postmen, who were called “runners,” ran between offices to deliver letters and parcels.  In 1738, the post office began stamping mails and later introduced horses which were used to deliver letters and parcels. It was modernized in 1974 with the hand-operated canceling machine called bacon slicer.  Unfortunately, the historic post office was put for sale in 2014 due to the persistent losses and the uncertainty of the business.  The post office was almost closed down when it was apparent that a buyer could not be found. However, it reopened its doors in 2015 under a new postmaster after its renovation and refurbishment.  Again it went on for sale in 2019 as the postmaster decided to retire.  Luckily it is continuing its business till today.

I got the world record stamping on a picture postcard, through my friend Beth.  Thanks a lot, Beth.

The closest rival to the Sanquhar Post office, which is 8 years younger than Sanquhar, can be found in Stockholm, Sweden, which was founded in 1720. The third oldest is found in Santiago, Chile, and was established in 1772.  I am looking for cancellations from these post offices and would be grateful if someone could help.

14th June : World Blood Donor Day

 World Blood Donor Day

Karl Landsteiner, the Austria - Hungarian has been described as the father of transfusion medicine. Landsteiner made numerous contributions to pathological anatomy, histology and immunology.  In 1909, he classified the bloods of human beings into the now well-known A, B, AB, and O groups and showed that transfusions between individuals of same groups A or B do not result in the destruction of new blood cells.   This great invention not only fetched him Nobel Prize in 1930, but also saving millions of lives today.

For transfusion we need blood.  90% of blood are received from volunteer donors for free.  To commemorate the donors and encourage others to donate, World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) , decided to celebrate World Blood Donor Day on 14th June since 2005, Which is the birth day of Karl Landsteiner.   

World Blood Donor Day is one of 11 official global public health campaigns marked by the WHO.  The global theme of World Blood Donor Day changes each year.

Today the whole world celebrates this day in recognition of the selfless individuals who donate their blood for people unknown to them.  If you haven't done this yet, today is the day to do the noble thing.  Blood donation is next to Godliness as you are saving a unknown person without any expectation.

Below stamp set issued by Papua New Guinea in the year 1980 to commemorate Red Cross Blood Bank.

World Doll Day

No childhood could have passed without dolls.  Dolls give a child complete happiness and knowledge.  Though we had a number of dolls when we were young, only a few remain in our minds forever.  The one which is part and parcel of everyone's childhood should deserve a day right?  Yes, we do have a World Doll Day.  It is celebrated every year on the second Saturday in June since 1986.

There is an interesting story of how posts/chain letters played a role in commemorating a day for dolls.  Mildred Seeley, an avid doll collector, and doll-related entrepreneur thought of having a special day for the dolls.  She started sending out letters asking people to participate in the doll day and requested each person who have received the letter to spread the word to 5 more people.  This spread like a wildfire and the very first world doll day was celebrated on June 14, 1986.

Can you believe that dolls have been around since 2000BC?  Archeologists found the oldest dolls in Egyptian tombs.  Thereafter dolls have been made from several materials like wood, clay, porcelain, leather, cloth, metals, plastics, nuts, and even bones. Inuit make dolls from soapstone and bone, dressed in fur.

In India, we have an International Doll Museum in New Delhi, our capital city. Celebrated political cartoonist, K. Shankar Pillai received a doll as a gift from the Hungarian ambassador.  Since then, he became passionate about collecting dolls. This museum was founded by him in 1965, with over 6500 dolls from over 85 countries.

What is your favorite doll?  It's time to cherish them.

The below stamp is issued by India Post in the year 2010.

World's one and only Floating Postoffice

You might have heard about floating markets, floating houseboats, floating hotels, and floating gardens. But what about the "Floating Post office"?

When you go to the Dal Lake, in Kashmir, you will come across many shikaras.  If you keenly see, one of the Shikara belongs to the India post, which serves as the one and only floating post office, not only in India but also in the world. This 200-year-old British-era post office had a facelift in 2011, to attract more visitors.

This post office offers regular postal services along with banking services.  The floating market vendors don't have to step out of their shikara to deposit their money or to connect with their loved ones.  The Postman hires a shikhara and delivers the letter to shikaras/houseboats.  This also serves as a Postal Museum, unfortunately, it was worst affected by the flood in 2014.  The letters posted here will carry a special pictorial cancellation of a man rowing a shikara, as shown below.

Thanks a lot, Muthu Krishna Kumar for this nice cancellation.

12th May : International Nurses Day

Nurses are professionals who care for the general well-being of patients.  The ongoing pandemic has made us realize that nursing is one of the biggest healthcare professions in the world.

The practice of Modern Nursing was founded by Florence Nightingale. She was a social reformer and statistician. She is better known as "The Lady with the Lamp". She was born on 12th May 1820 and her birthday is remembered as International Nurses Day.

Though Dorothy Sutherland, an official in the US Department of Health, had proposed Nurses Day in 1953, the first Nurses Day was celebrated only in 1965.  And in 1974, May 12th was chosen as International Nurses Day.

The above stamp was issued by Indonesia in the year 1994 to commemorate the Sixth Five-year plan for Indonesia's development strategy. The stamp depicts a nurse weighing a baby using a hand-held machine. 

The above stamp was issued by India in 2009 and shows the "Lifeline Express" (Jeevan Rekha). It shows the mobile hospital train that started operating in 1991. Since the Indian Railway network is the largest in the world, this allows Jeevan Rekha to reach the most remote areas of India and provide medical care.

Trained Nurses Association of India was founded in 1905. A stamp commemorating it was issued by India in 2011. 

A stamp issued by Spain of unknown vintage shows a nurse tending to a baby. This stamp was for commemorating the National Anti-tuberculosis Campaign. The red emblem is the 'Cross of Lorraine'.

A stamp issued by Laos in 1982 for child healthcare, shows a nurse using a stethoscope to check on a child. The occasion was the 7th republic day of Laos.

Permanent Pictorial Cancellation : Udupi

 Permanent Pictorial Cancellation: Udupi

Udupi is a town in southwest Karnataka. It is a pilgrimage center.  Though it has a lot of temples, it is notable for the Krishna Mutt Temple. It is the native place of the Vaishnavite saint Shri Madhvacharya who founded the Krishna Mutt in the 13th century.

India Post commemorated Sri Krishna temple - Krishna, by introducing a permanent pictorial cancellation on 23rd January 1985.  

The unique feature of the Sri Krishna Mutt temple is that the Lord is worshiped only through a window with nine holes called the Navagraha Kitiki (9 planets window).  The window is exquisitely carved and silver–plated.

Navagraha Kitiki

Udupi lends its name to the popular Udupi cuisine.  If you are visiting Karnataka and you are a pure vegetarian, then it is very likely that you have eaten at one of the many Udupi restaurants across the globe.

My Animal Kingdom

 My Animal Kingdom

Alderney

Australia

Belarus

2023 Features of waterfowl

Belgium

1996 Insects - 150th Aniv. of Institue of Science

(Partial set 1 stamp is missing)

Brazil

Bulgaria

Bhutan

Canada

China

Christmas Island

Croatia

Czech Republic

Cyprus (Greek)

2009 Birds

2021 Europa stamps 
Endangered National Wildlife

2021 Cats

2012 Horses

2021 Nature 2000

2022 Birds - Owls of Cyprus

2023 Dragonflies

Dominican Republic

Finland

1998 Birds - Owls

1997 Cranes

2001 Birds - Woodpeckers

1996 Birds

France

Germany

Ghana

Green Land

Guernsey

Indonesia

Iceland

Israel

Jersey

Kazakhstan

Korea - South

Malaysia

Mauritius

Nederland

New Zealand

Pakistan

Poland

1969 Dogs

Portugal

Russia

1995 Birds 

Russia Post issued a souvenir sheet with 4 triangle stamps on 23rd July 2019 depicting Mednovsky blue fox, red wolf, white-faced dolphin, and narwhal.

The Red Book of the Russian Federation is an official document containing a set of information on the status, distribution and protection measures of rare and endangered species (wild subspecies, populations) of wild animals and wild plants and fungi (objects of the animal and plant world) living (growing) on the territory of the Russian Federation, the continental shelf and in the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation.

Switzerland

Singapore

Slovakia

Srilanka

Suriname

Sweden

Taiwan

Thailand

Ukraine

USA

United Arab Emirates