2008, 26th April, JASMINE India 5Rs MNH

2008, 26th April, JASMINE India 5Rs MNH

                       JASMINE India 5 Rs. 26th April 2008 MNH

                                        Text:             JASMINE India 5 Rs. 26th April 2008 MNH 

                             Condition:             MNH

Country / Post	India
Date of Issue	26 April 2008
Primary theme	Flora (Flowers - General)
Subject	Jasmine
Width	30.0 mm
Height	40.0 mm
Denomination	5.00 INR
Number in set	2
Layout/Format	miniature sheet of 2 of 2 designs
Perforations	13 by 13
Stamp issuing authority	Ministry of Communications Department of Posts
Printer	India Security Press, Nasik

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JASMINE: STAMP 1 - Variously known as Juhi, Chameli, Mogra and Malati in North India and as Malligai and Mallepoovu etc. in the south, the fragrant and delicate Jasmine flower is deeply embedded in the Indian psyche. the very name 'Jasmine' evokes the romance of balmy summer evenings redolent with the haunting fragrance of flower in bloom. Commonly grown as a houseplant in much of south East Asia, the plant is now widely cultivated across the globe for commercial purposes. In fact, the aromatherapy, and in the making of joss sticks,cosmetics, and perfumes, etc. It is also used to add flavour to tea and rice in Chines and in South Asia. Many believe that daily consumption of Jasmine tea helps in preventing certain cancers. India Post is indeed happy to issue a set of two commemorative scented postage stamps on this quintessentially Indian flower, Jasmine.

Jasminum (/ˈdʒæzmɨnəm/),^[5] commonly known as jasmines, is a genus of shrubsand vines in the olive family (Oleaceae). It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World. Jasmines are widely cultivated for the characteristic fragrance of their flowers.

Description

See also: Glossary of botanical terms

Jasmines can be either deciduous (leaves falling in autumn) or evergreen (green all year round), and can be erect, spreading, or climbing shrubs and vines. Their leaves are borne opposite or alternate. They can be simple, trifoliate, or pinnate. The flowers are typically around 2.5 cm (0.98 in) in diameter. They are white or yellow in color, although in rare instances they can be slightly reddish. The flowers are borne in cymose clusters with a minimum of three flowers, though they can also be solitary on the ends of branchlets. Each flower has about four to nine petals, two locules, and one to fourovules. They have two stamens with very short filaments. The bracts are linear or ovate. The calyx is bell-shaped. They are usually very fragrant. The fruits of jasmines areberries that turn black when ripe.^[6][7]

The basic chromosome number of the genus is 13, and most species are diploid(2n=26). 

2008, ALDABRA GIANT TORTOISE India Rs 5. MNH

2008, ALDABRA GIANT TORTOISE India 

                 ALDABRA GIANT TORTOISE Rs 5. India 02nd August 2008 MN H

                                        Text:             ALDABRA GIANT TORTOISE Rs 5. India  2008 

                             Condition:             MNH

Country / Post	India
Date of Issue	2 August 2008
Primary theme	Fauna (Reptiles)
Subject	Aldabra Giant Tortoise
Width	33.0 mm
Height	39.0 mm
Denomination	5.00 INR
Number in set	2
Layout/Format	sheet
Perforations	13 by 13
Stamp issuing authority	Ministry of Communications Department of Posts
Printer	India Security Press, Nasik

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STAMP-1. This is the story of a tortoise named Adwaitya. We all know about the legendary tortoise of folk tales who defeated the hare and won the race. Well, Adwaitya was also a winner. Before he died in the year 2006 in Alipore Zoological Garden, Kolkata  he was perhaps the longest living animal in the world having lived for more than 250 years. People lovingly called him Adwaitya meaning the matchless or the unique(hindi : Adviteeya i.e.unique or no second)as he was a living example of nature's mysteries. He is supposed to have been born in 1750, however, some say it was 1705. He fed on wheat bran, grams soaked in water, small pieces of carrots, sweet potatoes, beans, leafy vegetables, diced banana and rice mixed with powder gram. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise (Geochelone gigantea) is a native of Aldabra atoll, part of the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. The Aldabra atoll has been protected from human influence since late 19th Century and is home to a large number of giant tortoises. The size of the Aldabra Giant Tortoise can be up to 4 Ft. in length and the weight can be about 550 lbs. They are normally dark gray to black in colour, have small pointed head covered with scales, a long neck, a highly domed carapace and thick bony scales on forelegs. Adwaitya became ill several months before his death after a crack developed around a wound on his chest, and ultimately succumbed on 22nd March, 2006. Department of Posts is proud to issue a set of two commemorative postage stamps on the Aldabra Giant Tortoise. The specially designed stamps are unique in the sense that they are hexagonal i.e they have six sides.

The Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea), from the islands of theAldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, is one of the largest tortoises in the world. This species is widely referred to as Aldabrachelys gigantea but has also been placed in the genus Dipsochelys as Dipsochelys dussumieri. 

Anatomy and morphology

The carapace is a brown or tan color with a high domed shape. It has stocky, heavily scaled legs to support its heavy body. The neck of the Aldabra giant tortoise is very long, even for its great size, which helps the animal to exploit treebranches up to a meter from the ground as a food source.

Similar in size to the famous Galápagos giant tortoise, its carapace averages 120 centimetres (47 in) in length. The average weight of a male is around 250 kilograms (550 lb), but one male at the Fort Worth Zoological Park weighs over 360.25 kilograms (794.2 lb). Females are generally smaller than males, with average specimens measuring 90 centimetres (35 in) in length and weighing 150 kilograms (330 lb).

2008, ALDABRA GIANT TORTOISE Rs 15.00 India MNH

2008, ALDABRA GIANT TORTOISE  India 

       ALDABRA GIANT TORTOISE Rs 15. India 02nd August 2008 MNH

                                        Text:             ALDABRA GIANT TORTOISE Rs 15. India 2008 

                             Condition:             MNH

Country / Post	India
Date of Issue	2 August 2008
Primary theme	Fauna (Reptiles)
Subject	Aldabra Giant Tortoise
Width	33.0 mm
Height	39.0 mm
Denomination	15.00 INR
Number in set	2
Layout/Format	sheet
Perforations	13 by 13
Stamp issuing authority	Ministry of Communications Department of Posts
Printer	India Security Press, Nasik

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STAMP-1. This is the story of a tortoise named Adwaitya. We all know about the legendary tortoise of folk tales who defeated the hare and won the race. Well, Adwaitya was also a winner. Before he died in the year 2006 in Alipore Zoological Garden, Kolkata  he was perhaps the longest living animal in the world having lived for more than 250 years. People lovingly called him Adwaitya meaning the matchless or the unique(hindi : Adviteeya i.e.unique or no second)as he was a living example of nature's mysteries. He is supposed to have been born in 1750, however, some say it was 1705. He fed on wheat bran, grams soaked in water, small pieces of carrots, sweet potatoes, beans, leafy vegetables, diced banana and rice mixed with powder gram. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise (Geochelone gigantea) is a native of Aldabra atoll, part of the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. The Aldabra atoll has been protected from human influence since late 19th Century and is home to a large number of giant tortoises. The size of the Aldabra Giant Tortoise can be up to 4 Ft. in length and the weight can be about 550 lbs. They are normally dark gray to black in colour, have small pointed head covered with scales, a long neck, a highly domed carapace and thick bony scales on forelegs. Adwaitya became ill several months before his death after a crack developed around a wound on his chest, and ultimately succumbed on 22nd March, 2006. Department of Posts is proud to issue a set of two commemorative postage stamps on the Aldabra Giant Tortoise. The specially designed stamps are unique in the sense that they are hexagonal i.e they have six sides.

The Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea), from the islands of theAldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, is one of the largest tortoises in the world. This species is widely referred to as Aldabrachelys gigantea but has also been placed in the genus Dipsochelys as Dipsochelys dussumieri. 

Anatomy and morphology

The carapace is a brown or tan color with a high domed shape. It has stocky, heavily scaled legs to support its heavy body. The neck of the Aldabra giant tortoise is very long, even for its great size, which helps the animal to exploit treebranches up to a meter from the ground as a food source.

Similar in size to the famous Galápagos giant tortoise, its carapace averages 120 centimetres (47 in) in length. The average weight of a male is around 250 kilograms (550 lb), but one male at the Fort Worth Zoological Park weighs over 360.25 kilograms (794.2 lb). Females are generally smaller than males, with average specimens measuring 90 centimetres (35 in) in length and weighing 150 kilograms (330 lb).

2008, Canonization Saint Alphonsa Miniature Sheet India Rs 15.00 MNH

2008, Canonization Saint Alphonsa Miniature Sheet 

             

     Cannonization Saint Alphonsa Miniature Sheet India Rs 15.00 MN H 2008

                                        Text:             Cannonization Saint Alphonsa India Rs 15.00 2008

                             Condition:             MNH

Country / Post	India
Date of Issue	16 November 2008
Primary theme	Religions & beliefs (Saints)
Subject	Saint Alphonsa
Width	29.0 mm
Height	39.0 mm
Denomination	5.00 INR
Number in set	1
Layout/Format	miniature sheet of 1
Perforations	13 by 13
Stamp issuing authority	Ministry of Communications Department of Posts
Printer	India Security Press, Nasik

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God has blessed our Indian Church and , in particular, the Franciscan Clarist Congregation with the precious gift of Saint Alphonsa, the first woman saint from our Motherland India, the land of Rishis and Sages. The crore message of Saint Alphonsa to the modern world is the dynamic power of love. A love, which empowers,India for a total self-surrender to God, a total self - giving to the other and a total-self emptying one of oneself. Her whole life was the proclamation of the great and intense power of love in the midst of adversities and challenges: the power of love to transform suffering into joy. Her moments of suffering were the moments of love. Saint Alphonsa, was born on August 19, 1910, at Kudamaloor in the Archdiocese of Changanacherry, Kerala. her mother died three months after giving birth to Annakutty, later Alphonsa. India Post is happy to release commemorative postage stamp on Saint Alphonsa.

Saint Alphonsa Muttathupadathu, F.C.C., or Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception (19 August 1910 – 28 July 1946) was a Syro-Malabar Catholic Franciscan Religious Sister who is now honoured as a saint. She is the first person of Indian origin to be canonised as a saint by the Catholic Church and the first canonised saint of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church of the Saint Thomas Christian community.

Early life 

She was born Anna Muttathupadathu, the fourth child of Cherian Ouseph and Mary Muttathupadathu, in Kudamalloor, near Kottayam, on 19 August 1910.^[1] She was baptised on 26 August. Alphonsamma, as she was locally known, was born in Arpookara, a village in the princely state of Travancore, within Kerala, India. This lies within the Archdiocese of Changanassery.

Her parents nicknamed her Annakkutty (little Anna). She had a difficult childhood and experienced loss and suffering early on in life. Anna's mother died when she was young, so her maternal aunt raised her. Hagiographies describe her early life as one of suffering at the hands of her stern foster mother and the teasing of schoolchildren.^[2] Anna was educated by her great-uncle, Father Joseph Muttathupadathu. When Anna was three-years-old, she contracted eczema and suffered for over a year.^[3]

In 1916 Anna started school in Arpookara. She received her First Communion on 27 November 1917. In 1918, she was transferred to a school in Muttuchira. Anna was from a rich family and because of that she got a lot of marriage proposals from reputed families. Her foster mother wanted her to become a perfect housewife in a rich household. However, Anna sacrificed all this material fortune and wanted to dedicate her life to Jesus Christ. In 1923, Anna's feet were burnt when she fell into a pit of burning chaff; local hagiographies describe this as a self-inflicted injury in order to avoid her foster mother's attempt to arrange a marriage for her and thereby to fulfill her desire for becoming a Religious Sister instead.^[2] This accident left her permanently disabled.

Sister Alphonsa 

When it became possible, Anna joined the Franciscan Clarist Congregation, a religious congregation of the Third Order of St. Francis,^[4] and through them, completed her schooling.

Anna arrived at the Clarist convent at Bharananganam, Kottayam district, on Pentecost Sunday 1927.^[1] She received the postulant's veil on 2 August 1928 and took the name Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception in honour of St. Alphonsus Ligouri, whose feast day it was.^[5] In May 1929 Sister Alphonsa was assigned to teach at Malayalam High School at Vazhappally. Her foster mother died in 1930. Three days later she resumed her studies at Changanacherry, while working as a temporary teacher at a school at Vakakkad. On 19 May 1930 Alphonsa entered the novitiate of the congregation at Bharananganam. On 11 August 1931, she completed the novitiate and took her first vows.

Health decline 

The period 1930-1935 was characterised by grave illness.^[5] Sister Alphonsa took her permanent vows on 12 August 1936.^[1] Two days later she returned to Bharananganam from Changanacherry. Sister Alphonsa then taught high school at St. Alphonsa Girl's High School, but was often sick and unable to teach.^[3] For most of her years as a Clarist Sister she endured serious illness.

In December 1936, it is claimed that she was cured from her ailments through the intervention of the Kuriakose Elias Chavara^[5] (who was beatified at the same ceremony as she), but on 14 June 1939 she was struck by a severe attack of pneumonia, which left her weakened. On 18 October 1940, a thief entered her room in the middle of the night. This traumatic event caused her to suffer amnesia and weakened her again.

Her health continued to deteriorate over a period of months. She received extreme unction on 29 September 1941. The next day it is believed that she regained her memory, though not complete health. Her health improved over the next few years, until in July 1945 she developed a stomach problem that caused vomiting.^{[citation needed]} During the last year of her life she came to know Father Sebastian Valopilly, (later Bishop of Kerala), who frequently brought her communion. This bishop became famous in Kerala for championing the cause of poor people from all religious backgrounds who had come to live Thalassery as a result of shortages elsewhere.

Death 

She died on 28 July 1946. She is buried at St. Mary's Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Bharananganam, Travancore in the Diocese of Palai.

2008, III COMMONWEALTH YOUTH GAMES India (Mini Sheet) INR 10.00

2008, III COMMONWEALTH YOUTH GAMES India (Mini Sheet) INR 10.00

III COMMONWEALTH YOUTH GAMES India (Mini Sheet) INR 05.00 2008 

MNH

                                  Text:  III COMMONWEALTH YOUTH GAMES India  INR 05.00 2008 

                            Condition:             MNH

Country / Post	India
Date of Issue	12 October 2008
Primary theme	Sport (Sporting events)
Subject	III Commonwealth Youth Games 2008
Width	29.0 mm
Height	39.0 mm
Denomination	5.00 INR
Number in set	4
Layout/Format	miniature sheet of 4 of 4 designs
Perforations	13 by 13
Stamp issuing authority	Ministry of Communications Department of Posts
Printer	India Security Press, Nasik

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