Sochi 2014 Olympics Games and Pakistan's Participation in Olympics

I have always been a sports fanatic and Olympics has been the twilight of all sports events held on the planet. In fact, I have a special admiration for Olympics Stamps and have a nice collection of them by now.
My primary love is for Summer Olympics because PAKISTAN does send a few teams in these Olympics and even managed to get some medals there - although very few as compared to the huge population and the talented youth available in the country; but there are some obvious reasons and most importantly it's the dirty politics in the country in general and in Pakistan Olympics Federation in particular. A little Google search reveals the following:-

• After it's independence in 1947, Pakistan has participated in all Summer Olympics Games except in 1980 when it joined the US-led Olympics Boycott as it were held in Moscow, Russia.
• In total, Pakistan has won 10 medals so far, including 3 Gold, 3 Silver and 4 Bronze medals.
• Out of the total 10 medals, Pakistan Field Hockey Team has won 8 including 3 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze medals.
• The remaining 2 Bronze medals were won in Wrestling and Boxing.
• ... and unfortunately, Pakistan has not won a single medal in the last 5 Olympics Games since 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain to 2012 Olympics Games in London, UK.

Pakistan has never sent any team to Winter Olympics, if I am not wrong.
Sorry, Google has again proved me wrong ------ Pakistan's first participation in Winter Olympics Games was in 2010 in Vancouver Winter Olympics, where Mr Muhammad Abbas represented Pakistan in Alpine Skiing category in Men's Giant Slalom event. He was ranked 79 out of 103 qualifiers.
Pakistan's Ski Team has also qualified for 2014 Winter Olympics Games in Sochi, Russia, scheduled to be held from February 7 - 23, 2014.

 The above stamp was issued in 2011 by Russian Postal Service to commemorate Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics Games. It is one of the stamp of a series of 3 stamps.

The magnificent cover is definitely a nice addition in my Olympics Covers Collection.

The envelope also contained this lovely Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics Russia Mascot sticker.
The back of the cover was sealed with very cute small cartoon stickers. I like it!

Flag Counter Stats for My Blog

Hi Again!
Today I just decided to go through the Flag Counter gadget that I added a couple of years ago and it looks really nice on the blog. The beautiful colours of different flags add colours to the overall feel of the blog too.

It was really nice to see so many different flags together. The stats for the counter were even more refreshing.
The details say that 158 Different Countries have visited this site and 220 Flags have been collected.

No doubt, my beloved homeland Pakistan has the highest share of visitors (25.6%), followed closely by United States which is 19.2%. United Kingdom holds the 3rd place with 8.8% visitors.
The top 5 coutries have more than 1000 visitors each.

The Flag Counter site also shows a World Map with flags added to the portions from where my blog has collected a flag. It seems pretty crowded in Europe I believe.
You can also get a Free Flag Counter for your Blog here and it is really very simple to integrate it into your blog or website.
If you have any questions, you may ask in comments section below.
Have fun!

Belarus: Water Skiing Souvenir Sheet FDC

Here's a lovely Belarus First Day Cover (FDC) from my collection. This beautiful Belarussian FDC was issued on 25 October 2001 and features a lovely blue-coloured souvenir sheet showing water skiing. The sheet shows 3 different poses of a woman water skier.

The Souvenir sheet also reads,

"National Waterski Team Belarus

2 times World Champions and 

10 times Europe Champions"

The souvenir sheet is of 1000 Rubles denomination.
As a sports fanatic, I really love this FDC from Belarus.
What do you think about this cover?

Youm-e-Shuhada Stamps Issued by Pakistan Post 30-4-13

Youm-e-Shuhada is Pakistani equivalent of United States Memorial Day. Youm-e-Shuhada or Martyrs' Day is celebrated every year on 30 April. Pakistan Post has issued three commemorative Postage Stamps on the occasion of Youm-e-Shuhada on 30 April 2013 to pay homage to supreme sacrifices of SHUHADA (Martyrs) of Pakistan Army. Each stamp is of Rs 8 denomination.
The photos of Captain Karnal Sher Khan (Shaheed), Havildar Lalak Jan (Shaheed) recipient of Nishan-e-Haider (Highest Gallantry Military Award of Pakistan) and Naik Saif Ali Khan (Shaheed) recipient of Hilal-i-Kashmir (equivalent to Nishan-e-Haider). 

It is pertinent to mention that Yaum-e-Shuhada (Day of the Martyrs) is celebrated on April 30 every year to pay rich tributes to the brave sons of soil who rendered their lives for the defense of the motherland.

This lovely Pakistani Flag Heart goes to the heroes of Pakistan who laid their lives for their motherland and so does this poem:-

GOD BLESS OUR NATIVE LAND
(by Frances E. W. Harper)

God bless our native land,
Land of the newly free,
Oh may she ever stand
For truth and liberty.

God bless our native land,
Where sleep our kindred dead,
Let peace at thy command
Above their graves be shed.

God bless our native land,
Bring surcease to her strife,
And shower from thy hand
A more abundant life.

God bless our native land,
Her homes and children bless,
Oh may she ever stand
For truth and righteousness.

It would be an honor to share this issue with neighboring blogs at Postcard Friendship Friday, Sunday Stamps and Random Hearts.
What do you think about this issue? 

Pakistan Earth Day Stamp from the Pages of History

To match the theme of Sunday Stamps # 119 on Viridian's blog, I decided to find something on the same topic.
I wondered if Pakistan ever issued a stamp on Earth Day, so I thought to run a search in the pages of history and found this beautiful stamp issued by Pakistan Post on Earth Day in 1995.

The stamp shows snowy mountains, vast deserts, trees and sea, which can all be seen in the beautiful Pakistan. I sometimes say that Pakistan is the ONLY country in the World whose surface varies from 0 feet above sea level to 28029 feet above sea level (K-2: 2nd Highest Peak in the World).
What a diverse environment along the length of Pakistan!!!

I hope that you all will like it and share with friends too! Do feel free to share with friends on Facebook or Google+ or anywhere else to spread the word :)
Keep Smiling and Keep Shining!

A piece of Pakistan's Philately for Viridian's Sunday Stamps # 117

While thinking about something to match the today's theme for Sunday Stamps at Viridian's Postcard Blog, which is "minerals, rocks, geology, environment" I immediately thought of a couple of recent postage stamps issued by Pakistan Post regarding these themes.
The first issue is related to "minerals, rocks, geology" and features a set of 4 stamps showing the precious stones found in Pakistan. These 4 stamps include the following rocks:-

• Emerald
• Ruby
• Sapphire 
• Peridot

The second set of stamps issued by Pakistan Post shows 4 postage stamps commemorating "40th Anniversary of United Nations Environment Programme". The 4 stamps show the following:-

• Lake Saif-ul-Muluk in Kaghan Valley which is so beautiful that Fairies visit there on Full-Moon Nights to take a bath - According to a local folk tale. You can read see some more photos/ read more details at A Lake which Fascinates Fairies (Top Left)
• Polo Match on the World's highest polo ground - Shandur, Gilgit Baltistan  - More photos can be seen @ Shandur Polo Festival at World's Highest Polo Ground (Top Right)
• Shalimar Gardens in Lahore which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Danger and matches my most-loved theme/ project under progress :-) (Bottom Left) Some more details can be read here
• Khyber Gate - the gateway to the mountainous Khyber Pass connecting Pakistan and Afghanistan (Bottom Right)

Hope to see your comments regarding this post and these amazing stamps too!
Feel free to speak your heart out!!! ;-)

Slovenia - An Amazing Cover from the Beautiful European Country

After a long time, when I decided to share a new cover from my collection, I decided to share a real-posted cover from a new country, therefore I selected this cute cover from Slovenia or Slovenija, as they spell it on the stamps.
The envelope is a made up of beautiful dull blue-coloured paper and the stamps really emboss on dull blue background.

The cover was sent to me by Karmen from Slovenia alongwith a couple of postcards and coins too.

The cover is posted with 3 stamps on the face.

• The left-most Slovenian souvenir sheet featuring a flower was issued in 2009 and shows a Ranunculus Arvensis.
• The middle stamp is one of the set of two stamps issued by Slovenia in 2008 at the event of Beijing Olympics. You can see the complete set here.
• The stamp on the right side was also issued in 2009 at the moment of "World Cup Athletes, Berlin". The stamp shows various athletes in action in different coloured silhouettes. It is really a very beautiful and coloured stamp and I absolutely love it.

You can leave your comments below!

A Box Full of On-Paper Stamps - A Dream-Come-True for a Philatelist

Today was a dream-come-true day for me as I received a huge box of stamps that I bought about 15 months ago. For the first time I laid my hands on these stamps and they are amazing.

I am sure that it is strange to hear about this story of receiving stamps 15 months after buying them but I assure you that the seller did a magnificent job of sending the stamps on the same day that I sent the money and the stamps were delivered to the address that I mentioned.

The box is almost 20" x 20" x 8" and its all full of on-paper stamps from Australia. The box contains almost 9 kgs of on-paper stamps.

The first look inside the box of stamps was simply amazing. I bought these stamps in kiloware from Glen Stephens Web Store and am highly thankful to Glen for sending me such a nice bunch of Australian stamps. These include commemoratives as well as definitives.
Below are some of the photos of the stamps that I could find at the very top:-

 The box of stamps is full of stamps featuring dogs, birds, fishes, cats, cars and above all Nicole Kidman ;)

 All sorts of varieties of lovely stamps and I am very happy to receive them,

I am sure that these will be enough to keep me busy for a life time.
I am still wondering how to sort them out and what to do with them?
If you have any suggestions, please share in Comments Section below the post.

Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Founding of China - Pak-China Friendship

The year 1999 is the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (1 949-1999). This event is all the more important for the Chinese nation as the whole mankind is on the verge of entering the 21st century.
People’s Republic of China appeared on the map of the world on October 1, 1949, which was the culmination of the glorious struggle of the Chinese people started from the democratic Revolution of 1911 led by Dr. Sun Yat Sen who inspired the resurgence of China.
The Chinese people suffered greatly for more than a century but they never compromised with the status quo and relentlessly struggled against the forces of exploitation. Eventually, they came out victorious under the dynamic leadership of Mao Zedong.

On October 1, 1949, some 300,000 people gathered at the Tian’anmen square in Beijing and Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Central People’s Government proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
The national flag of China is red in colour which symbolizes Revolution, the five stars on the flag symbolize the unity of the Chinese people under the leadership of the communist party of china (CPC).
The national emblem of China is ‘Tian’ an men in the center illuminated by five stars and encircled by ears of grain and a cogwheel. Tian’anmen symbolizes the Chinese nation and the ears of grain and the cogwheel represent the working class and peasantry.
After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, Mao Zedong and Chou En Lai played a vital role not only to strengthen the roots of the Communist Party of China but also to improve the economic lot of the Chinese people.
Chou En Lai was the chief architect of New China’s foreign policy and led the country with remarkable dexterity and talent, Henry Kissinger described Chou En Lai as “the greatest statesman of our era”.
He was a man of remarkable vision. After gaining for China its rightful place in the UN Security Council in 1971, Chou En Lai recorded yet an other major diplomatic success when in early 1972, he received US President Richard Nixon in Beijing.

The visit led to normalization of relations between China and the United States of America. In this historic reconciliation, Pakistan served as a bridge between the two great nations of the world.
After the death of Mao Zedong in 1976, Deng Xiao Ping guided the country and embarked upon a programme of modernization, with economic reconstruction as its priority task.
Deng Xiao Ping was the chief architect of China’s Reform and the opening up drive (1978) to the outside world. Today, the People’s Republic of China is an emerging economic giant in Asia.
Since 1980, China has established special economic zones in Guandong, Fujian and the province of Hainan. In 1984, China opened 14 coastal cities to overseas investment. In 1990, the Chinese government decided to open the Pudong New Zone in Shanghai to overseas investment, which has now become an international economic center.
On July 1,1997, People’s Republic of China resumed its sovereignty over Hong Kong and proclaimed it a Special Administrative Region under the principle of “ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS”. People’s Republic of China will resume her sovereignty over Macao on 20th December 1999.
Pak-China friendship is unique in the history of the world. Pakistan was one of the first countries, which accorded recognition to People’s Republic of China. The government of Liaquat Au khan vigorously supported the cause of China in the United Nations.
Formal diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China were established on May21, 1951.
Pakistan and China have maintained extremely cordial relations during the last five decades.
China has always extended full co-operation to Pakistan in its developmental projects in agriculture, energy, industry, defence and tele-communications. This is considered a model relationship among two neighboring countries of the Third World.
With the rapidly growing closer relations between the two countries, the exchange of cultural and trade delegations has become more frequent. China fully supports Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir. Likewise, Pakistan has always subscribed to the idea of “One China” policy.
People’s Republic of China is destined to become more vigorous and achieve even greater successes in the next century. It is hoped that bilateral relations between Pakistan and China will further strengthen in the next millennium.
LONG LIVE PAK-CHINA FRIENDSHIP

To commemorate the Golden Jubilee celebrations Pakistan Post Office is issuing a set of 2 commemorative postage stamps of denomination of Rs 2 and Rs 15 on September 21, 1999.

Dresses of Pakistan Stamps - Amazing Embroidery Designs

It has been a long time since I last updated my blog. In fact I wanted to do it more often, but because of various commitments I could not get time. However I should not be worried because every blogger faces a similar down time at some stage of his blogging life.
I have decided to be more punctual in posting new posts on my blog from now on. Let's see how long this pledge works.
So here is my first post of the long time. The beautiful stamps shared today, show a beautiful set of women in traditional dresses from Pakistan. The dresses are from for four provinces of Pakistan. Pakistani dresses are famous around the globe for their embroidery, neatness and originality.

The Pakistani traditional dresses shown on the stamps are from the four provinces of the country naming Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and NWFP (the name of the province has lately been changed from North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) )

The first day cover also shows a pattern of Pakistani embroidery. The stamps were issued in 1993 and the cover is postmarked at Philatelic Bureau Peshawar.

Croatia: Barcelona Olympics 1992 Stamps on "Stop the War in Croatia" Cover

After a long time, I am sharing another magnificent item from my collection. It is a beautiful yet strange First Day Cover (FDC) from Croatia. The strange thing is that the FDC is issued for "Stop the War in Croatia" but the stamps used on the cover are not the same. The two stamps pasted in the top-right corner of the cover comprise of the complete set of stamps issued by Croatia to mark the event of Barcelona Summer Olympics 1992. 

Another Stamp in the bottom-center of the FDC is issued for Zrinski–Frankopan, which according to Google is another name for Magnate Conspiracy. It is 17th century attempt to throw off Habsburg and other foreign influences over Hungary and Croatia.

This Croatian FDC is a nice mix of various items from 1992 and 1993, I believe. The postmark on the FDC is from some other sports stamp of 1993, but I could not find them.

You can contribute and share your knowledge on the stamps, FDC or the Postmarks, if you know anything! I shall be obliged!

India - President's Fleet Review, Visakhapatnam

After a long absence, finally I managed to post a new First Day Cover (FDC) on the blog. Thus time it is a gorgeous FDC from India featuring 4 stamps showing submarines, aircraft carrier, helicopters, aircrafts and battle ships.

The set of four postage stamps to commemorate President’s Review of Fleet at Visakhapatnam was issued by India Post on February 12, 2006. Each stamp is of the denomination of Rs 5. 

India Security Press printed the stamps in sheets of 16 stamps that is 4 se-tenant blocks by Photo Gravure in the quantity of 0.8 million blocks.The stamps are printed 4 x 4 and the vertical row 1 and 4 are 54 mm in width while vertical row 2 and 3 are only 52.5 mm. As the stamps in vertical row 1 and 3 (also row 2 and 4) are identical this results in two size for all the four stamps. While overall block size remains same in all cases, the individual stamps differ in size with the horizontally adjacent block.

The marking on the FDC shows a large number of Naval Arsenal held by Indian Navy, mentioning the name of every submarine or war ship.
Please feel free to leave your comment below!

Pakistan's Sweetest Fruit - Mango

As the summer season is at full bloom these days in Pakistan, Mangoes are automatically at full swing. Belonging to the Anacardiaceae family and is known as Mangifera Indica, mangoes hold a prominent place in the commercial fruits of Pakistan. Mango fruit is enriched with 10-20% sugar, vitamins A, B and C, some proteins, calcium, phosphorus and iron.
Primarily loved for their taste, different varieties are also famous for their color, smell and nutritious value.

Ripe fruit is better than anything when chilled at the best temperature and is eaten fresh, while unripe fruit is also utilized in making pickles.

As per the FAO production 2001 year book, Pakistan stands FIFTH among mango growing countries of the World. A limited supply of mangoes is produced every year and even if all of this production reaches to the consumers, per head per day availability of fruit is meager 114 grams. I believe that is the reason that mango prices are so high that its availability is limited to a couple of days in a month instead of everyone eating it daily ;)

Different varieties of Pakistani mango is exported around the globe fetching valuable foreign exchange. Some of the most-loved mango varieties include Langra, Dusehri, Samar Behisht, Chaunsa, Anwar Ratol, Sindhri, Bagan Pali, Suwarneka, Neelum and Gulab Khas.

The 4 varieties shown on the stamps include Anwar Ratol, Dusehri, Chaunsa and Sindhri. You can see the differences in their size, color and shape but unfortunately you can not experience their taste online. You will have to come to Pakistan to do that or ask a Pakistani friend to help you get them where you are.

The set of stamps and First Day Cover (FDC) were issued on 18 June 2002.
Have you ever eaten a mango? Which variety is your favorite? Feel free to share in comments below.

Pakistan Lawrence College Coin celebrating 150 Years

To mark the 150 years of Lawrence College, State Bank of Pakistan has issued another commemorative coin on 28 May 2011. 

(image from eBay seller fdc4-all)

History of Lawrence College, Ghora Gali, Murree

L.C.G.G. Murree is one of the elite institutions of Pakistan. Its pupils are popularly known as ‘Gallians’. 

Established in 1860 after Sir Henery Lawrence, the oldest residential institution of its type in Pakistan, Lawrence College started as an asylum with the object to provide practical education to the orphans and the children of the British soldiers in India. It had 82 children in its care initially. The number rose to 204 boys and 101 girls in 1914 when it was taken over by the Government of the Punjab as the Lawrence Memorial School, and 356 boys and 124 girls, when it became the Lawrence College in 1927, with the construction of the Lower Estate. The Girls Section was transferred to Saint Denny's School Murree in 1949. The college was handed over to the Board of Governors in 1962 (Grant of Autonomy by the Punjab Government) effective todate. Today there are about 706 boys on the roll of the three schools. The number is expected to rise further, as the time passes. Started in 1860 as an unpretentious barracks, housing about 80 students, it developed into its present state over the period.

The Motto of the college is "Never Give In".

A commemorative Postage Stamp was also issued on the 125 Years Celebrations of Lawrence College by Pakistan Post in 1985. You can see the image of the stamp below:-

Front Side of Coin

The front of the coin shows the waxing crescent and a five pointed star facing north-west in rising position. On the top are the word "Islami Jamhoria Pakistan" in Urdu script which means "Islamic Republic of Pakistan". Under the crescent, in the center and at the top of two springs of wheat with arms curved upward, the issuance year is mentioned as 2011.

The coin denomination is written as Rupees 20 in bold letters in Urdu writing. A circle of sixty small beads is all along the edge of the coin.
Reverse Side of Coin
On the reverse side, monogram of Lawrence College is shown in the center.

The inscription 150 Years Celebrations, Lawrence College Ghora gali Murree  in English is written on the top of coin. 

Lawrence College Murree Poem

To set the cause above renown.

To love the game beyond the prize.

To honour, while you strike him down;

The foe that comes with fearless eyes.

To count the life of battle good.

And dear the land that gave you Birth.

And dearer yet the brother-hood;

That binds the brave of all the earth.

To-day and here the fight's begun.

Of the great fellowship you're free.

Hence forth the school and you are one.

And what you are, the race shall be.

60 Years of Pakistan China Friendship Coin 2011

To mark the 60 years of warm and strong friendship between Pakistan and China, State Bank of Pakistan issued a commemorative coin on 21 May 2011. More specifically, the coin was issued to mark the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Pakistan and China.

(image from eBay seller fdc4-all)

Pakistan Government also announced that the year 2011 will be celebrated as Pakistan-China Friendship Year.

The front of the coin shows the waxing crescent and a five pointed star facing north-west in rising position. On the top are the word "Islami Jamhoria Pakistan" in Urdu script which means "Islamic Republic of Pakistan". Under the crescent, in the center and at the top of two springs of wheat with arms curved upward, the issuance year is mentioned as 2011.

The coin denomination is written as Rupees 20 in bold letters in Urdu writing. A circle of sixty small beads is all along the edge of the coin.

On the reverse side, 60th (depicting the number of years of friendship) is inscribed in numeral wording in bold letters.

The wording 2011 YEAR OF PAK-CHINA FRIENDSHIP in English is written on the top of coin. Wording in numeral 1951-2011 at the bottom of the coin and above it, a handshake is depicted with the flags of Pakistan and China.

Stamps Issued to Celebrate Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton

Being a lover and collector of Philatelic Material from World Wide, I wondered which countries have issued the postal stamps on the eve of the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Here are some of the stamps and miniature sheets from around the globe, which have been issued to celebrate the event.

Royal Wedding Stamps from Australia

Royal Wedding Stamps from Canada

Royal Wedding Stamps from Falkland Islands

 

Royal Wedding Stamps from Guine Bissau

Royal Wedding Stamps from Niue - A Pacific Nation

Royal Wedding Stamps from England/ UK

Royal Wedding Stamps

Royal Wedding Stamps from Niue - Most talked about stamps on the event as the two stamps split the Royal couple if they are to be used alone.

 And here are some stamps issued on the event of the Royal Engagement of the William and Kate:-.

Royal Engagement Stamps from St. Kitts 

Royal Engagement Stamps from Cook Islands

Royal Engagement Stamps from Gibraltar

Which one did you like the best? 

Here you can also see some other collectibles to mark the event:-

• Royal Wedding Coins
• Royal Wedding Postcards