In a unique initiative, India Post, Maharashtra and Goa circles have arranged to send to India a set of special postcards featuring the Antarctic continent’s most recognizable natives – a group of penguins – officials said here on Monday.
The flightless birds with flippers – the only aquatic species to live and breed on ice – are considered a symbol of the 14.2 million square kilometers of frozen land around the South Pole.
India Post’s colorful picture card depicts at least three of the 18 species that roam Antarctica – the majestic ’emperor penguin’, the imperial ‘king penguin’ and the clipped but much smaller ‘Adélie’.
Vandita Kaul, Secretary (Posts), Union Ministry of Communications, released the penguin postcards in the presence of Chief Postmaster General Amitabh Singh, PMG Suchita Joshi (Mumbai) and RK Jayabhaye (Pune), top officials, employees and philatelists of the General Post Office. Mumbai, today.
“These postcards, 250 of each picture or a total of 1,500, will be taken by the 44th Antarctica expedition organized by the National Center for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), which is scheduled to leave from Goa around December 13,” the assistant post master said. General Sudhir Jakhare told IANS.
NCPOR scientist Ravi Mishra, who is leading the 44th Antarctica expedition, will also be the designated special postman this year and will bring back the consignment of the coveted post-cards on the return trip late next year.
Depending on travel and weather en route, it is expected to reach Antarctica, with the Indian stations there, South Gangotri (first established in 1983, closed since 1990), followed by Maitri (established in 1990), and Bharati (established in 2015). Will reach. ,
The same drive will bring them back after getting them stamped there with a legend: ‘Bharti Branch Office’ and ‘Maitri Branch Office’, both under NIO, Dona Paula, Goa, with a common pin code – 403004, Jakhare said.
He said that postage stamp is a symbol of India’s sovereign authority in those areas, the items bear a special stamp there and will be brought back to India.
Jakhare said Bharti branch and Maitri branch are the only two foreign post offices in India sharing the same pin code, and also have strategic importance.
Apart from India, there are permanent/temporary research bases in more than 30 countries like China, USA, Russia, France, UK, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Australia and others.
This was 125 years after the first base was built there during the Southern Cross expedition (1899) – 12 years before the South Pole was conquered by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen on December 14, 1911.
Coincidentally, just three weeks later, British Robert F. Scott also reached the South Pole, but died during a severe ice storm that hit the region on his return trip.
Jakhare said IndiaPost started the tradition of special postcards in 2020, with the first annual themes being: Antarctica flora and fauna, icebergs, aura of aurora, Bharati Station and now penguins.
Kaul released a permanent pictorial cancellation of ‘Strawberry at Mahabaleshwar Post Office, Pune’ to commemorate the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the state’s favorite winter fruit, a slogan cancel with the mascot and “Gather, Connect, Celebrate” Gave the tagline ‘Celebrate’ the Festival of Tickets for MahaPex-2025 from 22-25 January next year, and reviewed the progress of the ongoing transformation of the GPO Heritage Building.
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