#520 India...Thanks Yogesh

This special cover is a tribute to a great astronomer Raja Sawai Jai Singh,the founder of city of Jaipur & creator of world renowned heritage of "Jantar Mantar-Jaipur".

The Jantar Mantar, in Jaipur, is an astronomical observation site built in the early 18th century. It includes a set of some 20 main fixed instruments. They are monumental examples in masonry of known instruments but which in many cases have specific characteristics of their own. Designed for the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye, they embody several architectural and instrumental innovations. This is the most significant, most comprehensive, and the best preserved of India's historic observatories. It is an expression of the astronomical skills and cosmological concepts of the court of a scholarly prince at the end of the Mughal period.

The 5 INR stamp on the right corner was issued in 2009 showing St.Anne Church,that is a religious monument located in Santana, Goa, India. It is an example of baroque architecture and it is by far the most exquisite and the largest surviving monument of its kind in all of Asia.

#519 India...Thanks Kasinath!

#510 India...Thanks Kuldipkumar!

This FDC was issued on 2nd August 2010 honoring Syed Mohammed Ali Shihab Thangal(1936-2009),who a great religious scholar and social worker. He worked for the uplift of the downtrodden and in providing them with quality and value based education.He was also involved in politics as the president of the Kerala Muslim League.

#488 India...Thanks Vigesh!

#479 India...Thanks Syed!

This FDC was issued on 3rd October,2010 on the inaugural day of the XIX Commonwealth Games held in Delhi between 2010.10.03 to 10.14, illustrating tennis,archery,hockey and athletics.

The XIX Commonwealth Games is the largest multi sport event in Delhi after the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982.It is also for the first time that the Commonwealth Games held in India.

85 Commonwealth Nations participated in 260 games in 17 disciplines.These events will take place in the upgraded existing stadiums and new stadiums constructed specially for the games.

The opening and closing ceremonies of the Games took place at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium,New Delhi.It showcased the spirit,talent and rich fiber of Indian culture.The mascot of the game,"Shera",combines modern and traditional India and embodies the values,majesty,power,charisma,intelligence,grace and elegance of the tiger.

The official slogan of the Commonwealth Games 2010 is "Come out and Play".The logo tagline is an invitation to every person across all divides Indian and Commonwealth to participate in the Games to the best of their abilities,in the true spirit of the Games.

India Post has already issued two sets of stamps on themes:One set on the Queen's Baton Relay and a second set on the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium and Talkatora Stadium.

#460 India...Thanks Rajendra!

The 5 INR stamp from the left was issued in 2010 honoring G.V.Chalam,who was an Indian activist and agricultural scientist.

G.V.Chalam was born to a middle class family in 1909.In November 1960, Chalam joined the Union Ministry of Food and Agriculture as the Deputy Agricultural Commissioner. In this capacity, he organized several seed production and training programmes in the country in collaboration with the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations.

As long as rice is the staple diet in India, Dr Chalam will be fondly and thankfully remembered as a hero who waged relentless battle for “Freedom from Hunger” for the poor of the country.

The next 5 INR stamp was issued in 2010 honoring Kumaragurupara Swamigal,who was a Tamil poet in the 17th century.

The 5 INR stamp on the right was issued in 2010 honoring Deshbandhu Gupta,who was a freedom fighter and supporter of Gandhiji in Non-cooperation movement. He was also a journalist and writer who wrote articles for the Bande Mataram newspaper of Lala Lajpat Rai. Later he the founder of the newspaper "Tej", he also owned the News Chronicle ( now known as Indian Express) along with Ram Nath Goenka.

The fourth 5 INR stamp was issued in 2010 honoring Robert Cladwell (1814–1891),who was a Colonial Era Evangelist Missionary who used native languages as a tool to proselytize the Colonised in Southern India.

#452 India...Thanks Krishnamurthy!

The stamp on the right upper corner was issued on Jan.25 2010 promoting Election Commission of India.

India is a constitutional democracy with a parliamentary system of government, and at the heart of the system is a commitment to hold regular, free and fair elections. These elections determine the composition of the government, the membership of the two houses of parliament, the state and union territory legislative assemblies, and the Presidency and vice-presidency.

Elections are conducted according to the constitutional provisions, supplemented by laws made by Parliament. The major laws are Representation of the People Act, 1950, which mainly deals with the preparation and revision of electoral rolls, the Representation of the People Act, 1951 which deals, in detail, with all aspects of conduct of elections and post election disputes. The Supreme Court of India has held that where the enacted laws are silent or make insufficient provision to deal with a given situation in the conduct of elections, the Election Commission has the residuary powers under the Constitution to act in an appropriate manner.

During the last 60 years ,The Election Commission Of India has conducted 15 General Elections to the Lok Sabha and 326 general elections to state Legislative Assemblies.

#442 India...Thanks Anubhav!

#374 India...Thanks Hafizuddin!

#339 India...Thanks Sauj!

This FDC was issued to promote the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity on June,05 which is also the World Environment Day.

The International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) is a year-long celebration of biological diversity and its value for life on Earth, taking place around the world in 2010. Coinciding with the date of the 2010 Biodiversity Target, the year was declared by the 61st session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2006.

The International Year of Biodiversity is meant to help raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity through activities and events in many countries. This means, as well, to influence decision makers, and "to elevate biological diversity nearer to the top of the political agenda"

#208 India...Thanks Sauj!

The four stamps on the top were issued in 2009 featuring Traditional Textiles of India.

#206 India...Thanks Anubhav!

#205 India...Thanks Kasinath!

The left stamp was issued in 2009 honoring Major General Dewan Misri Chand,who was an aviation pioneer of India.

The souvenir sheet is 2009 Greetings issue.

#203 India...Thanks Kevin!

The stamp on the left was issued in 2007 showing Snows Basilica which is located at Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the Catholic pilgrimage centres in India dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

The church was built during 16th century, and dedicated to St. Peter. Later Jesuits consecrated it to Our Lady of Snows. In 1542 St. Francis Xavier visited the shrine to catechize the paravars, the indigenous people of the Pearl Fishery Coast, and to strengthen them in Christian faith. The history of the shrine is closely connected with the mass conversion of the paravar community, numbering about 30,000.

In 1982, when the Church of Our Lady of Snows celebrated its 400th anniversary, Pope John Paul II raised it to the status of Basilica through his apostolic letter Pervenute illa Dei Beatissimae Genitricis Effigies.

The two butterflies stamps on the right were issued in 2008 depicting The Andaman Clubtail (Pachliopia rhodifer),which is a rare and beautiful member of the Swallowtail (Papilionidae) family,endemic and restricted to the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal.

#148 India...Thanks Sameer!

#140 India...Thanks Sauj!

This minisheet on the cover was issued in 2009 showing Rampur Raza Library,which is one of the biggest library of Asia.

The Rampur Raza Library,located in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, India is a repository of Indo-Islamic cultural heritage and a treasure-house of knowledge established in last decades 18th century, and built up by successive Nawabs of Rampur.

It contains very rare and valuable collection of manuscripts, historical documents, specimens of Islamic calligraphy, miniature paintings, astronomical instruments and rare illustrated works in Arabic and Persian. Rampur's Raza Library also contains printed works in Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu, Pashto, Tamil and Turkish, and approximately 30,000 printed books (including periodicals) in various other languages.

#119 India...Thanks Kamal!

This stamp is from 2007 Satyagraha issue.

Satyagraha is a philosophy and practice of nonviolent resistance developed by Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi deployed satyagraha in campaigns for Indian independence and also during his earlier struggles in South Africa. Satyagraha theory also influenced Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, Jr. during the campaigns the latter led during the civil rights movement in the United States, and many other social justice and similar movements.

#109 India...Thanks Adivaragan!

The left stamp was issued in 2009 commemorating 50 years of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration.

LBSNAA is a research and training institute on public policy and public administration in India. Operated by India's federal Union Government, LBSNAA is located in the remote town of Mussoorie in the foothills of Himalayas.

The academy's main purpose is to train civil service officers of the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service, Indian Forest Service, Indian Revenue Service, Indian Audits and Accounts Service, Indian Railway Traffic Service, and other government agencies undergo training at LBSNAA.

In India, most officers of the premier civil services of the country are selected through competitive civil service exams administered by the Union Public Service Commission. Applicants who are accepted attend LBSNAA for a four-month Foundation Course.

The 2 stamps on the right are Indian 2009 Preserve the Polar Regions and Glaciers issue.

In 2009, about 40 other countries issued stamps on climate change. The common theme is Preserve the Polar Regions and Glaciers. The international stamp campaign is being coordinated by Itella’s Philatelic Centre in Finland.
Each participant country will issue its stamps on its own schedule in the period January-March 2009. Each country will also decide independently on the illustration theme for its issue. A shared feature for the issues is the crystal insignia, shown on the stamps.

On the back of the cover are the Indian Railway Stations issue showing stations at Chennai,Mumbai,Howrah and Old Delhi.

#103 India...Thanks Sauj!

The left 5R stamp was issued in 2008 commemorating the canonization of St.Alphonsa.

Saint Alphonsa (19 August 1910 – 28 July 1946) is the second person of Indian origin to be canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church and the first canonized saint of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church of the Saint Thomas Christian community.

Alphonsamma, as she was locally known, was born in Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Palai.She had a poor, difficult childhood and experienced early loss and suffering. She joined the Franciscan Clarist Congregation, and through them completed schooling and made her permanent vows in 1936. She taught school for years but was plagued by illness.

Claims of her intervention began almost immediately upon her death, and often involved the children in the convent school where she had taught. However, she is not known to have involved in any acts of charity or philanthropy during her lifetime. The cause of Sister Alphonsa began on 2 December 1953 in the Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Palai and she was declared a Servant of God. She was declared Venerable on 9 July 1985 by Pope John Paul II. Her beatification was declared 8 February 1986 by Pope John Paul II at Kottayam.

Hundreds of miraculous cures are claimed for her intervention, many of them involving straightening of clubbed feet, possibly because of her having lived with deformed feet herself.

On Sunday, 12 October 2008, Pope Benedict XVI announced her canonization at a ceremony at St Peter's Square.

The 15R stamp was from 2002 UN Climate Change Convention showing Mangrove Apple ( Sonneratia Alba)

The other 5R stamp was issued in 2009 commemorating R.K.Narayan.

R.K.Narayan was an Indian author whose works of fiction include a series of books about people and their interactions in an imagined town in India. He is one of three leading figures of early Indian literature in English, along with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao. He is credited with bringing Indian literature in English to the rest of the world, and is regarded as one of India's greatest English language novelists.

#071 India...Thanks Sauj!

The 5R stamp at the left was issued on Nov.6,2009 honoring Danmal Mathur, for his contribution for Indian Scouting movement.

The other 5R stamp at the left was issued on Dec.2,2009 to celebrate the 100 years of Convent of Jesus & Mary school in Ambala Cant.

The 5R stamp at the middle-top was issued on Jan.16,2010 to celebrate the 75 years of Reserve Bank of India,which is India's central bank.

The last 5R stamp at the right was also issued in 2009 to commemorate the 75 years of Medical Council of India.