India issues special postal cover featuring Zayed and Gandhi
GESTURE TO MARK UAE NATIONAL DAY HIGHLIGHTS GROWING BILATERAL TIES
In a gesture to mark the UAE’s 48th National Day, the Indian government has issued a special postal cover with images of the UAE’s founding father, Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and Mahatma Gandhi, along with streaming replicas of the national flags of their respective countries under the images.
The postal cover also has a special postmark with the legend in English and Hindi that reads ‘48th National Day: United Arab Emirates’ and a New Delhi dateline below the legend. The back of the cover is adorned with the India Post logo and details of the government’s issuing authority.
Rare honour
Philatelists in India told journalists that the issuance of a special postal cover and postmark is a rare honour in India and reflects the current, flourishing bilateral relations between the UAE and India.
Philately was a dominating theme at a reception hosted by the UAE Ambassador to India, Dr Ahmad Al Banna, at the Taj Palace here to celebrate the 48th National Day.
The chief guest at the reception, the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan, was shown around a philatelic exhibition at the venue which featured rare collections of stamps from the
UAE and from India by Dr Al Banna. The exhibition featured private collections of stamps on Shaikh Zayed and successive UAE National Days.
From the Indian side, there were stamps on Mahatma Gandhi and the erstwhile Cochin princely state, which is now part of Kerala in South India.
The exhibition was facilitated by the Emirates Philatelic Association in Dubai, and on the Indian side, by the All India Philatelic Federation as well as the Philatelic Society of India, with cooperation from the Indian government’s Department of Post.
A fashion show featuring traditional UAE outfits designed by Emirati designer Shamsa Al Mehairi, was another highlight of this year’s National Day reception.