Over100 countries honour Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi has been honoured by over 100 countries which have issued postage stamps of him. India, of course, led the world in releasing postage stamps on the Mahatma. The first postage stamp on Mahatma Gandhi was due for release on October 2, 1947, the Gandhi World Foundation stated. Four types of stamps were designed, with former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru taking a keen personal interest in the endeavour. However, Gandhiji’s assassination on January 30, 1948, delayed their release. The first postage stamp could be released only on August 15, 1948, a year after India attained Independence.

The first postage stamp on Gandhi was printed in Switzerland, said the Gandhi World Foundation (GWF). The first nation other than India to release a Gandhi postage stamp was the US, on January 26, 1961. It was followed by Congo in 1967. During Gandhi’s birth centenary in 1969, more than 40 countries released postage stamps in his honour on the same day. Poland was the first country to release a post card on Gandhi, the GWF said. The first country other than India to release a Gandhi remembrance envelope was Romania. In the honour of Gandhi, the United Nations first released a postage stamp on October 2, 2009.