The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Philatelic exhibition showcases Japan's achievements

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 18, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Philatelic exhibition showcases Japan's achievements

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, APRIL 17. India and Japan recalled their history and heritage at a philatelic exhibition which opened today. Starting with the first set of stamps ever printed in Japan, the exhibition showcased Japan's achievements as well as its experiences through two World Wars.

The two-day thematic exhibition was inaugurated by the Japanese Consul-General, Ryuzo Kikuchi, at the ABK-AOTS Dosokai auditorium on Nelson Manickam Road here to mark the Philatelic Week of Japan. He said Japan printed its first set of stamps in 1871.

On display is a stamp minted in 23 karat gold; it is the fifth of the 23 stamps in a limited edition series honouring the ancient and modern nations with gold resources.

Kabuko and Kathakali, the two art forms of Japan and India are also depicted in stamps brought out to mark 50 years of Indo-Japan relationship. The Taj Mahal and Mohenjedaro find their presence in Japanese stamps.

Emperor Meiji's silver wedding in 1894 was the first time Japanese stamps portrayed an aspect of the emperor's life. However, the emperor's face never appeared on stamps as the Japanese did not want his face to be stamped with seals, said M.R. Ranganathan, president, Federation of AOTS Alumni Associations of India, a co-organiser.

Prominent display was given to Commodore Mathew C. Perry of Rhode Island, U.S., who began trade with Japan, and General Douglas MacArthur, who got the Japanese Emperor to sign the surrender accord. The duo, said Mr. Ranganathan, influenced changes in the emperor's status.

Among faces, Sugihara Chiune stands out. As vice-consul in Kaunas, Lithuania, he granted visas to 26,000 Jews in 1940 to save their lives and was acknowledged by Israel later in a commemorative stamp.

In the Indian section, stamps on women freedom fighters dominated the gallery. Commemorative stamps and envelopes on display include portraits of Jhansi Rani Lakshmi Bai, Jhalkari Bai, Rani Avanti Bai, Sarojini Naidu, Kamala Nehru, Kasturba Gandhi, Durgabai Deshmukh, Aruna Asaf Ali, Mother Teresa and Madam Bhikaji Cama who unfurled the National Flag in Stuttgart, Germany, 40 years before Independence. The Indian stamps on display belong to South India Philatelists' Association members, said its president, G. Balakrishna Das.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu

News Update

Stories in this Section

Corporation, not Collectorate, handles poll work

Four burial grounds getting a facelift

Damaged parts of hand resurrected for attack victim

Philatelic exhibition showcases Japan's achievements

`Spirituality missing in modern science'

Lower turnout at pre-medical entrance examination

`Temple elephant being ill-treated'

Around the City

In Chennai Today