Kerala - Kozhikode   

1,001 nights from little brushes

Staff Reporter

Design a Stamp contest held by Department of Posts,The Hindu-Young World

DREAMS OF NIGHT: Children immersed in painting at the `Design a Stamp' contest at the Kozhikode Head Post Office on Tuesday. — Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup

KOZHIKODE: Hundreds of schoolchildren participated in the Design a Stamp Contest 2006, organised by the Department of Posts in 23 centres in the State, in association with The Hindu -Young World.

While the children participated with enthusiasm in all the centres, the response was beyond expectations in some smaller centres. In Ottapalam postal division, for instance, over 674 children participated.

Superintendent of Post Offices K.K. Jayasankar attributed this to the organising of the contest in 70-odd schools to enable children from smaller institutions in remote places also to participate. The postal officials in the vicinity of the schools coordinated the programme with the help of school authorities.

In Kozhikode, children enthusiastically participated in the contest at the Head Post Office. Vadakara and Kalpetta head post offices were also venues, department officials said.

The children let loose their imagination to paint the theme, "The magic of night," playing with colours associated with darkness, such as black and blue.

The contest began at 10.30 a.m. and most of the children completed their paintings by noon, well before the allotted time till 12.30 p.m.

The contest, being organised on an all-India level every year on Children's Day, has become the biggest arts event for children, says Shibu M. Job, Director of Postal Services, Northern Region.

The contest was held in three categories: group 1 (up to fourth standard), group 2 (from fifth to eighth standards) and group 3 (11th and 12th standards). Every year since 1999, the best entry is used as basis of the Children's Day stamp brought out the next year. This is an occasion to make children aware of philately, said P. Jayadevan, Senior Post Master, Kozhikode. He spoke on philately before the contest began.

The children from schools in the city and suburbs participated, said P.V. Janardhanan Nambiar, Speed Post Manager, Kozhikode.

P.A. Ravindranathan, secretary, Malabar Philately Club, exhibited some first day covers (issued with every commemorative stamp) and pictorial cancellation (post mark to commemorate a special occasion) at the contest venue.

He displayed pieces from the first day cover collection of Rakhi Dheep P.K., member of the club and Plus One student of Zamorin Higher Secondary School, which has the covers issued on Children's Day from 1957 to 1998. The reasons why some years the covers were not issued were explained. First day covers of the Presidents and Prime Ministers and the cover first issued in Kerala bearing the picture of Sree Narayana Guru were displayed. "It is an attempt to tell a story through stamps," Mr. Ravindranathan said.

The winners of the contest will be announced later. The first prize winning entry in the junior category will be used for making a set of two stamps and that in the senior category for designing a stamp miniature sheet. The second and third prize winning entries in all the categories will be used for designing first day covers, a maxim card and the cover of the Philately Newsletter.

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