New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) Over the centuries, the nation’s history has been passed down the generations in a variety of ways - by word of mouth, on parchment scrolls, in fine print and artistic traditions. Now it is also being told through stamps.
Twenty-five stamps have been selected by historians and philatelic experts from the New Delhi-based National Philatelic Museum. The stamps tell the Indian story in silver ingots, layered with 24-carat gold, to create a “permanent repository for posterity” in a series known as the “Pride of India” postage collection, the department of Indian Posts said.

“The 25 stamps included in the Pride of India collection have been selected from the archives of the National Philatelic Museum in New Delhi by a panel of experts drawn from around the country. From hundreds of designs, commissioned over the years, each stamp has been carefully chosen to represent some important facet of Indian history, life and culture,” director-general of posts I.M.G. Khan told IANS.

The stamps, created by the London-based Hallmark Group Limited and struck in 7,500 limited edition sets, are available in a velvet-lined lacquered wood collector’s case, along with a special edition of a book titled “Enchanting India”, an album of educational fact cards, a jeweller’s cloth and gloves and an official certificate of authenticity signed by the manufacturer.

One of the most striking ingot stamps is that of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi ready to charge at her foes.

The original stamp was issued in 2007 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the First War of Independence. It shows a dramatic confrontation between freedom fighters led by the fiery princess and the ranks of the East India Company infantry.

An ingot of Madhubala - known as the Marilyn Monroe of Indian cinema - shows the actress laughing her famous laugh. The original stamp is a tribute to the actress who won over millions with the movie “Mughal-E-Azam” in which she played Anarkali.

Radha, the face of Lord Krishna’s divine consort, imprinted from a 17th century painting by Nihal Chand recovered from an old fort in Kishangarh, is another striking Pride of India ingot reflecting the Kishangarh school of religious art.

“For the last 30 years, the Hallmark Group has worked with post offices across the world to recreate their most valuable and important stamps in solid ingots,” R.A. Wainright, president of the Hallmark Group Limited, said.