BHUBANESWAR: Cricket fever has started
gripping the whole country ahead of World Cup Cricket 2015 and along with
discounted television sets, why not also get some special stamps that celebrate
the game?
The Bhubaneswar Postal Circle has seized the
opportunity on Tuesday just as well as the TV makers by releasing 14
ball-shaped stamps from New Zealand brought out just for the occasion. The
limited edition souvenir sheet will be a prized possession for philatelists,
cricket lovers, sportsmen and children who are starting out with building the
hobby of collecting postal stamps, postal officers said.
"The stamps will be available for sale at
the Philatelic Bureau, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, and in 33 head post offices of
Odisha from Tuesday. The cost of each souvenir sheet comprising all 14 stamps
is Rs 400 and a discount of 20% will be given on a pack of five sheets,"
said chief post master general, Odisha, Tilak De.
To celebrate the sporting event and offer
something unique and memorable to cricketers, New Zealand, one of the two host
countries, made the stamps with the theme "14 teams, one champion".
The stamps, which bear the denomination of 80 cents, have been designed like
cricket balls. Each stamp sheet has represented one of the 14 participating
countries in the colour of their respective jerseys. The stamp also carries the
official 2015 World Cup logo and national flag of the country.
"For India, the souvenir sheet has been
customized to depict our World Cup wins in the centre in 1983 and 2011.
Interested people are requested to collect the stamps before the limited stock
runs out," director, postal services, Pawan Kumar Singh.
"I am very excited about the postage
stamps as I am passionate about both postage stamps and cricket," said
city-based philatelist Nirmal Swain.
Source:-The Times of India
