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Special Cover :  Andpex-2014 – 26 December 2014

 

Andpex-2014, Anand District Philatelic Exhibition held at V.V. Nagar from 26th - 28th December 2014.

A Special Cover on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was released by Shri Vineet Mathur, Postmaster General, Vadodara Region and was presented to Dr. Punit Dixit. Special Cover depicts the house of Karamsad where he grew up and the Cancellation depicts Sardar memorial of Karamsad.

Andpex-2014, Anand District Philatelic Exhibition organised by Anand Philatelic Association has organized ‘Andpex-2014’, district level philatelic exhibition at Ipcowala - Santram College of Fine Arts, Vallabh Vidyanagar (Gujarat) from 26th - 28th December 2014. The exhibition was inaugurated by Shri Vineet Mathur, Postmaster General, Vadodara Region on 26^th December. Dr. Punit Dixit, Senior Philatelist and Retire ISRO Space Scientist, Shri Mainak Kathiara, Past President, Gujarat Philatelists' Association, Shri Rakesh M. Shah, Superintendent of Post Offices, Anand Division, Anand were also present on dais at the inaugural function. Function was well attended by local philatelists, students, staff members of India Post and Philatelists of Ahmedabad and Vadodara.

About 20 frames were exhibited in Competitive and non competitive class. Also there was a display of bank notes and coins in non competitive class. My stamp facility and philatelic counter were made available at the exhibition venue by India Post.

On the occasion a Special Cover on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was released by Shri Vineet Mathur, Postmaster General, Vadodara Region and was presented to Dr. Punit Dixit. Special Cover depicts the house of Karamsad where he grew up and the Cancellation depicts Sardar memorial of Karamsad.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of India's greatest leaders in the Indian Independence Movement grew up in Karamsad. It was also the home of his elder brother Vithalbhai Patel, who was also an important political leader. The Patel brothers lived with their two elder brothers and one younger brother and sister, and parents Jhaverbhai and Ladba Patel in a mud-brick house adjacent to his family's farm holdings. This house is preserved to date as a memorial to Patel. With the ideals of Sardar Patel and Vithalbhai Patel as its nucleus, a magnificent Memorial is developed on Anand-Sojitra Road at Karamasad which is spread across seven acres of land. The site also includes a library and a garden. Regular cultural programs are held in the Bhavan of the Memorial. There is also a photo gallery featuring paintings, photographs and banners on the lives of Sardar Patel and Veer Vithalbhai.

Special Cover on 25 Years of Mothers Milk Bank - 27th November 2014.

An estimated 1.3 - 4.5 million childhood deaths every year are attributed to suboptimal breast feeding practices. In India, death rate of newborns in the first month is among the world’s worst-43 per 1000 live births. Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for the babies. Many women are not able to breastfeed because of a lack of awareness about proper breastfeeding methods, complications during pregnancy or malnutrition.

WHO and UNICEF, made a joint statement in 1980: "Where it is not possible for the biological mother to breast feed, the first alternative, if available, should be the use of human milk from other sources. Human milk banks should be made available in appropriate situations." A human milk bank is vital for premature babies who require temporary intervention in cases of delayed lactation, illness of the mother or even abandonment. Donation of breast milk from one woman to an unrelated infant has a long history. Before this century, the infant would have been directly breastfed by the woman who was referred to as a "wet nurse". Rules governing wet nursing have been around since 1800 BC. For example, Devki for Lord Krishna, Dharavu for Sambhaji Maharaj, and the well known incidence of Hirkani from Raigad fort. A mother's milk is tailor-made for a human baby. No other source of milk has such anti-infective properties.

A human milk bank is a service established for collecting, screening, processing, storing and distributing donated human milk. There are 517 human milk banks functioning across the world. Asia’s first human milk bank was established in Sion Hospital Mumbai on 27 Nov. 1989, under the eminent guidance of Dr Armeida Fernandez, who is a pioneer in the human milk banking in India. Since then, some 25 human milk banks have been established across India. The milk collected (with the help of breast pumps) from donor mothers, who are pre-screened for various diseases such as HIV and hepatitis, is pooled, cultured and then pasteurized for half an hour and then frozen at minus 20°C. It can last six months and proves a boon for sick and abandoned babies.

On 27th November 2014, Sion Hospital (Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital & Medical College) celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the First Human Breast Milk bank in India by felicitating its founder Dr. Armida Fernandez. A Special Cover was released by Maharashtra Postal Circle to commemorate 25 Years of Mothers Milk Bank on 27th November 2014 at Mumbai. (Special Cover approval no. MH/29/2014)

Courtesy : Indian Philately Digest