Stamps issued depicting different vehicles in India through the ages

In tribute to the history of travel in India; The Department of Posts, Govt. of India, has issued postage stamps showcasing the different types of vehicles the country has used in its long history. The 20 stamps released by the department presents a gradual progression in the Indian modes of transportation- from hand-drawn palanquins, to metro trains.

The stamps were presented by Ms Kalpana Rajsinghot, Postmaster General, Gurgaon Region, Haryana Circle, Department of Posts in the presence of Tarun Thakral, Founder & Managing Trustee, Heritage Transportation Trust.

A press release issued revealed that the Heritage Transport Museum had played a key role in the making of these stamps; saying that, “the inspiration of these 20 stamps has come from the artwork and artefacts displayed at the Heritage Transport Museum and over 15 stamps are directly adapted from the museum’s collection.”

Opened to the public on December 7, 2013, the transport museum in Taoru, Gurgaon, near Delhi, displays the history of India’s transportation and its development through a varied collection of vehicles and associated memorabilia. The museum itself is the only one in India that is completely dedicated to transport and was established by the Heritage Transportation Trust, a registered non-profit founded on July 18, 2006.

The press release had also mentioned that the series comes in the form of miniature sheets in a booklet and some mixed stamp sheetlets, which include sets of four stamps each on palanquins, animal-driven carriages, rickshaws, vintage cars, and even public transport such as buses, trams, and metro.

They are already available from the philatelic bureaus across the country. This is the first time a series of this type had been released in India and collections such as these are such to attract many philatelists from perhaps not just the country, but from across the world.