Postage stamps and postal history of Newfoundland

Newfoundland is a large Canadian island off the east coast of North America, and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The first postage stamps of Newfoundland were issued in 1857.When Newfoundland entered into confederation with Canada in 1949, the new province stopped issuing its own stamps, and adopted the stamps already in use in the rest of Canada. Newfoundland was the centre for attempts at making the first trans-Atlantic flights and several generated both stamps and covers

From 1913, when Lord Northcliffe offered a £10,000 prize for the first nonstop crossing of the Atlantic on a heavier-than-air machine, Newfoundland became the centre for most attempts, notably the successful flight by Alcock and Brown in 1919. Many of these attempts carried mail, franked with Newfoundland stamps overprinted for the occasion.The first flight by a Canadian from North America to England was 9–10 October 1930, in the Wright-Bellanca WB-2 Maple Leaf (aka, Columbia), navigated from Harbor Grace (NL) by the American, Lieut. Harry Connor. This flight was notable for transporting mail bearing a surcharged stamp as a commemorative overprint.In 1933 the Post Office issued a permanent set of four airmail stamps, of which the 75-cent denomination was overprinted for General Balbo's flight two months after their issue.

The colony and later the dominion of Newfoundland had a 90-year history of issuing postage stamps. The first issues were in 1857. The last issue was in 1947, 2 years prior to Newfoundland joining the confederation. Newfoundland stamps remain valid for postal mail delivered anywhere in Canada.

30 January - Amrita Sher Gil birth anniversary

 

Amrita Sher-Gil (30 January 1913 – 05 December 1941) was a Hungarian-Indian painter. She has been called "one of the greatest avant-garde women artists of the early 20th century" and a pioneer in modern Indian art. Drawn to painting from an early age, Sher-Gil started formal lessons at the age of eight. She first gained recognition at the age of 19, for her oil painting Young Girls (1932) (shown below). Sher-Gil depicted everyday life of the people in her paintings.

Sher-Gil traveled throughout her life to various countries including Turkey, France, and India, deriving heavily from precolonial Indian art styles as well as contemporary culture. Sher-Gil is considered an important painter of 20th-century India, whose legacy stands on a level with that of the pioneers from the Bengal Renaissance. She was also an avid reader and a pianist. Sher-Gil's paintings are among the most expensive by Indian women painters today, although few acknowledged her work when she was alive.

30 January - Martyrs' Day or Shaheed Diwas

 

 

On January 30, India will observe Martyrs' Day or Shaheed Diwas to pay tribute to all the freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for the country. The day is also marked as the death anniversary of the nation's 'Bapu', Mahatma Gandhi.

Every year, on January 30, India celebrates Martyrs' Day by paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi's Samadhi at Raj Ghat in Delhi. The President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Defense Minister, and the three Service Chiefs (Army, Air Force, And Navy) pay their respects to the father of the nation.

In conclusion, Shaheed Diwas is a day to remember the sacrifices of all the freedom fighters who gave their lives for the country, and to pay homage to the great leader, Mahatma Gandhi, who inspired millions of people with his principles of non-violence and truth.

The day is marked by various events and programs organized by the government to commemorate the bravery and selflessness of these heroes.