A commemorative postage stamp marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled at 26th June as a joint effort of Czech Post and the Embassy of India. The ceremony was held at the Embassy of India in Prague in the presence of Executive Director of Director General, Mr. Ondřej Veselský and Her Excellency, Mrs. Narinder Chauhan, Ambassador of India to the Czech Republic, and attended by the stamp designer, Mr. Jan Kavan.

The stamp portrays Mahatma Gandhi with his hands folded in the the conventional Hindu gesture of greeting and deep respect. The motif of the first day cover (FDC) is based on the non-violence symbol of circles referring to perfection and harmony. In the context of the non-violence symbol, the folded hands represent mutual cooperation. The stamp and FDC are accompanied by a commemorative handstamp depicting Gandhi’s spectacles and the date of issuing the stamp. All three items were designed by Jan Kavan and the FDC was engraved by Bohumil Šneider.

“On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of our Father of the Nation, we remember his greatness not only in India but also by celebrations and activities around the world to spread his teaching and philosophy of non-violence. Czech stamps have long been valued as most beautiful ones. I am therefore pleased that Mahatma Gandhi became the motif of one of them,” said Her Excellency, Mrs. Narinder Chauhan.

“Mahatma Gandhi changed the world by non-violent protests and his struggle for peace. We are honoured to be able to contribute to the commemoration of his legacy by issuing this stamp. This is the first Czech commemorative stamp in the history remembering this person,” said Roman Knap, Czech Post’s Director General.

 

Mahatma Gandhi was born a British colonial subject. He became one of the greatest political and spiritual leaders of India and her independence movement. Using the philosophy of active, yet non-violent resistance, he led India to declare independence on 15 August 1947.

The Postal Security Printing Company in Prague printed 500,000 commemorative stamps by offset and 3,200 FDCs by recess printing from flat plates.

The Z stamp corresponds to stamps with the face value of CZK 41 used for priority International Ordinary Mail up to 50 g destined to non-European countries. The stamp is available at any dedicated philatelic counter, at certain post offices, or online via Czech Post’s website.