India on Adventure Sports 1992
Complete Set of 4 nos of commemorative postage stamps on the Indian Adventure Sports : Hang Gliding, Wind Surfing, River Rafting and Skiing :
Issued by India
Issued on Apr 29, 1992
Description of Designs : The set of stamps and First Day Cover have been designed by R.N. Pasricha. The cancellation has been designed by Alka Sharma.
Type : Stamps, Postal Used
Colour : Multi Colour
Denomination : 200, 400, 500 & 1100 Paisa
Overall size : 3.91 x 2.90 cms.
Printing Size : 3.55 x 2.54 cms.
Perforation : 13 x 13
Paper : Imported Un W/M adhesive gravure coated Stamp Paper
Number Printed : 6,00,000
Number per issue sheet : 35
Printing Process : Photogravure
Printed : India Security Press
About :
- Adventure sports is a new phenomenon that has been catching on all over the world in recent years. Any activity, that has elements of adventure in generous measure and of competition even if only in limited measure, could qualify as an adventure sport. Hence though the sky is the limit, Indian Posts & Telegraphs Department have chosen four of the more established sports, to begin with.
- Hang Gliding: Otto Lilienthal the father of modern Hang Gliding coined the term ‘Hange Gleiter‘. A typical hang glider consists of a light aluminium frame to which a synthetic fabric is attached. The pilot is suspended by a harness or swing seat connected to the control frame. Hang Gliding is an organised sport with competitions for duration of flight, distance and altitude gained. This sport was introduced in India in 1984 when for the first time a competition was held in Billing, in the Kangra valley of Himachal Pradesh, which remains the most famous gliding spot in India, hosting many an international standard competition.
- Wind Surfing: This is a recently developed water sport and is also known as ‘Sailboarding‘ in some countries. It is a combination of the basic principles of sailing and surfing and is done on a fibre glass board, conical on both sides. The sport in its modern form originated in California in the late 1960’s and came to India in the early 1980’s and is now very popular in the coastal areas of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Goa. National competitions of this sport are also being held in this country.
- River Rafting: White water rafting was first done on the Colorado river in the U.S.A. in 1858 by Major J. W. Powell. This sport caught the attention of adventure lovers in India in 1984 when a joint Indo-American expedition was flagged off on the river Ganga. India has made its mark in this sport in international competitions and has won Silver and Bronze medals on a number of occasions. The Indian rivers suitable for this sport are the Ganga (September to May), Alaknanda (October to November), Bhagirathi, Sharda, Teesta, Brahmaputra, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Zanskar.
- Skiing: This is perhaps the oldest of these sports and skis believed to be 4000 to 5000 years old, have been found in bogs in Sweden and Finland. This sport gained popularity in Europe and North America in the beginning of the 20th century and became an Olympic sport in the 1924 Games. It has become a major winter sport in Kashmir and the hills of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. An annual national competition is held in Auli and the Winter Games Federation has held a championship in Gulmarg. Heli-Skiing is fast becoming the popular mode of skiing and in this, skiers are dropped in mountain peaks or ridges by a helicopter and they come down skiing. India is the first Asian country to offer this facility in Manali where it was introduced in 1988.
- Text : Based on material provided by Vijay Seth.
Subscribe
Login
0 Comments