Mourning Cover on Vajpayee released
Surjit Kumar Dhal, Keonjhar, August 17: A Death Mourning Cover of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was released by senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Sharma at Keonjhar as part of the first death anniversary programme of the departed leader.
The cover was issued and posted at Bhubaneswar on the same day i.e. 16th August 2018.It was issued by Anil Dhir, the Secretary of the Mourning Cover Collectors Society of India.
Black Bordered Mourning Covers are issued to mark the demise of statesmen and leaders as a mark of homage. Earlier too, covers were issued on Biju Patnaik, Abdul Kalam, Karunanidhi etc.
These are collectible items and cherished by Philatelists.The Mourning Cover that was issued on the death of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948 was recently sold for Rs 4 lacs in an auction. Speaking on the occasion, Sharma said that very few people in public life have the privilege to become a legend in their lifetime and Atal Bihari Vajpayee was one amongst such rarest of rare personalities that not only influenced their era, but also cast their shadow on the future.He was a great humanist and a visionary leader throughout his life, he said adding, Vajpayee’s era will remain historic in Indian politics.Dhir said that Atalji was a towering but gentle colossus in the political arena.
Both as a Prime Minister and a parliamentarian, Vajpayee remained true to the tenets of constitutional and democratic processes, he said and added that Vajpayee’s India was different from today’s India. Vajpayee’s BJP was different from today’s BJP.
“Democracy itself was different, allowing space for opponents of the government, where the spirit of freedom was never suppressed overtly or covertly,” he said.
The Secretary of the Keonjhar Philatelic Association, Dr CS Basak and others were present on the occasion.
