Feature
First Stamps of Bangladesh

Mahmud-Ur-Rashid

The Emergence of postage stamps in Great Britain in 1840 as a prepaid postage system is an important landmark in the history of Postal Services. Though the postage stamps was introduced to collect postal revenue only, but since then postage stamps collection has become a hobby irrespective of age of the collect on Philately, is regarded as “King of Hobbies”. Today Philately has become a business product all over the world. Like Bank Notes Postage stamps are also regarded as symbol of sovereignty of an independent state.

During our Great Liberation War the Provisional Bangladesh Government issued a set of 8 stamps with different motifs on July 29, 1971 to mould international support for our liberation war. The stamps were printed in London from the Format International Security Printers Ltd. and designed by Biman Mallik.

Each stamp reflects some significant part of the history of Independence. The motifs were the map of Bangladesh in 10 paisa, the massacre in Dhaka University in 20 paisa, the nation of 75 million people in 50 paisa, flag of independence in the 1 rupee, victory of Awami League in the 1970 election by 98 percent of the votes in 2 rupee, symbolic proclamation of independent government in 3 rupee, a portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 5 rupee, and the slogan 'Support Bangladesh' in 10 rupee.

If you look closely at the stamps you will find that the inaugural stamps splitted the name BANGLADESH into BANGLA DESH both in Bangla and English and the denomination used was rupee, in short Rs.

After 16th December 1971 the stamps were sold in auction in London with the text on the stamps: Bangladesh Liberated.

On February 1972, the Agency printed additional set of stamps with the same motifs of the flag, map and Sheikh Mujib in new colours, currency denomination. Taka (T) replaced Rupee(R) but paisa (1Taka=100 Paisa) remained the same. Splitted BANGLA DESH became BANGLADESH. But these new set of stamps never reached Bangladesh and were not accepted by the new government of Bangladesh.

After the liberation the first commemorative stamps of Bangladesh was issued on February 21, 1972 in commemoration of Great Language Movement of 1952 depicting 'Shaheed Minar' in the denomination of 20 paisa, designed by B.P. Chitonish and printed in The Security Printing Press, Nasik, India.

On the first Independence Day, on March 26, 1972 denomination of 20, 60 and 75 paisa stamps of same design were issued and the designer was Nitun Kundu, which were printed from The Security Printing Press, Nasik, India.

In celebrating one year of victory another set of 3 stamps was issued in the denomination of 20, 60 and 75 paisa on December 16, 1972 designed by K.G Mustafa and printed in M/S Bradbury Wilkinson.

Picture courtesy: Bangladesh Postal Service

(The writer is enrolled in the BBA program of Accounting & Information Systems, University of Dhaka)