Madras GPO 1986 India Stamp

The Madras G.P.O. started functioning from June 1, 1786 and the first Postmaster-General was Sir Archibald's secretary, A.M. Campbell. Robert Mitford was appointed the Deputy Postmaster-General. The G.P.O. was served by one Writer (clerk), five sorters, a head peon and ten postmen. They worked out of a building that was “at the beach in Fort St. George square.”

Madras GPO was from the  beginning a pioneer  post office in providing better facilities to the  public. The postage rates in Madras  Presidency were cheaper than at Calcutta upto 1837 when uniform postage was introduced all over India

In October 1837 the post office moved to “the old Bank” building inside the Fort, what is now the Fort Museum. And then in 1856 to Garden House, Popham's Broadway, near the Kothawal Chavadi market. Eventually, in 1884, it moved into its own building, the handsome one by Chisholm that it still occupies.

The Madras Post Office, as it was generally called, began expanding its services when it opened receiving offices (as opposed to full service offices that also delivered mail) in March 1834 at Hunter's Road in Vepery and what is now Westcott Road in Royapettah. In February 1845, four more receiving offices were opened, on Mount Road, in Triplicane, and two in Black Town (yet to become George Town). Receiving offices were added in San Thomé and in Teynampet, near St. George's Cathedral,

Madras GPO was  the  first to introduce window  delivery  of letter  on 1850 while  no such  facility was  available  at  Calcutta.  There  was  a boat  contractor  to bring  mails  from  streamer  to harbour.  No other  person  expect one postal  official  on duty  was allowed on the  boat.  The  mails were  carried  from  harbour to  G.P.O in bullock  cart  with  3 Coolies accompanied by a postal office in 1855. Not long afterwards, six more receiving offices were opened.

All this expansion warranted a large main post office for receipt of mail and distribution and the Madras Chamber of Commerce urged the Governments of India and Madras in 1868 to build a large General Post Office in a central place. Only Rs. 2,00,000 was sanctioned for this purpose by the two Governments in response to the proposal, construction of GPOs in Calcutta and Bombay being cited by the GoI for its inability to contribute more. Eventually, the present site — where the Abercrombie Battery had once been — was selected in 1873, but there was no money to proceed with the work till 1880. The Chamber then urged that both the Post and Telegraph Departments be housed in one building and that, as this would necessitate an even bigger building, the Abercrombie Battery site not be divided between the Bank of Madras and the Post Office as had been intended.

The three-storied building, 352 feet long, 162 feet broad, and with 125-foot tall towers, was inaugurated in 1884. Besides a high ceilinged central hall, the ground floor provided space for stores, kitchen, servants etc. The first floor was used for offices. And the second floor served as accommodation for officers. The Postmaster-General moved in on March 1, 1884 from space he was occupying in the Mercantile Bank building further down the road, and the Broadway staff moved in on April 26. The new building had cost Rs. 6,80,000 against an estimated Rs. 6,92,000. Those were the days when such things could happen

Department of Posts issued a commemorative postage stamp in memory of  Madras  GPO  completion of 200 years 

Issued  Date : 09 - 10 - 1986
Denomination : 500 Paise

Nalanda College 1970 India Stamp

Bihar Sharif Nalanda College was founded by Edal Singh, a landlord in Bihar. He had granted 8.7 acres of land for the college. To remember his contribution, his statue is standing in the campus. It was at first under the jurisdiction of the University of Calcutta, then it came under Bihar University, and finally under Magadh University, Bodhgaya. D. P. Singh was appointed principal of the college. After his retirement, Dr. S. N. Sinha took the charge as the principal of this college.

Nalanda College, Bihar sharif (Bihar) is the oldest college of the Magadh University. It was established a century back as the Bihar English High School. The first batch of students appeared in the year 1871 from the Calcutta University.

Thanks to the munificent donation made by the late Rai Bahadue Edal Singh, its founder, it blossomed into a full-fledged college in 1920. The donor gave away his zamindari property worth Rs. Two and a half lakhs with an annual income of Rs. 12,000 for the setting up of the college.

The institution takes its name after the famous and ancient Nalanda University. The college was inaugurated by the then Lt. Governor of Bihar on 20th July, 1920. The institution worked as a school upgraded into a school-cum-intermediate college and renamed 'Nalanda College', the inatitution was upgraded into a degree college.

It is presently a degree college affiliated to the Magadh University (Gaya) catering to both arts and science with about 2,000 students on the roll. The colege is teaching up to Honours standard in almost all subjects of arts and science. Recently, the Government of Bihar have decided to covert this college as a constituent unit of the Magadh University with effect from 1st April, 1970.

In the year 1926, the Government of Bihar, realising the importance of this institution, made this college a fully deficit-aided college and since then the Government of Bihar has been meeting the deficit of the college. The college has been able to build up a good library out of the grant given by the University Grants Commission.

It has also a fine auditorium-cum-recreation hall built under the campus project scheme of the Government of India at a cost of Rs. 1.25 lakhs. The college has two hostels in the college campus and one outside maintained by the college. Yhis institution has been rendering yeoman service to the cause of higher education in Bihar State and some of its alumni are already adorning high posts in the public life of the State.

The college has been serving all classes of people without distinction of caste or creed and has been admiting students from all corners of the State. Nalanda college is celebrated its centenary in 1970 in recognition of its 100 years of useful service to the cause of higher education.

On this memorable occasion, then Posts and Telegraphs Department has great plaesure in bringing out a special postage stamp to commemorate this event.

Issued  Date : 27.03.1970
Denomination : 25 Paise