On 12th August 2025, a special pictorial cancellation was released at Athagarh Head Post Office under Odisha Postal Circle to mark World Elephant Day.
This time, the information reached me well in advance — unlike most occasions.
Athagarh is over 40 km from Bhubaneswar, where I’m currently staying. It was a working day, but I planned to leave in the morning, book covers for myself and philatelic friends, and be back by 2 PM to start work.
In this post, I’m sharing my experience. And at the end, I’ll show you cancellations released in other circles for this occasion.
Journey to Athagarh
At around 9:15 AM, I left my room with Dr. Bibhudatta Mishra (Bibhu Sir) in his car. He picked me up near my home.
The journey took over an hour due to bad road conditions. Just a kilometre before the Head Post Office, we stopped for Dahibara — a light snack that turned out to be delicious.
We reached the post office around 10:40 AM. From outside, we could see banners and posters — clearly, something special was happening. Inside the compound, a banner announced a Mini-Stamp Exhibition.
The exhibition, organised by Mr. Nisith Ranjan Roy from Rourkela, showcased philatelic materials from different countries.
The Release Function
The function started shortly after. Dignitaries present included:
- Dr. Jangyadatta Pati, Divisional Forest Officer, Athagarh Range
- Dr. Lokanath Sahoo, Principal, Gopabandhu Science College
- Shri Sarbeswar Mishra, Retd. SSPOs
- Shri Sakil Ahmed, Philatelist
- Shri Parameswar Nayak, SPOs
Also present was Mr. Ajit Kumar Raut, philatelist and designer of the cancellation.
After the release, guests were served tiffin, tea, and bottled water.
Booking the Covers – A Slow Start
We began cancelling the covers and postal stationery. But the newly launched APT 2.0 system was painfully slow — almost 5 minutes to book a single letter. Sometimes the server crashed, forcing rebooking.
By lunchtime, booking was paused, and everyone went for food.
A Good Meal, Followed by a Bad Surprise
Bibhu Sir and I had lunch at Hotel Lipsa, a nearby place. The veg meal was excellent.
Returning after 20–30 minutes, I saw another staff member booking items. I felt relieved — finally, progress! He had booked 9 covers in that short time.
I collected them with the receipt, ready to put stickers on the back. But when I looked closely, my mood changed instantly.
All 9 covers had been cancelled with pen — badly.
The Frustration
I rushed to the staff member and asked why he had done this when the stamps were already cancelled with the pictorial postmark of the day. His casual reply?
“We do this every day.”
I explained that once the official cancellation is applied, there’s no reason to deface stamps again — not with a cachet, and certainly not with a pen.
He asked a senior, who confirmed the same practice. Out of the 10 covers I had designed and addressed to myself, 9 were ruined.
At that moment, I honestly wanted to throw them away and go back home. Two to three days of effort, gone. Hours sacrificed from work, in the scorching heat, for nothing.
Trying to Salvage the Rest
After the argument, that staff member booked a few more covers and went for lunch. I decided to wait, hoping my other covers for friends would be booked properly.
Eventually, the first booking clerk returned, along with the Senior Postmaster and other officials. I had already informed Ajit Sir about the issue when he called to check on bookings.
Bibhu Sir, who was outside, came in when I told him what happened. He escalated the matter to the Senior Postmaster and others, who also seemed upset about it.
Still, nothing could undo the damage. I had no more thematic stamps with me, so I had to let it go. But I made myself a promise — at any future event, I’ll first ensure that everyone handling the covers knows not to apply pen marks on postage stamps.
The Return
We left Athagarh around 4 PM and reached Bhubaneswar after 45–60 minutes. It was almost 5 PM. I applied for sick leave and decided to write down the day’s experience.
Other Cancellations for World Elephant Day 2025
Apart from Athagarh, special pictorial cancellations were also released at:
Bhopal GPO
All four Philatelic Bureaus of Karnataka Postal Circle
Final Thoughts
What could have been a perfect philatelic outing turned into a mix of joy and frustration. The event itself was well-organised, the release was meaningful, and the exhibition was a nice touch.
But mishandling of covers is a bitter reminder that philatelic care is as important as the event itself.
Next time, I’ll be better prepared — and I hope my experience helps fellow collectors avoid the same mistake.
