The National Flag of Bangladesh

26^th  March, Independence Day (Shadhinata Dibôsh) of Bangladesh. The day commemorates the country's declaration of independence from Pakistan on late hours of 25 March 1971. The day is a memorial to the deaths of thousands of civilians who died for their own Mother Language in erstwhile East Pakistan.

  Issue Date: 29-07-1971

Designer: Biman Mallik

Printer: Format International Printing Press, U.K. 

 The  flag of Bangladesh  used during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.

The map was later deleted in 1972 from the flag. The Red disc represents the sun rising over the Golden Bengal (Soner Bangla), recalls the blood of those who died for the independence of Bangladesh. The Green field may have been inspired by its association with Islam but in the flag the colour stands for the lushness of the land of Bangladesh.  The flag is said to have been designed by Serajul Ilam, whose name means “Light of the Flag”.

Indian stamp issued on 10 April 1973, in commemoration of the inauguration of the first Parliament on 26-3-1971, which gave itself a constitution on 16 December 1972. The stamp shows its National Flag with the Shapla - the National Flower of Bangladesh.

  Bangladesh in United Nations

Bangladesh joined the UN in 1974

 

  

  Freedom is heralded by hoisting of a new national flag. Inclusion of that flag in front of the UN building in New York is the symbolic equivalent of being recognized as a real country.  (The Indian National Flag unfurled through Philately (Niyogi Books, p.107).

Bangladesh National Day and Anniversary of Independence 

      

 

 

 

Flags, Dove and Cross Culture Unity

Flags, Dove and Cross Culture Unity

While going through my Flag Stamp collections, I found there are a number of Flag stamps which besides other symbols conspicuously have Dove - the International Symbol of Peace.  As you know, the terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat as synonyms. In ornithological parlance, there is a tendency for "dove" to be used for smaller species and "pigeon" for larger ones, but this is in no way always applied.  This bird family occurs worldwide and the whole world is their home.                                

Interestingly, most of the ‘Flag and Dove stamp' have more than one flag and  have been issued to commemorate various  International Peace Movements, Signing of Treaty,  expressing solidarity with other nations on matter of common interests/causes – political, social and/or cultural, and many other myriad subjects.

Amongst many Peace Symbols used in various cultures and contexts, one of the most ancient being Dove. The symbols of the Dove and Olive branch as Peace Symbol was used by early Christians and was later adopted as a secular symbol.
  Wall painting from the early Christian Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter in Rome, showing Noah, in the Orante attitude of prayer, the dove and an olive branch.(Wikipedia) .

Interestingly, the dove was a symbol of peace and long life to the ancient Orientals. The ancient Egyptians held the dove to symbolize  innocence. There are a number of other references across a number of other cultures having reference

to ‘Dove’ as symbol of peace and tranquility and many of them  go further back than the use by the Western civilizations.

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) – Dove of Peace (A magnet collected from The Peace Palace (Vredespaleis), The Hague, the Netherlands).

 In the modern days It was popularized by Pablo Picasso in 1949 and became widely used in the post-World War II peace movements.

South Korea is the first foreign country to bring out stamps depicting the Indian National Flag. India sent an Army Medical Mission for the “UN Peace Keeping Force" in the Korean War in 1951.

 First anniversary of the “Six Nation Delhi Initiative for Peace and Disarmament – 1985”. 

 Unfortunately, at least three National Flags ; India, Tanzania and Mexico, have been shown “Up-side down” in this Greek Stamp issued on 28 May 1989, in commemoration of the fourth anniversary of the “Six Nation Delhi Initiative for Peace and Disarmament – 1985”. 

 

 50^th Anniversary of the United Nations Organisation 1945- 1995

 In some stamps the National Flags appear in the form of ‘Doves’

 Few more interesting Flag-Dove stamps