Indian Special cover gallery: From Flu to Covid

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Indian Post issues special postal covers. These are specially designed commemorative envelopes, that are mark an occurrence, place, event or an institution. While same is true of postage stamps, there are clear differences. Postage stamps are issued nationally by the Indian Post, and there are intricate guidelines on when and how these shall be issued. On the other hand, postal covers are issued by Postal circles, sub-units of Indian Post responsible for postal administration at the state level. While Guidelines for issuance of special covers are comparatively less stringent, for a philatelist these are often more precious. This is because of numbers, as each stamp is issued in millions, while special covers are in thousands.

What follows is a gallery of special covers from India, starting with 2006 avian flu (or bird flu), and a windfall of covers issued by postal circles during COVID pandemic of 2020. These are presented in a chronological order to weave a story. Front of a special cover has an illustration, with a special cancellation on the day of issue. Back of a special cover has a write-up, that explains the context. So here we go!