u/Calm_Channel_4431

I have 8 Somnath Temple FDC's to exchange. If you have a FDC you want to swap, comment and we will see if we can swap or not.

- I have one of each.

- Will be shipped in an envelope.

- Only for India 🇮🇳 (as my international envelopes are getting lost, will not take the risk)

Chapter 3: How to Order a PPC

Now for the most important part of this blog-the reason you came here to read-how do you get a PPC?

There are many ways to do it. Let's explore them one by one.

A) By Going There

This is the simplest thing to do. Want Jagannath Puri on your cancellation? Just go to Puri, Odisha, where the Head Post Office offers it. Want Goddess Durga on your cancellation? Just visit Kolkata's General Post Office. This way, you create a beautiful memory and build your travel album side by side!

B) By Mailing Them

Suppose you can't go there yourself. There could be many reasons for that. But can we still get the PPCs? Oh yes, we can. One way to get a PPC without physically visiting the post office is to mail the postmaster of that specific branch. The postmaster is an indelible part of a post office; he is the manager and essentially the supreme authority of that office.

Let's take Bhalu Bhaiya as an example:

Bhalu Bhaiya wanted a PPC of the Baidyanath Temple. However, Bhalu Bhaiya can't travel to Deoghar, Jharkhand (where the temple and the post office are situated). Bhalu Bhaiya sad. Bhalu Bhaiya wanted it somehow. So, I told Bhalu Bhaiya to write a post to the postmaster requesting the PPC.

Bhalu Bhaiya was surprised. He asked me, "How do it, hooman?"(Let's just ignore his English for now.)

So, I explained:

Take an envelope, write your return address on the left-hand side, and then write the address of the target post office on the right-hand side. In this case, Bhalu Bhaiya needs the Deoghar HO (Head Post Office) address. We search Google for the address of the Deoghar HO and

write:

To,

The Head Postmaster,

Singho, Near Butangi More,

Near Butangi, Madhupur,

Deoghar, Jharkhand

814112

I wrote this address on the right-hand side for Bhalu Bhaiya, as he doesn't know how to write in English (as shown in the carousel/pictures above). Then, I took 5 yellow postcards (these are 50-paisa postcards, available at any post office) and inserted them into this main envelope.

Next, I took a piece of paper and wrote a whole-ass letter to the postmaster on behalf of Bhalu Bhaiya, explaining exactly what he needs. Here is what I wrote in that letter:

To,

The Head Postmaster,

Deoghar HO.

Salutations,

I am Bhalu Bhaiya, a philately-enthusiastic bear from Bihar. I love PPCs and the Baidyanath Temple. However, due to budget constraints, I cannot travel to Deoghar to get this famous PPC on my own.

Hence, I politely request you to please stamp the 5 yellow postcards enclosed in this envelope with the Baidyanath Dham PPC (Permanent Pictorial Cancellation).

To state it clearly: 5x Baidyanath Dham PPC

I sincerely hope you will be able to do this for me. I have also enclosed a fresh, self-addressed envelope with the appropriate postage affixed. After cancelling the postcards, please insert them into this fresh envelope and send them back to me via ordinary post.

Thank you for your selfless service and devotion to the country and its people.

Warmest Regards,

Bhalu Bhaiya

Now, we have to prepare a return envelope.

What is a return envelope? Well, when you send the main envelope containing your yellow postcards and letter, you also need to provide an envelope so they can mail the items back to you. Let's understand this from the point of view (POV) of the Head Postmaster at Deoghar HO:

You just had a cup of tea after lunch. You are full, a bit sleepy, and have a lot of work to do. Suddenly, a postman hands you a letter, saying you are the recipient. You open it and read. First, you are shocked by this creative, "hooman-ahh" bear. But, you decide to fulfill his request.

You get the cards stamped with the cool Baidyanath Dham PPC. Now, a problem arises: you don't want to find a fresh envelope, write your post office address as 'FROM', write Bhalu Bhaiya's address in the 'TO' section, affix stamps, and then post it. That is way too much work! And you can't reuse the main envelope Bhalu Bhaiya used to send the items.

But then, you read the latter part of the letter. It mentions that there is already a fresh envelope folded inside the main one. Your sleepy self missed it completely!

You check the main envelope again and see that, indeed, there is a fresh envelope neatly folded inside with the correct address already written. You appreciate Bhalu Bhaiya for his brains, slide the cancelled postcards inside, and send it out directly. It hardly took 10 minutes! You take great pride in doing the right thing and move on with your day.

You see, including an inside envelope is crucial because the postal staff simply doesn't have the time to do all that extra work. Hence, we make it easy for them by providing an envelope with the addresses swapped.

So, on the main envelope(which carries the postcards, letter, and internal envelope), we write:

From: Bhalu Bhaiya (Address, City, State)

To: Head Postmaster, Deoghar HO...

But on the return envelope (folded inside), we write:

From:Head Postmaster, Deoghar HO...

To: Bhalu Bhaiya (Address, City, State)

This is because once the main envelope is opened, its life whole purpose is complete; it can be thrown away, and the internal envelope takes over. It already has the correct address format and ₹15 worth of postage stamps affixed to it. The postmaster just has to slide the cards in, tape it up, and post it. No extra effort required.

Bhalu Bhaiya waits and waits. After 12 days, the postmaster arrives at his house and hands him his beloved Baidyanath Dham PPC. Very cool!

C) By Money Ordering the Postmaster (The Easiest Way)

In this case, let's use the example of the Kolkata GPO. Bhalu Bhaiya wants all 9 PPCs from Kolkata's General Post Office, but he needs a simpler way to get them.

For this method, we have to install an app from the Play Store called "Dak Sewa" (don't worry, it's India Post's official app and is completely safe; we vouch for it).

After installing it, create your account. In the bottom bar, you will find an icon named "Services" (as shown in the carousel). Click on that, and you will find eMO (Electronic Money Order).

What is a money order?

Before UPI existed, a money order was the standard way to transfer money. Let's say I had to send you ₹1,000 in the 1980s. I would first pay the post office ₹1,000, plus a 5% commission charge for logistics. The next day, the post office would deliver ₹1,000 in cash directly to your doorstep (yeah, they will come to your house and delivers the money to you directly in cash).

After selecting eMO on the app, you need to input the amount and other details. The important sections here are the MO Value(how much money you want to send) and the Comment Box.

Bhalu Bhaiya thinks for a moment and asks, "How know how much money needed? Is no price chart?"

Nope, Bhalu Bhaiya, there is no official price chart for this. It's flexible, so we have to calculate it on our own. Let's do some math, shall we?

We need 9 PPCs on 9 yellow postcards. The cost of 9 yellow postcards would be ₹4.50 (since each postcard is 50 paisa, 0.50x9 = ₹4.50). Also, return shipping via Speed Post costs money. Let's estimate that the weight of the 9 yellow postcards won't be more than 20 grams, so it will cost around ₹55 for Speed Post. The actual service of stamping the PPC onto the cards is completely free.

Therefore, the base cost would be ₹55+₹4.50=₹59.50, which rounds off to ₹60. However, for safety, let's add an extra ₹15 to cover any unexpected weight or pricing updates. This brings our total to ₹75. Remember, there is a 5% fee for sending an eMO. 5% of ₹75 is roughly ₹4 (originally ₹3.75, rounded up). So, the total amount you need to pay through the app is ₹79.

In the comment box, write exactly what you need. In this case, Bhalu Bhaiya needs all 9 PPCs. Hence, I wrote:

"Salutations. I need all 9 PPCs of Kolkata's General Post Office stamped on 9 different yellow postcards and Speed Posted back to me. Please contact me if needed."

Here, "Please contact me if needed" gives them permission to call the phone number provided in the next step if they get confused. This rarely happens, but it's a great precaution to take.

On this page, you will also need to select a few other options, which I have highlighted in the carousel.

In the next step, you must input the Sender's Address (your own address).

Since you are sending a money order to the postmaster, they need your details. Remember, this address will be used to mail your postcards back to you, so be extra cautious and double-check your address and PIN code. Also, enter a mobile number that you will have active for the next few weeks.

After filling out your details, the next step is the Receiver's Address. This is highly important because we want this money order to reach the postmaster and no one else. We can write the title as "Assistant Postmaster" or "Chief Postmaster" depending on the office (in sub-offices, they are Sub-Postmasters; in branch offices, they are Branch Postmasters). If you don't want to overthink it, just write "Postmaster" in the name field and move on.

Next, we look up the address of the Kolkata GPO on Google and fill it in exactly as it appears:

Kolkata GPO,

Netaji Subhash Road, Fairley Place, B.B.D. Bagh,

Kolkata, West Bengal

7000001

Next, there will be a mandatory field for the receiver's phone number. Since Bhalu Bhaiya and I don't know the postmaster's private number; and you probably won't either, you can simply fill in your own phone number here. No issues will arise from doing this.

Once you hit continue, the service will be added to your cart. Go to your cart, check the terms/limit box, and complete the payment. That's it!

Within the next 2–3 business days, you will either receive a clarification call or a direct SMS tracking notification indicating that a parcel has been booked in your name. Congrats!

These are the primary ways to collect PPCs. Other creative methods include swapping cards with fellow collectors or asking family members to pick them up whenever they travel to a historic city.

That is all for this series. I and Bhalu Bhaiya had a lot of fun doing this series and prepping the resources. Hope so with this, you can now enter into the world of collecting PPC :D

Regards,

Rahul Sinha

Chapter 2: Types of Cancellations in India

There are currently three major types of cancellations in India:

1. Normal Cancellations: This is the standard cancellation that you usually see (Image No. 1). It simply consists of the date it was stamped and the specific post office where it was processed.

2. Special Cancellations: These are limited-time cancellations released to commemorate specific events-like Parents Day, Turtle Conservation Day, the FIFA World Cup, etc. Anything special can have a cancellation release, but it's always a limited-time thing.

3. PPC (Permanent Pictorial Cancellation): As the name suggests, this is a cancellation with a picture. It is designed based on local heritage. For example, the post office inside the Red Fort in Delhi features the Red Fort in its cancellation.

Similarly, the Thiruvananthapuram ISRO Post Office features rockets. They display the unique heritage of their particular area. Because of this, they aren't available at every post office. Think about it- is the Red Fort everywhere? No, right? It's in Delhi, so only the post office located inside the Red Fort offers that specific cancellation. Why would any other post office use it?

Continued.....

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