Romfilatelia introduces into circulation, on Tuesday, September 17th, this year, the joint stamp issue Romania-India, having the topic Folk costumes. The issue includes two postage stamps and a First Day Cover showing folk costumes belonging to well-known traditional wear from Romania and India.
The postage stamps issue is registered as a remarkable cultural event meant to mark the anniversary of 75 years of Romanian-Indian diplomatic relations.
Diplomatic relations experienced a visible dynamic, starting with 2013, when the Joint Declaration regarding the Extended Partnership between Romania and India was signed, in New Delhi. The meetings at governmental level, organized especially after the first mutual visits in 2018, led to the development of the Romanian-Indian collaboration in important fields such as: economy, trade, agriculture, petrochemical industry, culture, science and technology, higher education and research, tourism, etc. India currently ranks second in Romania’s trade exchange with the Asian area.
In the field of cultural cooperation, it is worth noting the Romanian Language, Culture and Civilization Lectureship at the University of Delhi, reopened in 2023, the Hindi Language Department at the University of Bucharest and the Cluj Centre for Indian Studies at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, starting with December 2024.
The postage stamp with the face value of Lei 4 shows a traditional ensemble of Indian costumes. The women’s costume Lehenga Choli stands out: a skirt and blouse that represents a ceremonial costume. To the long, pleated, usually embroidered skirt is added a blouse cut to fit the body and an element representing a fabric (odhani), richly decorated with floral elements, which amplifies the elegance of the costume.
The men’s costume consists of the dhoti (similar to trousers) and the kurta, a loose, collarless shirt traditionally made of cotton or silk. It should be noted that the dhoti is fashioned out of unstitched cloth, with a length of around 4.5 meters, wrapped around the waist and the legs and knotted either in the front or the back.
The postage stamp with the face value of Lei 6 reproduces the image of a set of costumes from Bihor, which includes, for the women’s costume, the shirt (spătoi) and the skirts (poale) pleated on the waistband, with several frills. The long cashmere kerchief (basma) and then the suman (long wool coat) complete the costume. The men’s costume, with a short shirt, wide trousers and a cloth apron (zadia), also includes the astrakhan hat and long boots.
Romfilatelia thanks the representatives of the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications, within the Government of India, the Embassy of India in Bucharest and our institutional partner Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum, for the collaboration granted in the development of this issue of postage stamps.
