Patna,(BiharTimes): Philatelists of Bihar have once again demanded that the postal department should issue the stamp on Chhath festival as it has done in cases of other festivals.

Interestingly, the neighbouring country, Nepal, has issued two stamps in 2009. While one depicts devotees offering ‘arghya’ to the sun-god, the other shows different facets of worship at Janakpur in the Himalayan republic.

According to noted philatelist of Bihar, Pradip Jain, who is also the member of the Philatelic Advisory Committee, Government of India, Chhath is the most important festival of Bihar. It is also observed across the country, wherever people from Bihar are settled.

He said his organization had urged the postal department to issue stamps on Chhath. But the department did not pay attention to it. In 2007, a proposal was moved when Dayanidhi Maran was the Union minister for communications and IT while Dr Shakeel Ahmed from Bihar was the minister of state but nothing tangible came out.

He said the demand is repeated every year but it has yielded no result.

He once again urged the deputy director general of Philately division, Government of India, T S Sinha, to issue stamps and special cover on Chhath festival.

Incidentally Sinha is originally from Patna.

Like in Bihar and east UP Chhath is observed in a big way in Nepal too, especially in Janakpur, Siraha, Saptari, Parsa etc. Now it is observed in Kathmandu too.