NEW DELHI: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the icon of peace, has been honoured by over 100 countries by issuing postage stamps.
India, of course, led the world in releasing postage stamp on the Mahatma. The first postage stamp on Mahatma Gandhi was planned to be released on October 2, 1947, according to the Gandhi World Foundation.
Four types of stamps were designed with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru taking keen interest on endeavour. But assassination of Gandhi on January 30, 1948, delayed the release.
Thus, the first postage stamp could be released only on August 15, 1948, a year after India attained Independence.
Ironically, the first postage stamp on the champion of Swadeshi was printed in Switzerland, said the Gandhi World Foundation.
The first nation other than India to release Mahatma Gandhi postage stamp was the US on January 26, 1961. It was followed by Congo in 1967.
During Gandhi's birth centenary in 1969, more than 40 countries released postage stamps on the same day.
However, Poland was the first country to release post card on Gandhi, according to the Gandhi World Foundation. The first country other than India to release Gandhi remembrance envelope was Romania.
In the honour of the Mahatma, the United Nations released postage on October 2, 2009.