Stamp it

India Post has a long and colourful history. Here is a glimpse of the story behind the logo.

July 08, 2013 06:29 pm | Updated 06:29 pm IST

Postmen: Off with their satchels of mail. Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Postmen: Off with their satchels of mail. Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Have you ever been to a post office? If you haven’t then you missed watching the functioning of receiving and despatching of mail from different parts of the world to people’s homes.

century, to the Butcher’s Post. At that time butchers used to carry mails during their travel to market and cattle fairs. Once they reached their destination they would blow their horn to announce the arrival of mail. The horn thus became synonymous with the postal department. It was known as the Post Horn.

In 1914, the Postal Department merged with the Telegraph Office and the department came to be known as Indian Post and Telegraph Department.

The logo was accordingly modified with an addition of two telegraph lines on both sides of the Post Horn. In 1959, the motto of the department “Service before self”( Aharshana Seva Mahe ) was on the top of the logo and in between these the charka was featured.

In two

In 1985 the Postal Department bifurcated the Post and Telegraph Department. Though the logo carried the post horn and the telegraph line was continued the Department of Posts modified and developed its own logo which was launched on World Post Day on October 9, 1993. It represents dynamism and action.

The corporate logo was introduced to identify the Indian Post Office and its relevant functions.

The streamlined graphic depicting double wings representing dynamism and action is characteristic of the postal department.

In 2008, another logo was unveiled. This was a rectangle, resembling an envelope, in deep red with the image of birds’ wings in yellow. Red symbolises the traditional association with the post office, along with passion, power and commitment. Yellow, on the other hand is symbolic of hope, joy and happiness.

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