Dipa Karmakar, India’s first Olympian gymnast,honoured with Special postage stamp

Dipa Karmakar, India’s first Olympian gymnast,honoured with Special postage stamp





Dipa Karmakar, India’s first Olympian gymnast,would now be seen on postal stamp. The Department of Post, on Saturday, unveiled a special cover on Karmakar at a two-day long district-level philatelic exhibition organised in Agartala.

Karmakar and her coach Bishweshwar Nandi were present at the event. Karmakar expressed her gratitude to the Department of Post for releasing the special issue on her. “I express my gratitude to the postal department for choosing me for their special issue. I also express my heartiest regard to my coach and people of Tripura for supporting me in my journey. I will try my best to meet up people’s expectation in future,” she said.

Sri Vasumitra, CPMG of NE circle, Shillong and chief guest of the inaugural programme, said the department has chosen Karmakar for their special cover so that people are inspired by her Rio Olympics feat, where she had finished fourth.

“Stamp collection is one of the ancient hobbies which everybody possesses in any phase of life. We have chosen Dipa in our special cover so that children willing to become sportsperson get inspiration from her,” he said.

She had also scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman gymnast to bag a bronze at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

So far, the Department of Post has released 19 special issues related to Tripura. In 1972, it had released a special cover on a Tripura-based volley ball player. Karmakar was the second sportsperson to get a place in the Indian postal stamp, said Krishnanarayan Kundu, a veteran stamp collector.