Malaysia to issue 2nd series of stamps on traditional dances

Malaysia will issue its second series of unique-sized stamps on traditional dances representing the culturally diverse races in the country, including the oldest surviving Indian dance form Odissi.
Malaysian postal delivery service Pos Malaysia said the 'Traditional Dances Series 2' will feature movements from the cempaka sari, ribbon dance, odissi, magunatip and rajang be'uh.
Odissi is one of the eight classical dance forms of India, originating from Odisha. It is the oldest surviving Indian dance form on the basis of archaeological evidences.
The hand-painted designs are featured in an elongated portrait rectangle measuring 25x60mm, The Malaysian Star reported today.
The stamp size is a first for Pos Malaysia, said Pos Niaga stamp and philately unit head Diyana Lean Abdullah ahead of the launch tomorrow.

Numbering at 200,000 pieces for each dance style, the unique size had required its printer to make special adjustments during the perforation process. They had to be manually inserted at a rate of five stamp sheets, at a time, the report said.

The unusual design also sees the borders taking a side placing on the stamp sheets instead of the normal top, bottom or middle positions.
Light blue splashes in the background of the stamps, and first day covers, make a unique point in this series.
When combining the first day cover and all five style of dances and a blue ribbon running across in a continuous line can be seen.

The issuance of the second series is the continuance of the 'Traditional Dance Series' first issued in 2005. It is part of Malaysia's efforts in introducing the country's traditional dances to the younger generations.
In the multi-ethnic Malaysia, there are more than 2.4 million people of Indian origin, constituting nearly 10 per cent of the country's population.