Love of a Lady

Lady in thinking mode

Past:

A few years back, I was posted at Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, East Africa on an international assignment. There were several constraints to move my family abroad along with me; for example - education of kids, medical requirements of certain family member, four legged members etc. So, my wife stayed back in India to hold the fort with two adolescent sons and others.  I picked up my bag and baggage from India and left for a far-away continent. This type of re-locations, in a professional life, is considered more of a norm than necessity. Because of certain family commitments one has to move alone.

A beach of Indian Ocean in Tanzania

Though we stayed at distant countries, due to advancement of technology, it was easy to remain in touch with each other, from the other side of the globe. Phone calls through ISD were the last option. On real time basis we were in touch with each other through email, Whatsapp messages and calling. Skype sessions were held at night and for longer duration on weekends. So, distance was not an issue to maintain constant connectivity in any part of the day, even though there was a time zone difference of two and half hours. Since on the globe, India is positioned eastwards compared to Africa, Indian time zone was in advance setting. New Delhi was two and half hours ahead of Tanzania. But that was no hindrance in communicating during any part of the day and night.

One day while talking to my wife, she conveyed

- “A lady has come”.

- “Fine” was my simple answer over phone presuming that there might be some neighbor or some guest who might have dropped in for some chit-chat.

- “She is beautiful and nice”.

I preferred to remain quiet and refrain from making any remark about any beautiful lady.

Not getting my response over phone across Indian Ocean, she again told me

- “A beautiful lady has come to our house”.

This time I had to react. I, being cautious not to show any interest about that fine looking woman (whosoever she was) I replied over mobile phone

- “Well. Is she visiting from our locality”?

There was a little pause over phone, from her side. After a while, she responded

- “Yes, she is from our close by area”.

My sixth sense cautioned me not to exhibit any interest about any hitherto unknown lady, that too, to my wife. So I simply said “Ok”.

This time she dropped the bomb.

- “Lady is going to stay with us”.

Before I could react, she hung up the phone!

That was the end of the conversation at that point of time. I was puzzled.

My brain got occupied in connecting the dots.

“A lady has come to our house.

She is beautiful.

She is from vicinity.

She is going to live in our house”.

It was a puzzle without any clue to solve it.

During the course of the day, I remained busy with my official work. However, that mysterious lady kept on peeping into my thoughts from time to time. Though I tried to concentrate in my work and divert my mind from the subject, I could not. I wondered who that lady could be from our neighborhood. Why she has visited us? What prompted her to stay with us?

The curtain over my curiosity was raised at night when we sat for a Skype session. Unfortunately, on that particular night signal of internet was weak. So, in the Skype session we could only talk and video chat was not possible.

I asked - “Who is that lady”?

She chuckled over phone and put a counter question - “So you are interested to know about the lady”?

- “Of course I want to know as you have not told the full story”.

There was some restlessness in my own voice which I also realized.

She told the story in brief which was even more perplexing.

‘The other day, at night someone had called up us. He intimated that she was loitering on a busy road junction. It alerted us. Our sons drove away immediately at the given coordinates of the location. It was found that she was recklessly and aimlessly running on the road of heavy traffic. With zooming past high speed vehicles, she was risking her life. It was indeed a scary situation.

With great difficulty and lot of persuasion, our sons were able to get her boarded into our car. Subsequently, she came to our house.’

This much of story was fair enough to puzzle me. Though, since beginning, I was suspecting something fishy in the story, I was wondering who could be the lady.

Why she was running helter-skelter at night on a busy road?

Once she has come to our house, how long she would stay?

Where would the lady go from our house?

Won’t the members of her family come searching for her?

There was lot many questions and very little answers from my wife. She laughed and enjoyed my predicament.

She evaded my direct questions with mischievous giggles and relished my helplessness. At the end of the Skype session, which was interrupted several times due to poor internet connectivity, she assured me

- “Hakuna Matata. I am here to take care of her”.

Because I have picked up little bit of local Kiswahili (the national language of Tanzania)

Dialect, I would often use the term ‘Hakuna Matata’ which means ‘No worries’ during our telephonic talks. She returned my words to me.

In the subsequent night, we joined again on a Skype session. Internet was working fine and the signal was strong. We switched over to video session.

There I asked my wife, “What is today’s update on the mysterious lady?”

She asked, “Would you like to meet her? Or at least want to say hello to her?”

- “Certainly.”

I was not prepared for what was next beamed within a few minutes when she tilted the camera of her laptop.

Lo and behold.

I saw the image of a white German Spitz on my computer screen!

“She is Lady” the voice of my wife announced from the speaker of my laptop.

The whole story was repeated, this time without any gap or dot, by my wife.

-‘One late evening, while we were getting ready for dinner, someone called up. The caller informed that one white Spitz was found at the crossing of roads near our locality. It appeared to be a lost child. He also gave us the precise position of the traffic junction.

Our sons rushed immediately in our car to the spot. Though it was dark at night, through the street light, the white Spitz was located.  It had a rope tied around its neck and was found almost at the middle of the busy road. It was tricky to catch the dog as it was running on the road oblivious of the high speed traffic. Somehow with great difficulty, they were able to catch hold of the rope and ultimately dragged her inside the car.

On her arrival, we checked her, wherein it appeared that she either might have been thrown on the street or might have run away from the house of a careless owner.

However, since she has landed at our home, she would stay with us for the time being. Our sons have christened her as Lady’.

One of the early shots at home

 

 That was my virtual introduction with Lady through a Skype session.

My face to face meet with Lady occurred when I returned home on completion of my assignment in Africa.

Ah! That was an encounter of some sort.

She barked, howled and threatened me as if I was a trespasser in the house. She never liked my entry in my own house. She considered me as an intruder.

That was indeed a difficult time for me to live with Lady under the same roof. We decided that Lady and I would live in separate rooms. Our movements, inside the house were strategically chalked out so that we do not cross the path of each other, literally. When Lady sat and watched TV in the drawing room I remained confined in the bedroom. On the other hand, she would be kept locked in one of the rooms while I could relax in the sofa of living area.

Though her movement was free, without leash, inside the house, she would be put under leash whenever she and I happened to be face to face. On seeing me, she would turn ferocious and had to be leashed. She did not accept me as a member of this house. So, she would always try to ‘protect’ her home from an invader like me.

Months passed by and Lady settled herself well in our house. With lots of apprehension, I started taking her out for morning and evening walks. Though she didn’t like me, she began enjoying those strolls on the road and nearby park. Sometime we would go for a joy ride in the car which was enjoyed by her very much. A sort of understanding began to develop between us. Still it was far from any sort of bonding. However, it could be termed as ‘hate and love’ kind of situation. With passage of time her aggression against me began to mellow down.

Present:

Lady in winter

Today, at our home, she is neither in need of any collar nor any leash. She roams freely and has become friendly with our other four-legged furry children. Among all of them, she is most protective about her home. Visitors, ranging from vendor to delivery boy, from milkman to maid etc. are scared about her. She scares away anyone who dares to press the doorbell.

In the Hamam (Bath)

With passing of time, somehow a relationship developed between me and Lady. ‘Inseparable’ word does not apply to our relation but we miss each other when I go out of station for an official trip.

Upon return from a tour, as soon as I enter home, she will come running and wagging her tail vigorously. She will circle me, kiss me and what not. She will sniff me from head to toe, sniff my suitcase and my laptop bag etc. Once done with her inspections, with excitement she will sit by my side on the sofa as if asking for my travel details.

At home, when I work on my laptop at the table, she will be relaxing on the floor somewhere close by. When I sit for dinner, she will be there beneath the dining table. But the most interesting part is our sleep time. 

Center of the bed postion

In spite of adequate space available on the bed, invariably she will be positioning herself on the bed in such a fashion that I won’t be able to stretch my legs. She will alter her sleep position as per her choice, but I shall have to be restricted within limited boundaries.

The Sleeping Beauty err Sleeping Lady

To cut a long story short, today Lady is my lady love.

 

Postscript:

8^th Aug 2018: (08.08.2018 - Nane Nane: Stands "eight and eight" in Swahili)

We took Lady to a vet for consultation. The doctor asked the usual question, before writing the diagnosis and prescription

- ‘What’s her name?’

In response, I took out the copy of latest issue of Buddy Life magazine (July-Sept’2018) from the rack, situated behind the table.

Cover page of the magazine

I opened the concerned page and showed her the photograph of sleeping beauty Lady.

Page 1 of 3

The amused vet smiled and quipped

- ‘Oh! She is a celebrity.’

 

Page 2 of 3

Page 3 of 3

                                                       ***********************

Animals in Petroleum Stamps

Rhino in a Refinery stamp 

“Dig boy,dig.”

“Dig boy,dig.”

Yelled W L Lake, the engineer of The Assam Railways and Trading Company Limited (AR & Co) at the working labours.

Legend dates back sometime in 1889, when the first oil well of India (under British rule) was being dug, Lake had shouted to expedite the work. He was in the quest of petroleum while working for railway construction work in Assam, India. The place later became the maternity block for Indian Petroleum industry and was named ‘Digboy’. Thereafter the location was referred as Digboy in all references and reports. Only in 1910 onward, the name changed from Digboy to Digboi.

Welcome sign at Digboi refinery with Rhino logo

Lake worked with minimum resources but with unlimited enthusiasms. One of the resources, at his disposal, for mobility of men and machines, was trained elephants. There are other variation of the story also about the origin of name  ‘Digboy’. Some said that it happened one day when after survey work a team returned to the camp. It was noticed that the legs of the elephant, which was part and parcel of the team, were smeared with crude oil. The team traced back to the location and digging started. Whatever may be the truth behind the story, it was a fact that elephants were very essential in the early oil exploration work in the inhospitable northeastern part of India, bordering Burma (now Myanmar). There were herds of wild elephants too which would invade the camps at times. Besides, life was difficult due to presence of various kinds of snakes - venomous as well as non-venomous, many wild animals, deadly mosquitoes (causing Kalajar and Malaria etc.) and millions of bloodsucking leeches.

Flashback: An elephant performing a job

The story of early history of petroleum in India would be incomplete without reference to the pachyderms. Considering the contributions made by the elephants, they have been portrayed in Indian postage stamps of petroleum, with due respect. On 29 Dec 1989, India Post had issued a postage stamp on ‘Centenary of Indian Oil Production’. 

Elephant on a stamp

Since it was a stamp related to petroleum, an oil derrick has been depicted right in the center of the stamp. However, in order to express gratitude to the services rendered by the pachyderms, an elephant was featured in the front of the oil rig. The trees denoted dense forest that once existed in that  remote areas. It will not be out of point to mention that in 1888 when AR & T Co had applied to the Chief Commissioner for a license for oil exploration work in Digboi, the response was ‘a proposal that involves the destruction of so much timber of a reserve forest area cannot be lightly entertained’.  

Mother & calf duo on call of duty: Note the oil smeared trunk

Before we move to international arena, let us visit another postage stamp of India on petroleum. On 01 Jan 1962, the first public sector oil refinery of independent India at Guwahati, Assam was dedicated to the nation by Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Premier of independent India. The refinery was constructed with Romanian collaboration. It was spelled as ‘Gauhati’ at that point of time. A postage stamp was issued by India Post (the then Post and Telegraph Department) in that occasion. In the top right corner of the petroleum stamp there was a picture of an one horned rhinoceros. Rhino is the state animal of Assam. 

Refinery with a Rhino

The creature was declared under Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and was classified as Vulnerable by IUCN. But it was ‘honoured’ much before through stamps in 1962 along with petroleum refinery. However, a single stamp dedicated to the Rhino was issued in the same year on 01 Oct but that’s a different story on “Wildlife Week’.

Petroleum stamps are prized possessions of the petroleum philatelists across the globe, irrespective of geographical boundaries. All paraphernalia of petroleum industry, ranging from prospecting, exploration, production, drilling rigs (onshore and offshore), refining, storage, transportation (road, rail-cars, tankers etc.), marketing, oil terminals with storage tanks, tank farms and pipelines, etc., have been depicted in various forms in stamps by different countries. Petroleum producing countries have hundreds of stamps on petroleum. Also the countries which do not produce much of oil and gas and depend largely on import from oil producing countries, have also issued a few stamps on petroleum. India depends nearly 83% on import of petroleum, for meeting its insatiable energy demand! Yet India has issued a few postage stamps on petroleum, ranging from exploration to production to refining etc.

Though petroleum is a highly technical and commercial subject from philately point of view, animals have quietly sneaked their ways in petroleum stamps. It is interesting to note that in the petroleum philatelic materials, several animals or creatures have appeared. The range is mind-boggling starting from lamb to dog to horse to lion to elephant and many.

“Mary had a little lamb

little lamb, little lamb”

Lambs and derricks

The evergreen nursery rhyme is perfect for pre-school students. But when herd of lambs enters in petroleum stamps, question arises whether it was out of context? A big herd of lamb was found at the forefront of drilling rigs in a stamp of Argentina. A wonderful combination of beauty of nature and petroleum.

Shell Philippines has a grazing buffalo in front of its refinery, from a 1960 picture. It appears that herbivores have no problem in posing for petroleum related philatelic canvases.

Locate a Buffalo!

Transportation of finished products from the refineries to the consumers is a supply chain challenge today. So it was yesterday. Use of beasts of burden like bullocks, horses etc was one of the solutions of oil logistics which even  existing today in some parts of the world. The horse pulled carts were an integral part of oil business. The stamp of Argentina ‘The 100th anniversary of the discovery of oil and gas in Argentina’ (24 Nov 2007) showcases horse pulled carts employed in petroleum industry.

Horse in front of a derrick

Horses can not fly but horses of oil industry have that 'horse power' to spread wings. We are talking about the logo of Mobil Oil. According to Greek mythology, Pegasus is a mythical horse with wings. A vibrant red Pegasus appeared in the logo of Mobil Oil in 1932 and continued till 1964. After that Pegasus flew out of radar.

The flying horse

Pegasus is one of a few animals, real or imaginary which are part of petroleum industry. There may or may not be any postage stamp to commemorate Pegasus of Mobil Oil, but their use in postal system as various stationary items are of philatelic importance.

Obsolete logo with Sea Horses

From flying horses to Sea Horses, oil philately has all. Pertamina is a  state owned oil and natural gas company of Indonesia. It was formed in 20 Aug 1968 by amalgamation of PN Pertamin (founded in 1961) and PT Permina (founded on 10 Dec 1957). Its old logo had a pair of Sea horses from 1961-1968 and with colour variation from 1968-2005. Pertamina on 10 Dec 2005, replaced its old logo of pair of sea horses with the current one having an arrow shape with the 3 basic colors of green, blue and red. 

From Butterflies to Birds to Sea Horses

This stamp of Indonesia (1997) looks like an excellent painting by an artist. At the backdrop of mountain and clouds, there are flocks of birds flying over refinery complex. Fluttering butterflies over beautiful red flowers in the forefront can not be ignored. Pair of Pertamina sea horses are additional beautification, supporting aquatic life.

A lone butterfly was found to be hovering overhead of the working personnel at the backdrop of drilling rig in this stamp of Suriname. The designer of the stamp might have combined technological advancement with environment!

Proportionately large butterfly

The First Day Cover of Bangladesh on '5 Years of Peace and Development' has dove of peace flying over an oil rig. 

A Dove of peace over an offshore rig

The snake and raptor dual behind the drilling rig of a Mexico stamp brings raptors in the petroleum scene.

A Snake and a Raptor

Sea Gulls forms a perfect constituent for the deep water drilling rig stamps of the world. 

Flying Sea Gulls

Petro-Canada has depicted Sea Gulls over deep water drilling rigs and so was Azerbaijan. 

Sea Gulls over offshore drilling rig

UAE has used both of Sea Gulls and Dolphins in their deep water petroleum exploration stamps. A souvenir sheet of UAE on 'The 50th Anniversary of the First Shipment of Oil' has sea gulls and a pair of diving dolphins, depicted in two different stamps.

Sea Gulls and pair of diving Dolphins

If animal world is there in petroleum stamps, can the King of jungle be far away? Lion and Sun motif was the emblem of Persia (1423 - 1907) which was based on astronomical as well as astrological configurations. In this stamp of Iran (former Persia), majestic Lion was found in a triangle in front of a torch.

The Jungle King

When we drill for oil in the desert region, how the ship of desert can be left behind?

Camels with oil derrick

A pair of camels, with their riders forms the foreground for this 'Hassi-Messaoud' oil field stamp of Algeria.

Dog is a man's best friend. This four legged creature has been associated with human since time immemorial. However, oil businessmen are familiar with a six legged dog which is the logo of the Italian Oil Company - ENI. Believe it or not, it was born out of logo design competition. Enrico Mattei, the founder of Eni created an 'open to all' logo design competition in 1952 for his company. The prize was whopping 10 million Lira (approx Euro 160,000). As the award was highly attractive, so was the level of competition. There were more than 4000 entries and after a series of 14 sitting of the juries, Luigi Broggini was declared winner in Sept 1952. His six legged dog was selected by the judges as the logo of Eni.

The six legged dog of Eni

There was a twist about the winner.

Broggini had entered the competition under an assumed name Giuseppe Guzzi. The renowned Italian sculptor was living in exile in Paris and Switzerland during Fascist rule. He was not willing to participate in commercial art activities. The six legged dog, since ‘adopted’, has not changed over seventy years barring little standardization in colour, background etc.

According one of the believes, million of years ago gigantic animals and plants were buried under the crust of Earth. Over long period of time, due to extreme pressure and temperature these bio-masses have converted into crude petroleum oil. The name of Dinosaur comes first when we talk about prehistoric large animals on this mother earth. Dinosaurs, though extinct today, is a part of logo of Sinclair Oil Corporation. The Dinosaur in green colour is probably the world's most affectionately hugged and kissed logo by the customers, particularly by the children. Stationaries of Sinclair Oil Corporation having green Dinosaur on them used by post are petroleum philately items.

Dinosaur as oil company logo popular among children

Shell is using shell as its logo. Though it is not an animal yet the inspiration has been drawn from living creature. Initially it was a black and white picture of a shell. In 1948, it added iconic red and yellow colours. The name 'SHELL' was also added.

Sea shell of 'Shell'

These are only a few examples. There are many more petroleum stamps where side by side of technical aspects of petroleum industry, several creatures have been featured. A very interesting combination of technology and environment, amuses a petroleum philatelist.

************

The story has been published in popular philatelic e-magazine ‘Ananthapuri Stamp Bulletin’ (Feb 2021 issue). Scans of relevant pages are given below.

Cover page of the e-magazine

Page 1 of 3

Page 2 of 3

Page 3 of 3

Disclaimer:

The information provided in the article is for general informational purposes only. All information is provided in good faith. This is only for the sharing of knowledge of Philately with philatelist fraternity. No commercial angle, whatsoever, is involved. Under no circumstances I shall have any liability for reliance on any information provided in the story.

 

*****************