West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose will inaugurate the grand celebrations of the 250 years of the General Post Office (GPO) in Kolkata tomorrow.

A special philatelic cover on 250 years of Kolkata GPO, will be released by the Governor in commemoration of the landmark 250th anniversary of Kolkata GPO. An exhibition of Journey of Mails will also be inaugurated by the Governor on the Rotunda of the GPO.

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The inaugural ceremony will be followed by an anniversary concert at the south verandah by a renowned Kolkata based orchestra. From 15-19 March the celebrations will take place.

A special cover on Grand Clock of Kolkata GPO will be released by Mamata Shankar, eminent dancer. On Friday, there will be an inauguration in a moving tram from Esplanade to Gariahat at Esplanade Tram Depot.

The other guests include eminent archer Bombayla Debi Laishram, Gurbux Singh, hockey player, Subrsata Bhattacharya, footballer, Bula Chowdury, swimmer, Sanjiv Chakraborty, swimmer, Shirsendu Mukhopadhyay, author, Simita Kumar, director General of Postal Services etc.

Picture postcards of Bongo Tori (boats of Bengal), special philatelic cover – post box through the ages will be inaugurated.

On 17 March, a heritage walk will take place and a picture postcard of heritage building of Kolkata GPO will be released. A special philatelic cover on lantern, badges and spears of runners will also be released.

“The exhibition at the GPO and other events are expected to showcase the vital role played by the postal service in the last two-and-half centuries. The celebration highlights the deep connection of the post office with the lives of people,” said Tushar Chowdhury, ADPS (building and philately) of West Bengal Postal Circle.

Chief post master general of West Bengal Neeraj Kumar, Chief Post Master General of Kolkata, Sanjeev Ranjan, Director of Kolkata GPO, Hammad Zafar etc will be present on the occasion.

On 31 March, 1774, the GPO at Calcutta was established by the then Governor General of Bengal, Lord Warren Hastings at Fort William. The old GPO was relocated several times to various locations during the years 1774 to 1868 till the construction of the present GPO building, which was opened to the public on 2 October, 1868.

“This is a momentous occasion for all of us and we would like to celebrate it in a manner that benefits its significance. A week-long celebration will commence from 14 March to 19 March 2024,” concludes Neeraj Kumar, CPMG of West Bengal Postal Circle.