Shankh Samant: The Gandhian who designed the Ram Mandir Stamp at the initiative of Hon'ble Prime Minister Modi

 Stamp artist Shankh Samant has designed six commemorative stamps for the inauguration of the Ram Temple in India. The stamps feature elements such as Sarayu river sand and gold foil to represent the temple's surroundings and spiritual significance. Samanta's purpose was to convey a sense of silence and infinity and preserve the majesty of the temple by excluding human images. The stamp also includes words with the recitation of a devotional hymn dedicated to Rama. Hon'ble Prime Minister Modi personally reviewed and approved the design.

New Delhi: Veteran stamp artist Shankh Samant, with over three decades of experience designing stamps for India Post, faces his most important commission ever, just four months before the inauguration of the Ram temple on January 22. Commissioned to design six commemorative postage stamps for the event, Samantke said, "This is the most important project of my career." Samant remembers the exact moment he got a call at 10 pm one evening saying "Prime Minister Modi likes the stamps and has personally approved them."

On January 18, Modi released the stamp.

The 58-year-old is known for creating stamps such as India's first fragrance stamp and the first Braille stamp and is recognized as the most prolific designer of stamps featuring Mahatma Gandhi, creating 43 stamps on Gandhi.

Samant's portfolio includes designs focused on events like Ramayana and Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary. Nominated for the Padma Shri in 2019, Samant conducts workshops to promote Gandhian philosophy in his spare time.

  A delegation including Sunil Sharma, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Communications went to Ayodhya to see the temple site and meet Champat Roy, General Secretary of Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirthkshetra Trust. Samant said, “It was the first time I was able to visualize some of the elements of the stamp in my mind when I sat in the meeting.

Reflecting on how to conceptualize an unfinished temple, Samant described the scene as a "war zone", with cranes strewn about and the floor and roof of the temple in a rudimentary state due to ongoing construction work.

The feudal lord saw carved panels and "beautiful" sandstone work lying on the ground. By interacting with the artists and staff working on the temple, Samanta could visualize what the entire temple might look like..."An artist is gifted like that, we can see what is still there."

The delegation was supposed to return three days later but Samanta extended his stay to interact with scholars, seeing it as an almost academically charged project where he had to understand the epic to display it on his stamp. Through "philosophical conversations" with scholars like Nandini Sharma, Samanth understood what would resonate with the masses. A key aspect that he aimed to display in his design was a "continuity factor", symbolizing the Sarayu River, which serves as a "timeless witness to the epic and eternally flowing".

Upon examining the stamps, one immediately notices the absence of human figures such as devotees. Samanta pondered this aspect extensively, ultimately deciding against including devotees in order to maintain a devotee's perspective and preserve the glory of the temple.