HOW THESE RARE LABELS CAME TO ME

POSTAL  ENVELOPE ,ONE ANNA,
GEORGE VTH(1911-1936),
FRONT SIDE.
(IN WHICH THE LABELS WERE FOUND)

BACK SIDE

BOYCOTT BRITISH GOODS  LABELS,
STRIP OF 4 

MY STORY OF

BRITISH BOYCOTT LABELS

DATED : SOMEWHERE AROUND THE 1920’S

PLACE: CHOR BAZAAR(A NOTORIUS  FLEA MARKET IN MUMBAI ) ON FRIDAY’S WHEN THE LOCAL SHOPS ARE CLOSED AND LOCALS PUT UP SMALL MAKE SHIFT SHOPS ON PAVEMENTS AND ON THE ROADS.

THEY SELL ALMOST EVERYTHING FROM ELECTRONICS TO MOBILES,BOOKS,CLOTHES,AND ALMOST EVERYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF IN NEW AND USED TO STOLEN ETC.

MY VISITS TO CHOR BAZAAR STARTED DURING MY COLLEGE DAYS(FIRST TIME 1988),MY FRIENDS WOULD LOOK OUT FOR SHOES,VIDEO GAMES,ETC AND I WOULD GO IN SEARCH OF COINS.

ALL THESE YEARS HAVE GOT MANY COINS,MEDALS,SMALL ANTIQUES,ETC AT GOOD BARGAINS.

BACK SIDE,
PERFORATED .

RECENTLY I STARTED COLLECTING POSTCARDS,AND BOUGHT SOME DIRT CHEAP(YOU HAVE TO BARGAIN A LOT TO GET A GOOD PRICE),SOMETIMES YOU JUST WALK AWAY AND YOU ARE CALLED BACK,AND GET THINGS AT YOUR PRICE(ON LUCKY DAYS)

BY NOW HAVE A GOOD COLLECTION OF 2000 PLUS POSTCARDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS FROM AROUND THE WORLD,ALL MORE THAN 50 YEARS OLD AND ABOVE.

YOU CAN SEE THEM ON : http://oldpicturesandpostcards.blogspot.in/

SOME MONTHS BACK AROUND MID 2012,HAD BEEN ON A SIMILAR TRIP,WAS LOOKING FOR SOME POSTCARDS,AND FOUND A BUNDLE OF SOME OLD PHOTOS,OLD POSTCARDS SOME OTHER COVERS ETC,AND IN THE BUNCH WAS THIS ONE ANNA POSTAL COVER OF GEORGE 5^TH.AFTER GOING THRU THEM FOUND THE COVER INTERESTING AS IT WAS IN GOOD CONDITION,SO WANTED TO BUY IT,ON ENQUIRY FOUND THAT HE WANTED TO SELL THE WHOLE LOT FOR 600 INDIAN RUPEES( ABT 12 DOLLARS).

I WANTED TO BUY IT FOR 1/3 THE PRICE AND HE READILY AGREED.

AS USUAL STARTED LOOKING FOR OTHER STUFF IN THE AREA AND RETURNED BACK HOME.

MY WIFE IS ALSO INTERESTED IN MY BUYS AND SHE GOES THRU THEM WHEN I COME BACK.SHE WAS GOING THRU THE BUNCH AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING INSIDE THE COVER,TO OUR SURPRISE WE FOUND A ONE ANNA STAMP WHICH WAS STUCK INSIDE (TRIED REMOVING IT) THE COVER,AND THERE WAS THIS STRIP OF FOUR BRITISH BOYCOTT GOODS LABELS INSIDE.

AFTER SOME RESEARCH FOUND THAT THESE WERE RARE AND HARD TO FIND.

THE LABELS I FOUND WERE INSIDE THE POSTAL COVER OF GEORGE 5^TH,AND ALONG WITH THE OTHER PHOTOS AND LETTERS AND POSTCARDS IN THE BUNCH TAKES THE DATING BACK TO THE PERIOD OF THE  BOYCOTT ERA.

SOMEBODY MUST HAVE GOT THESE TO SEND IT TO SOMEBODY AND SPREAD THE AWARENESS,BUT FORGOT,AND ALL THESE YEARS WERE IN SOMEBODY’S HOUSE LONG FORGOTTEN IN SOME CUPBOARD,AND SOLD ALONG WITH SOME OTHER BELONGINGS,ONLY TO COME BACK TO CHOR BAZAAR,TO BE BOUGHT BY ME IN ONE OF MY BARGAIN BUYS TO BE DISCOVERED BY MY WIFE.

AND HERE AGAIN IN ONE OF MY BLOGS WITH A STORY TO TELL.

HISTORY OF THE RARE BOYCOTT BRITISH GOODS LABELS

“BOYCOTT BRITISH GOODS “ AND “BUY SWADESHI” MOVEMENT

.

LOKMANYA BAL GANGADHAR TILAK,BIPIN CHANDRA PAL, AND LALA LAJPAT RAI  ( POPUARLY KNOWN AS LAL,BAL,PAL) STARTED THE SWADESHI AND BOYCOTT MOVEMENT IN 1905 TO PROTEST AGAINST THE PARTITION OF BENGAL,BY THE VICEROY OF INDIA,LORD CURZON.

THIS CONTINUED TILL 1908.IT WAS THE MOST SUCCESSFULL OF THE PRE-GANDHIAN MOVEMENTS OF INDIA.

 THE MAIN FEATURES OF" BOYCOTT" MOVEMENT AND "SWADESHI " MOVEMENT WERE THE NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT WITH THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND MAKE IT COLLAPSE.TO BOYCOTT BRITISH GOODS AND TO CREATE INDIA'S OWN .

MAHATMA RETURNED TO INDIA IN 1915,BUT WAS NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVED WITH POLITICS,HE SUPPORTED LOCAL ISSUES OF THE MASSES.AND SLOWLY GAINED POPULARITY.

DURING THIS PERIOD HE WAS LOYAL TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, EVEN VOLUNTEERED

FOR RECRUITING SOLDIERS FOR THE 1^ST WORLD WAR.

THE JALLIANWALLAH BAGH MASSACRE,AND OTHER ISSUES MADE MAHATMA GANDHI THINK AND GO  AGAINST THE BRITISH.

HE JOINED THE BOYCOTT MOVEMENT IN 1920.

FOREIGN GOODS WERE BURNT AS PROTEST AND THE ADOPTION OF “ KHADI OR SWADESHI” WAS SPREAD AMONG THE MASSES.THE MOVEMENT WAS CALLED “SWADESHI ( MEANS OF ONE'S OWN COUNTRY)MOVEMENT.

IT GAINED MOMENTUM AND BECAME A GREAT SUCCESS.

THE PEOPLE  OF  INDIA WERE UNITED IN FIGHTING THE BRITISH .

PEOPLE WOULD GATHER AT CROSS SECTIONS OF ROADS AND BURNT FOREIGN GOODS,PLACES SELLING THEM WERE ALSO TARGETTED.

IN 1920 THROUGH  POSTERS PEOPLE WERE CALLED TO A MAIDAN NEAR ELPHINSTONE MILLS OPPOSITE ELPHINSTONE STATION,MUMBAI,REQUESTING THEM TO GET ALL THEIR BRITISH GOODS FOR THE GREAT BONFIRE

TO FURTHER SPREAD THE MOVEMENT, LABELS WERE PRINTED.

THEY WERE  PRINTED WITH 2 DIFFERENT TYPES OF SLOGANS

1)     BOYCOTT BRITISH GOODS

2)     BUY SWADESHI.

THESE HAD NO VALUE ON IT,AND HENCE THEY COULD NOT BE USED AS POSTAL STAMPS.

THE BRITISH CAME TO KNOW ABOUT THEM AND THEY WERE BANNED.

THEY WERE DISTRIBUTED AMONGST THE MASSES,PEOPLE WOULD SEND IT ACROSS TO OTHER PEOPLE INSIDE POST COVERS,TO AVOID THE BRITISH.