On 3rd October 1974, India Post issued this set of three commemorative postage stamps to mark the centenary of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), an organisation established in 1874 to promote and coordinate international postal services. The stamps were a part of a global celebration recognising its 100 years of efforts to improve and standardise postal services around the world.

At the Executive Council session of 1971, the UPU member states agreed to celebrate the organisation’s 100th anniversary through various activities. The UPU International Bureau recommended all postal administrations around the world to issue a centenary stamp, with the design left to member states, among which one was issued by India.

Recommending the member states’ postal administrations to issue a centenary stamp, the Bureau drew attention to the 1969 Tokyo Congress resolution, urging members to take every opportunity ‘to make postal users better acquainted with the Union’s aims and with the results already achieved’.

The UPU, headquartered in Berne, Switzerland, was initially established to streamline postal services and regulations among member countries. Over the years, it has played a crucial role in facilitating global communication, ensuring that mail could be sent and received efficiently across borders.