The First Asian International Stamp Exhibition briefly called ASIANA-77 will be held at Bangalore from October 19 to 23, 1977. The exhibition has been organised by the Philatelic Congress of India, an apex federated body of all the Philatelic Societies and Clubs in India,  with the active participation and assistance of the Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department and also the Government of  Karnataka. The exhibition will be exclusively for the Asian and Australasian  countries  and under the patronage of the Inter-Asia Philatelic Federation (FIAP) which is the Asian chapter of the Federation Internationale de Philatelie  (FIP).

FIP was founded in 1926 by representatives from 7 European countries to safe­ guard the interests of stamp collectors at international level. At present, there is hardly any National Philatelic Federation of a country which is not affiliated with the FIP. The FIP has set up standard rules for holding the International Exhibitions under their patronage.  The  FIP has categorized harmful, improper and undesirable stamp issues which they have banned for exhibiting in any of the Inter­national Exhibitions under their patronage.

FlAP was organised in 1975 to strengthen the philatelic activities  among Asian and Australasian   countries. To increase the participation of Asian countries in International Exhibitions, the idea of Regional  Exhibitions  was mooted.

ASIANA 77 will be a landmark in the philatelic history of India as not only the country will have the honour to hold the First Asian International Stamp Exhibition but also some of the rarest stamps will be on display in this exhibition for  the first time in India. The response both in the competitive  and  non-competitive groups is more than what was  expected. This exhibition will give an opportunity to the stamp lovers of India to see the choicest and prize winning exhibits of the world at one  place.

The Indian Posts & Telegraphs Department is happy to bring out two special postage  stamps  on  the  occasion of the. First  Asian  International   Stamp  Exhibition, or briefly  called,  ASIANA-77. The stamp  in Re. 1 denomination depicts  a pair  of  a  famed  Red  Scinde  Dawks  of 1852 (the first stamp in Asia). The stamp in Rs 3/- denomination   shows  foreign mail arriving at the Ballard Pier in Bombay in 1927. It is adapted from a photograph appearing in the Annual  Report  of Indian Posts  &  Telegraphs   Department  for  the year  1926-27.