Ranajoy Banerjee’s painting will feature on a stamp issued by the United Nations. Picture by Aranya Sen

In 2008, six stamps will be issued from the United Nations headquarters in New York. What will be special about these releases is that they will be based on artwork designed by six children from across the world. One of them is Calcutta boy Ranajoy Banerjee.

The six pictures are the winning entries in the International Children’s Art Competition, which was organised by the UN department of economic and social affairs in collaboration with the department of public information and the UN Postal Administration.

The contest commemorated the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and the first UN Decade For the Eradication of Poverty. Children were asked to design a stamp on the theme “We can end poverty”.

“I came to know of the contest in school. My painting was one of a boy bent over an open book with other children. That is because I think only education can end poverty,” says the Class X boy, now studying for ICSE.

Ranajoy’s was one of the 469 entries from India and among the 12,000-plus paintings from 124 countries. The student of St Joseph & Mary School has been painting since the age of five, inspired by his father, an art teacher. “I have won close to 50 prizes, but this is the biggest,” he smiles.

Ranajoy could not make it to New York on October 17 to see his painting displayed at an exhibition to commemorate the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and meet the other winners — two from China, and one each from Armenia, Zimbabwe and Indonesia. The UN did not sponsor the trip, but he has just received the certificate.

“The UN Postal Administration issues stamps from its offices in Geneva, Vienna and New York in the currencies of the respective countries. These are for its own employees but visitors can post letters bearing UN stamps,” says Kalyan Negal of the Indian Philatelic Traders’ Association.