Mumbai/Goa, Dec 9 : In a unique initiative, the India Post, Maharashtra & Goa Circle, have arranged for a huddle of Penguins – the most recognisable original inhabitants of the Antarctic continent – to sail to India on a set of special postcards, officials said here on Monday.

The flightless birds with flippers - the only aquatic variety that live and breed on ice – are considered the symbol of the frozen, 14.2 million sq. km of landmass surrounding the South Pole.

The India Post colour picture cards depict at least three of the 18 breeds that roam Antarctica – the majestic 'Emperor Penguin', the regal 'King Penguin' and the cut but much smaller 'Adelie'.

Union Ministry of Communications Secretary (Posts), Vandita Kaul, released the Penguin postcards in the presence of Chief Postmaster General Amitabh Singh, PMGs Suchita Joshi (Mumbai) and R. K. Jayabhaye (Pune), top officers, staffers and philatelists at the General Post Office Mumbai, today.

“These postcards, 250 of each picture, or totalling 1,500, shall be taken by the 44th Antarctica Expedition, organized by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), scheduled to sail from Goa around Dec. 13,” Assistant Post Master General Sudhir Jakhere told IANS.