PIVOTAL ROLE OF A POSTCARD
Some time ago the entire media sang the dirge of the telegram. As
this sentiment weighed heavily with me too. I made a final visit to
the Sanpada post office with a swift round of post offices in and
around Navi Mumbai wondering how long the hallowed institution of the
post office would be relevant in context of the recent technological
explosion in communication. That the post office plays an important
role in society cannot be questioned, however reluctant one may be to
sing its praises!. Not for nothing did the British create heritage
building in GPO Fort Mumbai. Today we notice some desperate attempts
at adding a fresh coat of the famous red to post officer, though most
still bring back memories of that familiar musty odious, crumbling
furniture and blotches of glue that made a mess of the space meant for
pasting stamps, writing letters and filling up forms. But India Post,
post office Savings Banking and speed-post have added a contemporary
twist to the post office.
Much before the gates of the World wide web of the Internet were
progressively thrown open to us, before mobile phones turned our art
of communication into SMSs, Twitter reduced our eloquence to 140-byte
tweets, Facebook restricted our predilection to like and Unlike, and
What's App introduced a lexicon into our idiom, the postcard was the
star player in establishing contact between friends, relative,
siblings and acquaintances. Along with the above changes sweeping our
lifestyle, the art of letter-writing also seems to be on the wane. In
the good old days, it bonded people together- parents, siblings,
friends, acquaintances- regardless of where they were stationed or
occupied. Those little homilies and personal touches packed into
postcards, in fact portrayed the sign of the times, and how people
warmed up to each other.
It is unfortunate that these simple pleasures of communication are
lost on us today, thanks to modern means of "touching base" which are
stark to the extent of being impersonal. The pleasures of expectation
and eager anticipation no longer exist in the current humdrum of our
lives. Gone with the art of letter-writing are many nuance of
communication that brought a smile to our lips, a lump in the throat,
a choke in the chest, a tear to the eyes or a dimple to a romantic
cheek. Nothing is left to imagination any more. You wonder whether
generation next will have the time and patience for long drawn of of
methods of communication, but, if truth be told, even we are beginning
to find the electronic means of interacting more convenient and
user-friendly.
I still preserve the postcards written by my father to me for
posterity and to show my grandson the real value for handwriting and
how to squeeze number of words within that yellow color card, how to
improve English knowledge and learn punctuation etc. As a freelance
writer I met with success with my first letter written in a postcard
and sent to Times of India, Delhi and published about spinner of the
past Sriniwas Venkatraghavan with a catchy caption " Valiant Venkat "
Still I keep stock of postcards to make use of the same when I feel
like doing so to remember my olden days.
Don Bradman (Australia ) was the most sought after cricketer those
days world over. His popularity reached its peak when a Post Card was
sent to him with a remark
TO
" Mr.Don " ( Bradman's Photograph was affixed ) followed by Address
Somewhere playing in England-and the postcard reached the great
cricketer playing in England. (please open up the attachment for the
proof)
Thus postcard played a pivotal role in people's heart and mind all
over the world.
Some time ago the entire media sang the dirge of the telegram. As
this sentiment weighed heavily with me too. I made a final visit to
the Sanpada post office with a swift round of post offices in and
around Navi Mumbai wondering how long the hallowed institution of the
post office would be relevant in context of the recent technological
explosion in communication. That the post office plays an important
role in society cannot be questioned, however reluctant one may be to
sing its praises!. Not for nothing did the British create heritage
building in GPO Fort Mumbai. Today we notice some desperate attempts
at adding a fresh coat of the famous red to post officer, though most
still bring back memories of that familiar musty odious, crumbling
furniture and blotches of glue that made a mess of the space meant for
pasting stamps, writing letters and filling up forms. But India Post,
post office Savings Banking and speed-post have added a contemporary
twist to the post office.
Much before the gates of the World wide web of the Internet were
progressively thrown open to us, before mobile phones turned our art
of communication into SMSs, Twitter reduced our eloquence to 140-byte
tweets, Facebook restricted our predilection to like and Unlike, and
What's App introduced a lexicon into our idiom, the postcard was the
star player in establishing contact between friends, relative,
siblings and acquaintances. Along with the above changes sweeping our
lifestyle, the art of letter-writing also seems to be on the wane. In
the good old days, it bonded people together- parents, siblings,
friends, acquaintances- regardless of where they were stationed or
occupied. Those little homilies and personal touches packed into
postcards, in fact portrayed the sign of the times, and how people
warmed up to each other.
It is unfortunate that these simple pleasures of communication are
lost on us today, thanks to modern means of "touching base" which are
stark to the extent of being impersonal. The pleasures of expectation
and eager anticipation no longer exist in the current humdrum of our
lives. Gone with the art of letter-writing are many nuance of
communication that brought a smile to our lips, a lump in the throat,
a choke in the chest, a tear to the eyes or a dimple to a romantic
cheek. Nothing is left to imagination any more. You wonder whether
generation next will have the time and patience for long drawn of of
methods of communication, but, if truth be told, even we are beginning
to find the electronic means of interacting more convenient and
user-friendly.
I still preserve the postcards written by my father to me for
posterity and to show my grandson the real value for handwriting and
how to squeeze number of words within that yellow color card, how to
improve English knowledge and learn punctuation etc. As a freelance
writer I met with success with my first letter written in a postcard
and sent to Times of India, Delhi and published about spinner of the
past Sriniwas Venkatraghavan with a catchy caption " Valiant Venkat "
Still I keep stock of postcards to make use of the same when I feel
like doing so to remember my olden days.
Don Bradman (Australia ) was the most sought after cricketer those
days world over. His popularity reached its peak when a Post Card was
sent to him with a remark
TO
" Mr.Don " ( Bradman's Photograph was affixed ) followed by Address
Somewhere playing in England-and the postcard reached the great
cricketer playing in England. (please open up the attachment for the
proof)
Thus postcard played a pivotal role in people's heart and mind all
over the world.
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