I’ve been thinking a lot lately, about how people communicate earlier.
Its digital age and many of this generation have not even seen an inland, postcard or a Postman. There was a time when even having a landline at home was opulence and was restricted to a few only. We used to go to STD booth to make a call.
This was the time when I was quite young. I still remember, as a child we used to wait for the Postman, the sight of the postman and hearing the bell of his cycle ringing, even if it’s a sunny noon, rushing to the main gate to take it out from the box hanging on the main gate. Those days, letters were like a big binding thread, keeping everyone under its effect.
It was another strongest and probably the most commonly used way of communication. We used to sit around to ear while Mom used to read, and then keeping collection of it and finding it as a treasure while opening the old trunks during vacations.
Same way writing to someone, taking the time to craft each letter, to buy a stamp, to select an envelope, to travel to the post office, none of this goes unnoticed. A letter, when in hand and even before the content is even read, has already said, I think about you, I care about you.
Those were the cherished memories and today on World Post Day, I got a chance to share it with you to relive memories.
World Post Day is celebrated every year on 9th October. The purpose is to make people aware about the role of the postal sector in people’s life and businesses’ every day and its contribution to the social and economic development of countries across the world.
Here are some glimpses of Indian Postal Service Facts.
- The first post office of India was started in 1764 by the British East Indian Company.
- The first postal stamp of independent India was issued on 21 November 1947 with the picture of the National Flag of India.
- The first person whose picture was depicted on free India’s stamp (1948) was Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi.
- The highest post office in the world is in Sikkim, Spiti and Lahaul District of Himachal
- The first country in the Commonwealth games to issue airmail stamps is India.
- It was the proud moment when first official airmail flight took place in India on February 18, 1911.
- The Postal Index Number (PIN code) is a six-digit, unique code of post-office numbering introduced on 15 August, 1972 by Shriram Bhikaji Velankar.
- India has the largest postal network in the world with 1,55,939 post offices as on March 2016, of which 90% are in the rural areas.
Bits and Bytes
Digitalization has changed the role of the postal sector and on its services; Indian Post had terminated two important services – Telegram (in 2013) and Money order (in 2015). We need to know about postal stamp too it’s a token for payment of postal taxes, and now being recognized as an information source and historical document which fundamentally convey four vital elements: denomination, name of country, graphical design, and the textual element.
Somewhere along the way, with this digital transformation, we have stopped writing handwritten letters and it makes me a bit sad, and nostalgic for the time when the things, love and care used to come through letter box, not only the bills and magazines. And hats off to postal industry which has shown the world its resilience, its determination, and the invaluable role it plays in every society.
The incredible efforts done by postal operators and their staff during the global COVID-19 pandemic. These postal workers labored hard to deliver the mail. It is sad to share that some workers tragically lost their lives; few dealt with life-changing damage to their health. Many more suffered in numerous other ways.
Today, I relive the joy of letter writing; cherish it with you, as I believe conversations can be forgotten, but there is something about a handwritten letter that expresses love and care that most spoken words can’t express ever and it always remains with us. And it is worth keeping them! Because one can always feel and touch the words soaked in old ink filled with feelings & get locked in time and we’d know that we were remembered with each stroke of letter.
Post Day is a great opportunity to pay tribute to the postal operators, postal workers and everyone else involved in delivering mails and saying thanks to them all.