Today morning while I was in bus, I saw a postbox -- A POSTBOX? Yes a postbox and it has been ages since I have seen that. Well it really brought back memories.
Remembering the times -- may be a decade and half ago- there were these red colored postboxes almost around every nook and corner of the city. And mummy would ask me to post those lovely blue colored inland letters to my relatives in kerala. Also every month twice or thrice postman used to knock the door to hand the letter. Also in festivals like Diwali we used to expect a colorful greeting card from our kin. I still cherish them. My mummy would read loud the letter in malayalam and everyone would curiously listen. Also while sending letter me and my bro used to give final touches in English saying 'We miss you' or so and then seal of the letter with boiled rice or glue. This letter writing didn’t just confine to home. Even in school in all the three language subjects we had i.e. English, Hindi and Gujarati we used to have this letter writing section which begins with writing address on the right side continuing to greetings - body - regards to other members of family - and then enclosing signature. Also there used to be a concept of pen friends which was taught to us in one of the English lectures though I have never tried it myself.
As years have passed, things seem something like history. In an age of mobiles and mails - and low tariffs of airtimes for both local and international calls - i guess we all have stopped writing letters - or even writing for that matter. It’s been years since I wrote now - I feel more comfortable just picking up the phone and talking for that matter. Who has the time to sit and write? We don’t have time anyways. We have so much to do -job, home, malls, movies, internet,
TV...and so on. To convey a message either to friends or cousins, one just logs on to one’s e-mail account, scribbles a few lines and hits the send button. Job done. It's good that we are living in a technology era where we can talk and see a guy in US at the same time compared to scene of yester years where we just rely on handwritten letters. But letters and postbox -- I miss them!! Don’t you?
10 comments:
Goodness! what a "blast from the past". I am still teaching students to write letters though, as well as emails.
Yes, I do miss letters. my grandmother still sends one every once in a blue moon. I miss anything handwritten really. Flowers don't even come with handwritten cards anymore. It's so impersonal.
On a different note I thought the d day comment was hilarious! I'm getting a degree in middle school education and a degree in american sign language. it's taking a long time.
I do miss writing letters. I used to write my Grandma. My writing does look better here though. ;-)
yes i do love post mails. i still do it and i like going to post office myself and put on the stamps :-)
i think a lot of people really appreciate snail mail merely because of the amount of effort that the other has put in. i remember during early high school we had a phase of mailing each other and you'd send feathers, stickers and magazine clippings and all kinds of stuff with the letter just to add to the excitement. i don't know what they're like these days with sending food through the mail though.
i do miss sending mail, your post boxes look much more handsome than ours though.
truly said mate...
letter are so closed to hearts and feels very nice then these emails and sms :)
its written from your soul and it shows the person that you really want to meet them and missed them thats why you are writing.
i also remembered , in childhood when any letter come to my home we all are so eager to see whats in it and who is it?
thanks mate.. :)
@cathy - Its good that you are continuing the trend of writing letters and imparting the same to next gen.
@noisysmile, whimsicalbrainpan, deli and parth- i miss them too.
@frances bo bancess - wow well i have never tried that. worth a try. it sounds fun.
There is a certain excitement to getting a real letter amonst the bills and flyers in your mailbox, one that is handwritten and from a friend far away.
I have recently come across many letters saved by my mother sent to her from her sister and cousin and father. Sadly all are gone now, but the blue airmail letters are still there to be opened and unfolded, touched, re-read. I, too, have saved many letters written in the 80's and 90's then there is a sudden stop as the computer took over and emails were sent. I sometimes print out a letter I've written from the computer, then take it with me to a coffee shop where it will be transcribed to nice notepaper while drinking a latte.
Hey Sandy!
I agree, I do miss a good letter...like the old days. Something very romantic about it. the excitement of receiving through the letter box, the antecipation, the opening and reading it again and again...I just loved it.
Sadly it is scarce these days...I do miss them.
@violetsky - yeah there is real excitement in writing letter.
@janete - i miss it too
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