Gone are the days when people write letters to their dear ones. The idea of using a post box for personal communication has become obsolete. Letter writing, though still taught in school, has already made students wonder about its need. Of course, it helps in official emails, but personal ones? The art of writing our heart out to our loved ones, friends, or relatives, describing a place or the adventures of a vacation we had enjoyed, and the joy of waiting for a reply has long been forgotten.
Books with letters as themes
There are numerous books with a compilation of letters from famous personalities, which are still bestsellers. Sometimes, while reading books like “84, Charing Cross Road” by Helene Hanff or “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Marie Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, made me yearn to write and communicate with people through letters. Both books were entirely a compilation of correspondence through letters which formed a beautiful story in itself. The idea behind the books conveyed sheer happiness that one can experience through letters. I was thoroughly in bliss while reading those books.
Postal History

The postal history of India dates back to the eighteenth century when the East India Company began establishing post offices in all the important cities, the first being in Kolkata in 1774. However, it was only in 1854 its services were made open to all and it marks the beginning of the official postal era in India. With the advent of the telephones, internet, emails, and smartphones, communication has gone to a level that is beyond imagination.

It is disheartening to accept the fact that telegrams are no longer required. They used to be the fastest mode of communication of both good and bad news. Many families have preserved the telegrams conveying good news such as the birth of their new born child or the arrival of their loved ones even today. It is funny to think that the Morse Code, considered one of the greatest inventions less than a century ago, has become archaic now.
Magical letters

More than the telegrams, the pleasure given by a simple handwritten letter is simply magical. Less than a few decades before, we used to communicate only through letters. There were postcards and inland letters for brief conversations and envelopes for people like me, who love to write paragraph after paragraph. The humble walk to the post box near my house to post a letter made me happy. The nervous anticipation for the arrival of the postman or woman to see the word ‘promoted’ printed on a piece of paper is a profound memory.
The cylindrical crimson post box with a black cap on lamp posts or electricity poles was ubiquitous then. Everyone knew about its location in their area. Now they hang silently, in their exact location, often unnoticed by the people around them, reminiscing their glorious past.
I experienced the joy of writing letters once again when I penned down my thoughts to my grandfather recently. He is in his eighties with his hearing-impaired and is too old to understand technology. Although I used to talk to him over the phone, his inability to converse has rendered the attempt futile. He is an avid reader who loves the idea of letters. So it began, I wrote to him about books, some interesting characters in them and about sports, just the interests we had in common.
The result was unbelievable. My grandma called me and asked “what have you written in that letter? Your grandpa is weeping like a child.” It was no extraordinary letter; in fact, it did not make much sense to anyone else other than my grandpa. It got me thinking… More than the content of the letter, it is my intent to communicate with him that had that effect on him. The idea of writing love letters and birthday cards now makes sense to me.
I realized that more than any expensive trinkets, it is the handwritten cards and the crayon drawings of my kids for my birthday that make me happy. While looking at the prices of some antique letters at the Sotheby’s available for auction, it makes me hopeful that the art of writing and posting letters will come full circle and be in vogue again.
Deepika Muthukrishnan
August 25, 2021 — 2:51 pm
Simplicity at its best.very nice article .guess its my favourite of all your articles.feels great to see the post box pic.
Manjula
August 25, 2021 — 9:14 pm
Thanks Deepika. Even my kids wrote letters to their grandparents after seeing me. Even I loved the pic.
Rajani satyanarayan
August 25, 2021 — 3:38 pm
Good article.
Manjula
August 25, 2021 — 9:10 pm
Thanks a lot!
chandru
August 25, 2021 — 7:29 pm
more than the content, it is the intent ….loved it
Manjula
August 25, 2021 — 9:11 pm
Even I enjoyed writing that bit.
S.Kumar
August 25, 2021 — 7:34 pm
People have forgotten to write letters.In good old days parents in villages wait for postman,as to whether he is bringing any letter from his son,or whether he has sent any money order.Since they were illetrate,the postman used to read out them the letters.The parents were happy. With advancement of technology now a days no one write letters. The Chennai GPO built by Britishers is very big with long wooden steps
It is a treat to watch. The letters written by great politicians and elderly statesman are sold in auction. The letter written by Anne Frank had sold out in auction for million of rupees.Letter writing is an art.It improves your imaginary power and vocabulary.Now a days it is rare to see a post box and post man. I was surprised to see the old and beautiful post box at Shollinganallur junction. May the school teachers help the children in writing letters
Manjula
August 25, 2021 — 9:13 pm
Love your comment! I am very happy to see your continuous support sir. Even you write very well .
S RENGARAJAN
January 14, 2022 — 8:31 pm
Electronic Mails have replaced postal mails. WhatsApp messages have replaced even Emails. Group messages in WhatsApp have replaced even One to One communication. Personal touch is missing in these group messages. Even communication among family members in the same house is happening in Family Group messages, not personally.
In my childhood, we use to buy printed Pongal Greetings with various pictures and send it by post with signature of all family members to our friends and relatives. Personal touch was there. Above all, it was helping many people in the echo system, right from workers in the printing presses at Sivakasi, small traders in the entire country, postal department etc.
Computers cannot replace the love and Affection of the heart
Manjula
January 15, 2022 — 10:42 am
True uncle.I do write many nostalgia posts, just to make ppl relive those simple days where we lived as a more connected society.
Inspite of its numerous benefits, technology has created distance among people.