Letters had been a popular mode of communication until a few years back. It was the bearer of news from across the world to family and friends. A simple piece of paper, carrying infinite emotions sealed in itself. Stories of success and failures, happiness and grief, of well-being and illness the humble letters have seen it all!
Writing and receiving letters had their own charm. Postcards, inland letters, aerogram each had an experience to share. The envelope was reserved for someone special, with the letter written on a beautiful paper! The inland letter was a plain blue sheet which was foldable and one could write on 3 sides. Initially when I wrote on the inland letter, my letters would start from a point and start travelling upward north. I still remember the thrill I experienced when finally I managed to master the art of writing in a straight line :-). I was proud of my accomplishment. The handwriting in the letters too had styles. While some were elegant and printed like, we had a tough time reading a few illegible ones. But it was so much fun trying to decipher the written matter!
When I got engaged, which was before the advent of emails and mobiles, my fiancé would write to me very often. When his letter arrived my younger brother and sister would run around the house with the letter refusing to give it to me. After a lot of pleading, cajoling and bribing, they would finally pass on the letter to me. The letter then transported me into a world of love and dreams
Except for a few official letters, writing and receiving letters have become a rarity, thanks to the instant messaging systems of today. But I genuinely feel that the letter had a vintage charm to it. I vividly recall the euphoria of receiving a letter, for the first time, with my name written on it. 🙂 A few years back for children’s day, I wrote a letter to both my kids, telling them why they are so special and how proud they make me feel. The expression of surprise and delight on their face on receiving the first and probably the only letter was priceless!!
It is really sad that the beautiful art of letter writing is slowly dying a natural death. These days except for a few official letters there is hardly any correspondence exchanged on paper. Thanks to the gigantic technological strides we have taken, in a few years’ time this beautiful form of exchange of news will have to be laid to rest completely…..R.I.P!
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