Snail Mail – The age of handwritten letters

 

It was the age of light-blue colored Inland letters and pale envelopes.  We used to share our lives through written words that traveled hundreds of miles. Our crushes, the new girl, old teachers, who got hitched with whom – for 6 years we wrote to each other – Me and my friend Mini.  

My Dad was posted in Agra for a few years, and we (my mom and siblings) stayed in Assam. Writing letters was more than a routine for us. Apart from weekly long-distance calls from PCO, letters were the only means of communication between my Dad and me. I can still see those moments frozen in the letters. My Mom so dearly keeps them locked in her trunk.

Seema (Sim), my best friend since school – after Class 12 we went to different cities to pursue higher education. And even though Yahoo and Gmail had made their presence, we continued to write to each other. With each letter, I would draw and send a comic strip of ‘Sim the Gundi girl’, where I drew her as the protagonist. I would make up a new story each time, which was mostly me pulling her leg. {I asked her to send me a picture of those letters, to put in my blog, but fearing that I would again start pulling her leg or rather disclose her Gundigiri she didn’t comply 😛 } We are still in touch but only through Calls and Walls, yeahh that’s the FB wall.  

Our letters would range from 10 to 15 pages, and if by any chance the number was reduced, the next letter would be similar to Fire Mails.  

The excitement of writing the letter, the wait for her to read it and then the anticipation of a response is unforgettable. I would rush to the gate on hearing the ‘tring tring’ of the postman’s cycle. The joy of opening her letter, or the disappointment of not finding one, little notes inside birthday cards and new-year cards, or sending and receiving Disney-themed bookmarks – sounds dramatic but that was the reality in those days.  

Sometimes, I do feel grateful to have experienced that stage, because looking back everything felt so natural and genuine, when we were patient enough to spend a few hours to narrate or listen to the other side.  

I still write to some of my friends though it is limited to birthdays or friendship days, but with the convenience of ‘delivering gifts through the internet’, even that has reduced.  

The last time I wrote a letter was around a year back when I was on deputation in Kolkata. I wrote such flowery words and poetic sentences 😛 The only problem was that the recipient barely understood my handwriting. And I ended up reading it back to him after I went back.  

One cannot deny that the warmth and love a handwritten letter contains is incomparable and receiving such letters always brings a smile.

That reminds me, Seema’s birthday is near… maybe it’s time to restart the ‘ Sim the Gundi girl’ Series.

Related Post – The Handwritten Letter