At the click of the mouse lies the entire universe – from what is available in Mars to what is happening in the neighbourhood. Everything moves at an amazing speed. The entire world has been merged into a global village. Space tourism appears to be on the horizon.
But every noon I happen to watch this guy — dressed in khakis (not to forget his cap), pressing his bicycle, carrying an age-old bag, delivering letters, seemingly unaware of all these changes.
He does not seem to have any regrets, be it in scorching heat or in heavy rain; he does his job with sincerity. I wonder who writes letters anymore. Even marriage invitations are pinned as an attachment to the chat box. Or to make it more convenient, create a group on Facebook, add all the friends in your list, and issue a group invite. It’s as simple as that.
All those invitations that still lie untouched in the mailbox of my apartment – it’s either that the person has vacated the place or distant relations are no longer a matter of concern. The postman doesn’t seem to care about all that. He comes, drops the letter and leaves.
That’s his duty.
Then there are these inland letters from the Life Insurance Corporation and the acknowledgement receipts from BSNL and a dozen banks. These get delivered by e-mail and the hard copy is of no real use. I don’t think the postman cares to know what these letters may contain. For him, the address is all that matters.
Remember the days when he used to be the lifeline for lakhs of people, delivering money orders and greetings from near and dear ones, the threat that postal strikes posed, and when he used to be the most intellectual man in the village reading aloud all the letters?
The days are far gone.
But he won’t disappear, will he? What would happen to the magazines that are delivered on time every Friday? What about the ATM password that some banks still send by post? And how about the suspension orders colleges send to parents of mischievous wards?
For these to reach your place, one needs this gentleman. His role is not one to be done with at least till every house in the country has access to the Internet. What the government needs to do is to provide the poor man with a scooter and all other accessories that would improve his lifestyle.
akshysridhar@gmail.com
