Today is World Post Day. I don’t know what that means here. And if India Post celebrates the day or merely observes it in passing. I cannot remember when last I saw the postman. Or stepped into a post office. But in my teens, the postman was my friend. I had 33 pen pals. The postman came at 8.30 am and 2.30 pm. And in every mail delivery, there was something for me. I would wait to hear
the soft ‘plop’ of letters falling through the door. And try to guess who they were from. Was it the gorgeous Bengali girl studying at Santiniketan? The exotic Tibetan living on Tiger Hill near the Old Ghoom Monastery in Darjeeling? Maybe it was from Madras or Raipur or Meerut or Jammu or even Jhumri Telaiya that was originally in Bihar and is now in Jharkhand. I had pen pals everywhere. The postman was our go-between. On Diwali, he would come grinning in greeting for baksheesh. Bringing with him the VVP (yesterday’s Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra) and Money Order postmen. And the chap who cycled up at night in a tearing hurry with Telegrams that carried news of death from faraway places. Now the postman comes only to deliver government documents like passports, driving licenses and Aadhar cards. Which take a couple of days in coming at least. That’s snail mail. Gmail and WhatsApp are faster for communication. And WeFast for sameday delivery of parcels within the city. Blue Dart, DHL, FedEx if you want to send something to the farthest corners of the eart . I don’t know anybody that writes letters anymore. Today’s generation will never know the thrill of receiving mail through the post. Or the anxiety of getting exam results delivered by the postman. Everything is done online or by e-mail. But nostalgically, I still maintain a romance with the postal service. I look for the familiar squat red post-box wherever I am. Its mouth yawning wide open. In foreign cities post-boxes are gaily painted in blue,
yellow and green. I take pictures with them like they are old friends. And I buy attractive postcards and mail them to myself. Just for the thrill of hearing the soft ‘plop’ back at home when the postman drops them through the door a week later.
About Mark Manuel
The above thoughts/content has been proudly copied from the wall of Sir Mark Manuel. Being interviewing almost every role model of this country and going stronger each day. Mark Manuel is a respected Mumbai editor, writer, and columnist.
With over three decades of journalism in leading publications. This includes the Free Press Journal, Times, Dainik Bhaskar, Mid-Day, and Afternoon. He is famous for his brilliant pen interviews. He himself is a TEDx speaker.
Further
His interviews have been featured in several leading media houses. They include the Hindustan Times, Huffington Post, BBC, and Network 18. Almost every famous person has been interviewed by him in the country from Mother Teresa to Muhammad Ali. His first book is just out. It’s titled Moryaa Re! It is a crime thriller that is perhaps the country’s first police procedural. He began his career covering crime. And in a tribute to his experience and knowledge of this beat.
Several distinguished officers of the Mumbai Police and its Crime Branch collaborated with him to make this book possible. Amitabh Bachchan wrote the forward in a statement of friendship for Mark Manuel and admiration for his work.
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