Relevance of a Postman in the Age of Instant Mail, Wi-fi

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CHENNAI:Have you ever waited for a letter that would bring happiness and joy, bad news and sadness? If not, then you might be someone born after the 90’s. Even for those born before that time, the endearing habit of writing letters has become  a distant sweet memory.

October 9-15 marked National Postal Week, which was celebrated with vigour by Indian Posts. Each day of the week had a different theme  which focused on the various services provided by the department. The themes were Savings Bank Day, Mail Day, Philately Day, Business Development Day and Postal Life Insurance Day.

City Express takes a trip with those who used to write long letters, as they recollect the significance of post in their lives and their views on the changing tides of communication.

“My last memories of letters were those that my mom used to write to her relatives in Kerala. I would often post them, and it was exciting to wait for the reply and to hear my mom read what our relatives had to say,” says A Sundeep, a techie.

“I always dreaded the arrival of the postman during my early teen days. He always brought my mark sheets. My early memories of the postman are connected to reprimands of my parents. But in later years, the letters were packed with abundance of love. The wait for letters, the joy of reading it and the memories it carries...they’re all irreplaceable,” recollects Dinakaran Thangamuthu, an MBA student.

M Nikitha, a college student who has never seen a letter arrive in her mail box, says, “I’ve had no such luck. I’ve only heard stories about letters from elders. Though there have been advancements in technology, waiting for letters even now stirs up one’s emotions,” she says. 

Mervin Alexander, postmaster general,  Chennai City Region, while talking about the business side of the postal service said that 50 per cent of the postal revenue comes from financial services like the postal savings account, insurance and money transfer.  

The Chennai postal circle is one of the four circles that come under the purview of the Tamil Nadu postal circle. It has over 800 postman covering Chennai city. 

“On an average, the Philatelic Bureau releases over 40 commemorative stamps and definitive series stamps every year,” he said. When asked about the changing tides of posts, Alexander said that the postal services are seeing big scope with the e-commerce boom. 

“Chennai posts have tied up with Amazon to offer same day delivery of products, which has given a shot in the arm to postal services,” he said.

Chennai Postal Circle

The Chennai Postal Circle consists of Vellore, Puducherry, Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai and Kanchipuram.

Number of Employees

9,000-10,000

Postmen 800

Departmental Offices 600

Head Post Offices 20

Branch offices 1,650