Death of a postman... and the postal system

Though he had several years to go yet, Subhankar Sinha Roy, in his late 40s, had had enough. He wanted to retire. An employee of India Post until a month back, he quit earlier this month. A diligent worker all his life, he simply could not manage his life-work balance in an overly demanding and increasingly technology-oriented environment during the last few years.

Let's face it, post offices — and, indeed, the entire postal system — are not what they used to be, say, twenty years back. For a certain generation, mention the word "post office", and it will conjure up memories of rooms abuzz with activity: the rat-a-tat of the telegram; bored-looking clerks dispensing postcards, inland letters and stamps; the smell of post-office glue; the rhythmic drumbeat of rubber stamps; and the dusty red post boxes in one corner, around which conversations would be struck and friendships re-forged. Most members of Generation Now have arguably never seen the inside of a post office, much less ever sent a "snail mail".

It is this change that "Generation Ex" could never cope with. Quite a few employees of the postal department have applied for VRS years before they were set to retire. "Those who joined around two decades back find it difficult to sail through rapid technological changes. With heavily depleted manpower and diversification into newer business ventures, work pressure kept mounting on staff, to the point that it was difficult to handle," Sinha Roy says.

Known for his sincerity and diligence at the workplace, Sinha Roy knows that the department has had to change with the times and adopt new technologies and business models. "There are many who couldn't foresee the changes. When it changed, they succumbed to the pressure," he feels.

Earlier this week, 56-year-old Abhijit Roy, who was appointed postmaster of a Belgharia post office barely 10 days back, ended his life at his Sodepur home as he failed to cope up with the new software for core banking system. When they joined, it was primarily a manual job, with minimal technological intervention. Decades down the line, India Post, struggling to earn more revenue, made a quantum leap into banking services. A part of the old set of employees found themselves misfits in the new order.

Till the late 90s, life in post offices was slow and steady. Men and women sitting behind the counter would silently hand over postage stamps or note down the address of a registered mail. Large ledger books were maintained to keep records of transactions — from parcels to postage stamps. Registered post and insured post provided the bulk of revenue flow. In busy post offices, such as the ones in Burrabazar or Kalakar Street, porters came with basketfuls of parcels. Vouchers were issued to those who kept money in various deposit schemes.

As an employee gained in seniority, s/he had to handle more complex jobs, such as disbursal of policy maturity claims and succession issues. Such jobs required a thorough knowledge of laws and departmental rules. The younger cadre would sit at the registry or parcel counters. Large ledger books were replaced by computers during 2003-'04, with a very little resistance from employees. "Then came the Sanchay Post — software to keep track of deposits into accounts with the department. It was almost a digital replica of ledger books," said an employee at Belgachhia Post Office.

There was a long lull after email and mobile phones made much of the postal service redundant. Finally, the department decided to roll out banking services. The strength and bustle that once built India Post eventually felt threatened by the new wave. The slow-paced culture was fast being overtaken by a distinctively different one. It was the first time that those in their 50s felt a strong sense of unease, a sense of being unable to keep up with the times.

"Staff crunch was acute, and there was no way an employee could say no to the changes," says Janardan Majumdar, deputy general secretary of the All India Postal Employees' Union (Group C). "Everybody felt it was the need of the hour. But they were afraid to change," he adds. The problem was more acutely felt after the department shifted to a leaner "single-hand" post office models. "The new system requires thorough knowledge of complex core banking software. It gobbles up time, leaving very little space for regular post office jobs. Pending jobs keep piling up as a result," says a member of All India Postal Employees Union.

Even as the switchover to core banking — that seemed like it was happening almost overnight — sounded impossible for many, they kept faltering at work, even as clients on the other side of the counter started to get angrier by the minute.

"A fear psychosis has set in," Majumdar explains. "And, it is the fear of the unknown." While a large section of employees started to stay on till late at night trying to master the new system, some of them were also giving up. What once served as the country's lifeline for communication was relegated to the backyard, with each little advance in telecom and information technology. A way of life was gone, perhaps for ever.