Sir post…!
Posted 25th August 2008 at 03:18 AM by Chitvish
Friends, those of you, who are younger than thirty, may not enjoy this blog – I warn you! That is because postman is "past- man", for the younger generation.
In my younger days, the post-man was the most eagerly awaited person between 10AM to 12 noon, except on Sundays.
My grandfather used to wait for his pension cheque, in the first week.
Amma will eagerly wait for her parents' letters or one from her siblings.
Appa will wait for the cheque bringing the monthly interest from deposits.
I used to wait for a friend to send me a birthday card even if my birthday was 4, 5 days away. I used to think, how much joy, we get in waiting for things, of course hoping that they will happen.
A marriage invitation or one for a family function will come with turmeric smeared on all the four corners. It used to be carefully tucked away, to note the date, attend the function or to send a message by telegraphic greetings (do you know that they existed at all?)!
An obituary card used to be printed with black ear in one corner and only in black and white. The tradition was to tear off a tiny piece from the corner – this was done more for sentimental reasons.
My grandmother used to offer water to the postman everyday, besides buttermilk on a very hot day. He would sit on our verandah and have a short chat with my grandma.
She used to reserve special "goodies" to be given to him after festival days.
Unlike the postman, the telegraphic peon was "dreaded" ! There was a general scare that he might be bringing the inevitable bad news about the death of a relative. All the more, if he came at an unearthly hour, ringing his cycle bell loudly, the whole neighbourhood will assemble, waiting to hear the news, anxiously!
Of course, quite often "delivery-news' also used to be "delivered" by the telegraph peon.
Now, you can imagine when I would have awaited the postman eagerly. Yes, after my marriage was fixed, though correspondence between the boy and the girl, was not the "done thing"! V had sent me our wedding invitation card printed by his parents, with a short crisp message – Eagerly awaiting the day!
My God, it created a sensation in my family circle that V was very progressive in his ideas!! Can you believe that in today's context??
I still preserve some of Amma's letters which contained instructions on house-keeping. I lovingly go through them even now, for the sheer pleasure of it.
I had an aunt who used to scribble in tiny letters in all the available space and send me 3, 4 recipes in a post card, knowing my penchant for cooking! Believe me, I bought a magnifying glass only to read what she wrote.
By the time my daughter got married, telephone conversation had come to stay. The art of letter writing started dying its natural death. I feel sad and wonder, where have the post offices selling postcards, inland letters and stamped envelops gone?
I still remember rushing to the mobile post vans in Luz, before it left at 7.15 PM, to post letters to Madurai. My daughter's generation always used to make a wish on seeing a the red mail van- keeping the fingers crossed and unlocking it only when they saw a black car(those days most cars were black, though) for the wish to come true…
I do hope, a postman is still busy in urban areas in spite of mobile phones and STD booths.
The mail-box in many houses at the entrance gates are filled with colourful advertisements dropped inside, but never with letters. Courier boys deliver only to the person directly and never drop in the mail-box. We cannot afford to miss a courier boy for fear of missing an important letter. I really miss my good old postman, who, if he found the house locked, would push the letter under the door or leave a note if it was an express delivery letter.
I do miss the camaraderie, we shared with our postman!!
Love,
Chithra.
In my younger days, the post-man was the most eagerly awaited person between 10AM to 12 noon, except on Sundays.
My grandfather used to wait for his pension cheque, in the first week.
Amma will eagerly wait for her parents' letters or one from her siblings.
Appa will wait for the cheque bringing the monthly interest from deposits.
I used to wait for a friend to send me a birthday card even if my birthday was 4, 5 days away. I used to think, how much joy, we get in waiting for things, of course hoping that they will happen.
A marriage invitation or one for a family function will come with turmeric smeared on all the four corners. It used to be carefully tucked away, to note the date, attend the function or to send a message by telegraphic greetings (do you know that they existed at all?)!
An obituary card used to be printed with black ear in one corner and only in black and white. The tradition was to tear off a tiny piece from the corner – this was done more for sentimental reasons.
My grandmother used to offer water to the postman everyday, besides buttermilk on a very hot day. He would sit on our verandah and have a short chat with my grandma.
She used to reserve special "goodies" to be given to him after festival days.
Unlike the postman, the telegraphic peon was "dreaded" ! There was a general scare that he might be bringing the inevitable bad news about the death of a relative. All the more, if he came at an unearthly hour, ringing his cycle bell loudly, the whole neighbourhood will assemble, waiting to hear the news, anxiously!
Of course, quite often "delivery-news' also used to be "delivered" by the telegraph peon.
Now, you can imagine when I would have awaited the postman eagerly. Yes, after my marriage was fixed, though correspondence between the boy and the girl, was not the "done thing"! V had sent me our wedding invitation card printed by his parents, with a short crisp message – Eagerly awaiting the day!
My God, it created a sensation in my family circle that V was very progressive in his ideas!! Can you believe that in today's context??
I still preserve some of Amma's letters which contained instructions on house-keeping. I lovingly go through them even now, for the sheer pleasure of it.
I had an aunt who used to scribble in tiny letters in all the available space and send me 3, 4 recipes in a post card, knowing my penchant for cooking! Believe me, I bought a magnifying glass only to read what she wrote.
By the time my daughter got married, telephone conversation had come to stay. The art of letter writing started dying its natural death. I feel sad and wonder, where have the post offices selling postcards, inland letters and stamped envelops gone?
I still remember rushing to the mobile post vans in Luz, before it left at 7.15 PM, to post letters to Madurai. My daughter's generation always used to make a wish on seeing a the red mail van- keeping the fingers crossed and unlocking it only when they saw a black car(those days most cars were black, though) for the wish to come true…
I do hope, a postman is still busy in urban areas in spite of mobile phones and STD booths.
The mail-box in many houses at the entrance gates are filled with colourful advertisements dropped inside, but never with letters. Courier boys deliver only to the person directly and never drop in the mail-box. We cannot afford to miss a courier boy for fear of missing an important letter. I really miss my good old postman, who, if he found the house locked, would push the letter under the door or leave a note if it was an express delivery letter.
I do miss the camaraderie, we shared with our postman!!
Love,
Chithra.
Total Comments 54
Comments
 |  Sir post!Postman delivering a good news like a childbirth,marriage will always get a Rs.2/- as "enaam" from my grandpa!Its his way  quite amusing to think of now....not to forget the "enaam" for deepavali, pongal.Almost 3-4 of them will come one by one to get their share of goodies and some money.How do we forget the race between us cousins as to who "runs faster to the postbox and drops paati's letter to her sister'? and when i studied class 5, i used to write tamil well in a "achupaal" handwriting -thats how my paati used to tell.So i will be the writer for paati.As she instructs..i will write..golden memoirs Well, modern technology had ofcourse overshadowed the postal system.But, still i send b'day cards, wedding invites through post most of the time to give a personal feel.Calling in cellphone and SMS becoming the fashion of the hour, still the wedding invite with turmeric smeared gives a good feel Quite a nostalgic feeling about post man and the now deprived sound...Sir post! |
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| |  Dear Ma'am, Lovely postmanpost!! Postmans are relatively new compared to the pigeons carrying letters.Isnt it? Imagine if we were to await the pigeons. "Daakhiya Daakh laya"(Postman has brought letters) was a welcome. We awaited the arrival of the blue inland . I remember my mother grabbing the letter, running to her room to sit by the window and read her letter from her Mother, brother etc. post which she would shed silent tears. The letters were an indication of love, of proximity, the letters showed what the heart was experiencing. The pen merely wrote what the heart dictated. She would often be excited to write back and we were allowed to pen a few words in the end. We looked forward to the khaki dressed fellow who was so very responsible in getting us bridge the distance with the letters from oye near and dear ones that he carried. We do really miss those blue letters."Dakhiya phir se daak lana."(Postman Sir please get the letters once again) It made one feel special and wanted. The self written letters conveyed so much. Now we have computers preparing mails for us which is as inanimate as the comp itself. Lovely post Ma'am. You can write about anything and have us all engrossed whether 6 or 60+. Love, Your Mol |
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| |  chithmam, reading your blog, I am reminded of a postman in nanganallur, who used to deliver post to us, a serious sturdy person. from 1995. he used to deliver all the post by walk and last week I saw him aged, and still walking and delivering them, come rains or peak summer he is there by 12. a salute to the spirit  .regarding sir post, I really used to wait with my eyes/ears opened during my college and then working days, both being in hostel a letter from home was much awaited and not to mention Money order..  even today a turmeric tipped invitation looks pleasant to receive. with the post boxes attached to the gates, these days there are not much personal interactions with postman. |
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| |  Aish Babes, now why not you send me a letterwritten in achupal handwriting? Even that very word is extinct now, sadly! In our building, still postmn come to collect "inams" for Deepavali & Pongal, whether they come to deliver letters or not! Thanks for flagging off the FBs, Aish!! Love, Chithra. |
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| | Ende Mole, believe me, since my MIL hailed from PalghatI used to write to her letters in Malayalam! Just out of interest, I learnt to read & write malayalam (in tamil, ofcourse) from my maternal cousins ! Vish said, my MIL was greatly impressed by my malayalam posts! I still cherish the last post card written to me by my father and grandfather just before they died!  Yes, mails by computers lack the life which was the essence of the posts, brought by postmen. But sadly, my GDs' generation know very little bout these things & our sentimental thoughts about hand-written letters. Love, Chithra. |
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| | Shan, now in many areas in Chennaipostwomen have replaced postmen. I can understand your anxiety, waiting for the postman when you were in the hostel. When I came to Chennai after marriage, the most awaited person was the postman !I used to buy stocks of inland letters in dozens! Yes, not only with postmen, our personal interaction with people around us, is sadly decreasing!! Love, Chithra. |
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| |  post man- nowadays an extinct figure !!dear chiths it was a nostalgic feeling reading thru your blog..i thorughly enjoyed the romance part of your blog..Vish writing his love to you....By any chance if he had been vairamuthu he would have written kadhal kadidham theetave megham ellam kagitham..vaanin neelam kondu vaa pen ah mai oh theendhidum... jokes apart,it was a super blog and i enjoyed reading it !!! lov sowmi |
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| |  Post manDear Chith mam, Another good post from you..took us back in time to those days..I agree with you that the art of letter writing is dying. I used to wait for those greetings and hand written letters and still cherish many of them. Somehow that "personal touch" is lacking in today's emails and e greetings..at least for me. Thank you mam for taking me down the memory lane.. Regards |
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| | Sowmi, perhaps you reproduced what Vibu had writtento you recently? You know what a matter-of-fact person Vish is & must have been! I really wish he wrote to me in Vairamuthu's words!! If wishes were horses!! Love, Chithra. |
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| | Dear Indulekha, you are right.Not only is the art of letter-writing dying, we also use more chat language! Imagine our writing letters like that??!! We really do miss some things in life & one is hand-written letters! Love, Chithra. |
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| |  Aha...Post Man Days!!! Our school annual results used to come in post cards or envelopes! During results time, every cycle bell used to make us run outside ...thinking it was the postman. Those days post men knew almost people in every household in the locality; but these days rarely do we know our neighbours' names! Cheers Jenz |
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| |  Rewind please ! :)Dear Aunty, What you've expressed in your blog is true word for word ! You've brought out the feelings eloquently ! Even I feel the lack of personal touch in emails since it is not in our own writing, be it in any language ! Also, the pleasure of making our own greeting cards, decorating it and sending it to our loved ones ....priceless ! I used to send lots of letters and cards to my cousins, aunts & uncles during my school days. After neatly sealing the letters/cards in a coloured envelope, I took utmost care to write the name and address. Infact, irrespective of who wrote the letters, I took the job of writing the name and address..oh so neatly ! (As though the receiver is going to spend time admiring it....  ) My reasoning was the postman should be able to decipher the name and address on the envelope. Soon after I got engaged, exchanged lots of letters and cards with my hubby ! Still I can remember the eagerness with which I was awaiting the postman ! :) There is indeed a special feeling associated when seeing the marriage invitations with manjal-kumkum. It gives an auspicious look. Nowadays, it has become convenient for people to sent E-invitations to save time and money ! Blame it on technology ! Of course, E-cards have replaced beautiful paper cards for b'days and anniversaries and I am also guilty of sending the same to loved ones ! :) It was really wonderful reading your blog and going back in time, atleast for a few minutes ! Regards Krithika |
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| | Dear Jenz, if we tell today's younger generationthat we got our results by post, they will have a good laugh! They are so used to net-viewing etc!! I wonder whether my grandchildren know that the postman comes in a khaki uniform, at all! Love, Chithra. |
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| | Dear Krithi, I wonder if anybody stillsends greeting cards by post at all - that pleasure can never be matched!! Even this year, one ILite had sent me a b day card from US, by post! I felt thrilled to receive a card. Yes, many simple pleasures are denied to us, yes, blame it on technology!! Love, Chithra. |
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| |  Sir Post....It took me back to the days when Postmen used to deliver twice a day in our parents' colony. The arrival of potman was something always to look forward to. It would bring a lot of excitement to see the aerogramme from my brother. People at home will be restless if for some reason the postman arrived late. Soon after my engagement, my hubby and I used to exchange letters for four months. Would be eagerly waiting for that.. After coming to the states, always used to look forward to my father's letters. Have still preserved some of them. Nowadays, people do not ask the question " why there has been no letters from you for sometime, everything ok"? which was quite commonly heard in those days. Nowadays, it is mostly junk mail that I meticulously sort and throw each day! |
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| | When writing was real and mails could be held !Good blog Chitra madam. I love the days when we used to write letters regularly and my most precious memories are the ones I wrote to my thatha. He would insist on me dropping a post card as soon as I reached my hostel safe (considering my every weekend trip between REC Trichy and Tanjore) and I used to write it on the bus and drop it on the college entrance only to make him happy to read it on Monday morning :) His command and passion on the language and wonderful handwriting is still fresh in my mind. He used to tell me "You write well. But unga appa maadhiriyae urutti urutti, puzhukkai puzhukkayaa ezhudharae !" and I used to beam with pride and joy to realize that he sees my dad in me and have never bothered to correct my handwriting though. He used to save the stamps from the international letters he got from his sister and give it to us when we were kids and that would make our day for sure. He wrote to someone or the other every day and it was always between 2:30 - 3:30 after his quick nap. Loved visiting the home-post office in the neighbourhood with him and watching the way he maintained and tracked his inventory of stamps, post cards, inland letters and (out-of-country ?) mails - Honestly I forgot what those were called then. Good one Chitra madam ! Affly, Gayu |
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| | Yes, Usha, postman was one of the most eagerlyawaited person. If ever he passed, waving, " no letters", it used to be a disappointment to us!! My patti always used to refer to letters as "kadudasi" which amused us no end and we used to tease her! Oh, those were the days!! Love, Chithra. |
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| | Nice FB, Gayu, quite nostalgic as well!I really think, my handwriting improved with letter writing! I never wrote in a post card because I felt , the communication was "open" in that!! Similar handwritings of family members was a cherished thing! Love, Chithra. |
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| |  Chithumma, My dear Adharsha Mangai, I smelled the olden posts with this post. How and lovely and lively were those! Thatha and Appa used to write letters religiously. so, I was like them, too. Remembering something emotional with regard to letters, now. Amma went to her Appa's house as he was sick and stayed there for a longer time, when I was 7 or something. She used to enquire about me through letters. Appa used to tell me which I still remember that Amma wrote a letter asking about you. I didn't have any impact, then. But, when I read those after some years.... O, my! I felt like dying for that love. Nyabagam varudhe nyabagam varudhe.... Chithumma, thanks for bringing back the golden memories.. Love, Your Picturesque Friend. |
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| | Dear Pretty Picturesque Friend!!For you Jnapakam jnapakam varuthe For me it was, when I wrote Anda naal jnapagam vandade Inda naal andru pOl illaye! When I got married & came to Chennai, I used to insist that every single person in Madurai,from Patti to my younger sister, must write to me individual letters. I still remember the format Nalam. Nalam ariya aaval!! How nice it sounds now!! Well, my friend, Old order changeth yielding place to new. We have no choice, but to flow with the tide. very often in life!! Love, Chithra. |
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