A Return to the Art of Letter Writing
A Return to the Art of Letter Writing
It was 9.30 in the morning and I was nearing the front gate
of St. Berchmans College. As I saw the arch in front of the college, I felt I
had forgotten something. I scratched my hair in hesitation. Thank God! I found
it. I took an inland letter out of my pocket. I checked the receiver’s address
below the stamp imprinted with Smt. Indira Gandhi’s smiling face. It was my
first letter. Till then, I had only written letters in my answer sheets of
language papers. And this was the first time I ever wrote a letter in real
life.
The letter was addressed to my friend who was undergoing
priestly formation in Indore. As seminarians, they had restriction in using
mobile phones. So, I decided to express my feelings through this piece of
paper. I put the letter in the letter box in front of the office room. When I
entered my classroom, my friend Ajin asked me what I was doing at the letter
box. I told him that I was posting a letter to one of my friends. He laughed at
the outdated habit of writing letters. He asked me, “Why write letters in this
era of WhatsApp and Email?” I replied, “There are some who have no access to
these. If you have ever felt the joy and happiness in sending and receiving
letters, you would not have commented like this.”
Weeks passed. There was no reply. I was disappointed at the
thought that my first attempt in letter writing was a failure. I thought that
the letter hasn’t reached my friend’s address. But after two months, one
afternoon the postman came to my house and informed that there was a letter for
me. I was really surprised with joy. At last, I have got the reply from my
friend, which I thought, I would never receive. I read and reread the letter
many times. He said that he was very happy when he received my letter. He shared
his experience of working along with the Indian social activist Smt. Medha Patkar.
During Christmas, I also received an aerogram from him. I was in the zenith of
happiness.
After this, I wrote letters to many of my friends. Many of them told me that, they were receiving
letters for the first time in their life. I also keep the reply letters in my
diary which enable me to recollect the past. While I conclude this article, I
exhort dear readers to experience the joy and beauty in writing letters. The
letters from dear and near ones always make us feel that we are not alone in
our lives and it soothes you as balm during the troubles and tribulations of
life. Let us bear in mind the words of the popular writer Kiran Manral,
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