Empty envelopes

While I was waiting for my flight, I noticed a foreigner writing away at great speed and, from time to time, smiling to herself. 8220;Are y...

While I was waiting for my flight, I noticed a foreigner writing away at great speed and, from time to time, smiling to herself. 8220;Are you writing a book?8221; I asked her jokingly. 8220;Oh, no,8221; she replied. 8220;I am writing to my friend in Germany. I want to share all my experiences in India.8221;

This took me back in time. I used to look forward to a weekly letter from my father. They were rather long, attempting to keep me abreast of happenings in the family and the town. It gave me a sense of being amidst my family. The postman was the most sought after person in our household. Everywhere, once letters held great charm. It is rumoured that D.H. Lawrence8217;s book Lady Chatterly8217;s Lover was written after he discovered letters his wife had received from her Italian lover.

Then one day the world changed dramatically. New technology meant to enhance interpersonal communication became an instrument of impatience, which took away the art of writing.

First came the electronic mail phenomenon. This rapidly replaced letter writing. It also became boring and uninteresting. In the era of letter writing, there was a great variety of letters written in different styles, on different kinds of paper and with varying handwritings. The recognition of the sender8217;s handwriting on the envelope would determine the level of excitement it generated. Some letters were humorous, some boring and most of them gossipy. Imagine if Nehru had a PC in his prison cell. I doubt whether he would have written all those letters to his daughter and the world would have missed out on a defining vision of India.

The electronic machine does not project the personality of the sender. It is cold and lacks emotion. It does not require any planning or meticulous selection of words. It is merely a tool for instant messaging to and fro.

Then came another technological marvel to transmit messages instantaneously, the 8220;SMS8221;. With this you do not need even to construct any sentences or worry about spellings. Almost any word can be written in just three or four alphabets. This instant gratification offered by communication innovations has also reduced

the need to use the mobile phone as frequently. You can carry on chatting via the 8220;SMS8221;.

Story continues below this ad

I always felt letters were expectations packaged in envelopes. We always opened letters with joy. A letter is the only device combining solitude with good company, which does not call for fast reading or instant response.