P.S. Do Send the Money

In his 60s, Singh, who has been in the postal service for 42 years now, shows no signs of fatigue, even after he has delivered mail to four villages under the Khajurar post office on foot. Thin, clad in a white dhoti-kurta, and carrying a small bag and umbrella, Singh clutches a pack of letters and money orders in his hand. A mobile phone hangs from a thread tied around his neck. The extra-department delivery agent employed by postal authorities to cater to villages is the new avatar of the gramin dak sevak, out to deliver money rather than news.

For years, he has dreamt of riding a bicycle on his rounds. A letter from the Union Minister of State for Telecommunication, assuring sundry benefits, keeps him going. Singh first arrives at the home of Mukesh Kumar to deliver a letter from an insurance company. He is promptly offered a glass of sherbet. The mailman says that for villages, the post is still the major link with the outside world. Letters, he says, have nearly been phased out, but he does handle a lot of book-posts, registered mail, call letters, admit cards and money orders. 8220;Twenty years ago, when husbands were away, postmen used to be no less dear to the wives. But curiosity and romance have given way to business now,8221; he says. He rises to deliver a money order to one Rani, sent by her brother Samresh, who works in Surat. On average, 25 per cent of the youth from every village under Barh work as daily wage-earners or are employed in other petty jobs in cities. Money sent home regularly by these migrants has transformed the villages of Bihar. 8220;I have been instrumental in the progress of the villages,8221; he beams, relieved that he does not have to bring bad news anymore, thanks to the mobile phone revolution. The postman8217;s own journey has been long8212;he started off at a salary of Rs 34.10 per month and earns Rs 4,213 now.

Singh8217;s next stop is the house of Jaynandan Singh. 8220;The family expects a draft inside,8221; he says. The village postman, Dhananjay Kumar, joins us and adds that it is common to send money orders for Rs 2,000. 8220;It8217;s just enough for aged parents,8221; says the Khajurar postmaster.

Singh has already delivered 13 money orders in the adjoining villages of Kazichak, Adampur and Chanayniya, where most of the population is dependent on the money for survival. He cites the example of Chhedi Mahto of Kazichak, who regularly receives money orders from his son, employed in Meerut. 8220;Floodwaters sometimes prevent me from going to the village. But as soon as the water recedes a bit, I go,8221; Singh says. 8220;Some people have a lot of regard for the postal department. One Bijendra Prasad of Khajurar once gave me a tree and a boy from the village game me a mobile phone,8221; Singh recollects, basking in the satisfaction that only a job well done can bring.