POSTMAN

 FROM SAMPATH’S DESK:

 

POSTMAN

தபால்காரர்

डाकिया

  

Once, Postman was the most-sought-after person in the field of communication. He was not only a bridge between the sender and receiver of communication, but also a friend and link in the society, as he was very well in the know of the topography of the area he served but would also develop friendship with the people in the area of his operation. With the contours of modern communication becoming mind-blowingly revotionalized and with the advent of online communication, internet/email, and a plethora of other speedy and instant modes and mediums of digital transactions, his importance has diminished to a large extent. And, with the whole world heading towards a paperless work environment, the relevance of his role has further shrunk and truncated.

 

A postman always supposed to be on his toes is normally expected to have a higher and more robust life longevity.

 

Even though one system or the other for the exchange of communication is said to have existed in different parts of the world at different points of time in human history, an organized postal system seemed to have developed in England in the 1970s. Yes, the British Postal Museum claims the oldest functioning post office in the world was on the High Street in Sanquhar, Scotland. According to the museum, this post office functioned continuously since 1712 AD. Sanquhar is a quiet, insignificant town, but in its heydays, its residents included many influential aristocrats, who must have played a significant role in having the first post office located there. In those days, horses and stagecoaches were used to carry mail.

The first post office in India was established by the British East India Company in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1764. While Calcutta (now Kolkata) GPO (General Post Office) was established in 1774, the one at Madras (now Chennai) came into being on 1^st June 1786 at the Fort Saint George.

  

Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department was formed on 1^st October 1854. In 1975, the Department of Telecommunications was carved out of the erstwhile composite organization. When I joined service, it was the Indian Posts and Telegraphs. Subsequently, I opted to become part of the newly-created Department of Telecommunications, DoT - later, BSNL.

 

 

Since a post-card was the cheapest (prized at just few naya paises) in those days, the sender would write as much as possible in the space available in that card by shrinking his/her hand-writing as small as possible so as to write in it what all he/she wanted to convey to the receiver, which could travel thousands of miles across the length and breadth of the country - from Kashmir to Kanyakumari (North-South of approximately 3214 KM), and Gujarat to North-east India - a distance of about 2933 KM). The inland letters also provided much more space to write on. 

 

If a family member traveled from one place to another (say mostly by train), there was no way of verifying by the family whether he/she reached the destination. Such persons (passengers/travellers) used to carry postcards, and as soon as they reached the destination they would drop the postcard in the red-colour post-box (invariably available in or around railway stations) intimating their safe arrival at the destination. In those days, a landline telephone was a luxury item and not all could afford it, unlike the present-day scenario of instantaneous communication including video connectivity when almost everyone has a mobile phone in his/her hands. See how the times have changed drastically and strikingly; so are the scenes with a luxury once now turning necessary!

 

Postmen in rural areas, though had to work hard, are more sociable and generally nurtured and nourished friendships with the people of the area than their urban counterparts.

 

The duties and responsibilities of a postman included, among others –

 

Collecting letters, parcels, registered and insured covers, telegraphic and ordinary money orders, V.P. articles etc. from the post office and delivering them to the addressees in the village (s)/towns.

 

Those receiving Money Orders would give small tips to the postman willingly. There would generally be geniality, cordiality and sociability between people and postmen.

 

Collecting the Dak such as letters, money orders, parcels, registered and insured letters etc. of one’s beat from the post office against receipts. 

 

Checking and sorting the Dak according to the villages and entering them in one’s book.

 

Arranging the Dak according to the route of delivery. 

 

Delivering ordinary mail to the addressees given and important Dak such as registered letters, money orders, parcels etc. to the addresses, after, of course, obtaining acknowledgements or receipts from them. 

 

Taking the signatures of witnesses for payment of money orders when the identity of the addressee is unknown or doubtful.

 

Receiving postal charges and maintaining records of payments received for bearing or underpaid letters or V.P. articles 

 

A postman’s is essentially a field job with predominantly local travelling.

 

A postman is supposed to have knowledge of depositing acknowledgement receipts, money collected and undelivered articles in the post office. He should be well-versed with collecting mail from letter boxes and delivering them to the post office besides carrying with him postage stamps of limited value and selling them in villages authorized by postal authorities. He is also supposed to be proficient with depositing sales proceeds in the post office upon return. He should have thorough knowledge and skills in supplying money order forms, acknowledgement slips and other postal forms to villagers on visits. The role and responsibilities require him to physically remain fit.

 

Even though the postman is supposed to deliver the postal articles only to the addressees concerned at their normal place of residence, some would form a beeline around the post-office itself to get the articles to save time. While the postman is on his beat, people who know him well, would enquire and receive their mails from him even before they are delivered on them in the normal course.

 

The risks they face while on duty are - move about, rain or shine - a postman’s job is obviously not safe in a canine sense; at times they are not just endangered but are even threatened. Snake/dog biting - especially in rural areas - may be a risk factor. At such times, it is better for them to wear hunter shoes. They should also wear raincoats during rain. Sometimes, they may have to wade through puddles of water - while stretching their legs along or riding on a bicycle - to reach their delivery destinations.

Needless to say, a postman works for the public and is assigned to the post office. A postman has to basically deliver documents and other important papers from one place to another. He is a carrier of letters, Money Orders, Greeting Cards, parcels and many more. He goes from door to door and street to street to make this happen.

With postal services being increasingly replaced by private courier services, the relevance of a postman is getting increasingly decreased, especially as a mere delivery person. With the mushrooming of private courier agencies and the courier delivery persons being mostly contract workers, there is no scope for them to be in closer contact with people as a postman can. The bond with the people (as used to be the case with the postman) is conspicuously missing with them.

However, the postman of today has a transformed role to play. It is noteworthy that these days, a postman is entrusted with other jobs too. They come home and issue Jeevan Praman, of course, for a paltry fee of ₹70. Though many courier services are there, the government departments still opt for the services of the postal department to send their communications. One such is the passport. To this day, my passport comes home by SPEED POST only! Our medical papers too come by post only.  Postman, though may have lost his importance in the delivery of ordinary letters, is still looked upon by us when we expect posts from government departments. Yes, we still keep a watch out from home at the appointed hour of his beat!!

Like in other fields, we are able to see many women donning the mantle of 'postwoman', displaying their eagerness and enthusiasm to plunge themselves into fieldwork too, acquitting themselves well and proving their mettle. It's a progressive development which we all should be happy about and welcome. 

 

After studies, on applying for a placement, I used to daily wait for the postman to check whether I had any mail. The long wait came to an end when I received a postal cover from his hands. I felt Goosebumps to see an order for my placement in the erstwhile P&T Department on opening it. It was a manifold paper on which the order was shabbily cracked with a manual typewriter. But still, it was a treasure trove of my life. Yes, it was the moment of exceptionally great reckoning for me. And, the long eager wait was worth my salt. Wasn’t it?

 

  

 

(R.SAMPATH)

11/10/2023