RIP, Telegram

The telegram had been an integral part of India’s communication network until perhaps a few decades ago. Now that BSNL is going to discontinue its telegraphic services from July 15, 2013, yet another popular service of yesteryears will be buried forever…

It was a bygone era when telegrams were very much in vogue. A harbinger of urgent information, telegrams normally brought news of a relative’s death or the arrival date of a son who lived far away. Similarly, the illness of a close relative, a request to come home for a ‘bride-seeing’ ritual, victory in examinations, the birth of a child, etc., used to be communicated to relatives through the humble telegram.

The sight of the sincere village postman walking frantically towards the recipient’s house, followed by a horde of curious children and sometimes an adult or two, was a scene to behold, according to my mother. Quite often, the curious onlookers would be satisfied only after the recipient opened the pink flap with shaky hands and perspiring brows, and finally reacted according to the information contained in it.

Good news would be rewarded with a generous tip to the person who delivered it. News of a death or the serious illness of a relative, it went without saying, would start off a spate of heartrending wails from the ladies of the house.

Very soon, the whole village would have assembled there to pacify and sympathize with the bereaved family members.

The present world, with its instant communication services, will certainly not miss the telegram. But reading the news of its discontinuation, I felt a vague sense of loss…

A feeling brought about by the realization that yet another chapter has been relegated to the pages of history.

RIP.