Telegram's become part of folklore
There was a time when telegrams used to instill a sense of fear. The scenes of the postman bringing it along, it being torn open with urgency, rustling the paper and then the expectant eyes of the other family members - yes, telegrams have become a part of folklore. A tale which we can narrate to the current new generation, who listen with disdain, wondering what happened to mobiles, emails, What’s Up and text messaging services. For them to comprehend a service like telegram is as impossible as writing a letter and sending it by mail.
Sadly, from 15th July, this service of the postal department will shut down officially. Earlier telegrams conveyed, death, birth, job interviews, anniversary messages, arrival of unexpected guests, poor health of family member and so on. But today with telecom having made such rapid strides, communication is easy and quick. Thus in today’s era, anyone sending a telegram to convey urgent messages is unlikely.
The telegraph service has been in existence for the past 160 years. It was after 60 years, in May 2011 that the Govt had revised rates for the service - inland services were hiked to Rs 27/50 from Rs 3/50, 4/50 earlier and overseas telegram have been discontinued for the past two months. This is another reflection of the changing times…..