#6

John Donne has rightly said “more than kisses letters mingled souls.’’ Handwriting is an entirely personal aspect of someone’s character. It can be called therapeutic as it can relieve anxiety. The activity of putting pen on the paper is an art. The writer expresses their imaginative faculty while inking the words on a paper. Like photographs, handwritten letters captivate a moment in time. They describe writer’s feelings, emotions, thoughts and what was going in the world in those days. They also demonstrate how important the recipient is to the sender. There was a time when handwritten letters were the only means of communication.

Few days back, while heading towards Jogger’s park, I happened to cross a post office and saw a red mailbox outside it. At once a slide of memories flashed before my eyes.

Going down the memory lane, I recalled my childhood, when mom used to write letters to Dad was in Army serving the nation. He was posted in remote areas at faraway lands.

Mom, a working woman was very disciplined and meticulous .After completing her school duties she would be back home and complete household chores and sit with a pen, spectacles and 2-3 inland letters which she finished writing in no time. She was an artist in her expression and choice of words. Letter writing on her part was the quintessence of generosity. According to my parents sending letters was the wonderful way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart.

Letters by my mom and dad are among the most significant memorial which they have left behind them. These are my most cherished possessions. Didi and Bhaiya’s letters too are equally an important possession to me. They still shower their love and affection upon me through their messages and phone calls, and I have preserved their inked letters as an emotional value is attached to those lovely letters. No sooner did the bell used to ring, than I would sprint to the door, glancing at the postman, waiting for him to open his bag full of letters with the postage stamps, and hand me the one engraved with my address. In fact I treasure the luxury of anticipating my dear ones living in letters. Nowadays sending handwritten letters has turned into an anomaly. It has disappeared to a great extent.

There is something visceral about opening my dear mom and dad’s letters. I visualize them on the paper. I have lost them both but I can feel their presence in their each word written beautifully. Though my eyes flood with tears while reading them yet they act like a solace to a wounded heart. Their love and care is ingrained in each word they have written. Their letters include pearls of wisdom which they shared while we were growing up. According to them to send a letter was the wonderful way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart.

Technology has changed every aspect of our life it has developed so fast that it has paved a way for multifunctional devices through which we prefer to communicate instantly. Today we can pick up a phone and talk to anyone and get reply from them straight away. Now we live in a fast-paced world where we have many advantages of modern ways of communicating. It is easy to chat to people all over the globe within seconds.

Concluding further I would say that I still long to receive a three page heart rendering, sappy letter from my parents which was full of warm affectionate words, carefully chosen and eternal. May be I’m an emotional being I have kept this precious treasure in safe care. For me these are among the most significant memorial which they have left behind them. These are my most cherished possessions.

I think we are missing out so much by forgetting the art of writing letters. Though it has become a rare commodity, not as common as once it was. I can still cherish my memories where I can relate to the excitement of opening an envelope.

If letters were so much exciting then why are they so rare?

Don’t you think we are missing out so much by losing the art of writing letters?