Chitthi Aayee Hain...

Year 1997

Place College Canteen in Pune

The director of the colleges questions a first year student why she is missing her lecture and sitting in the canteen, to which she replies between sobs that she missed her lecture to read the letter sent from home by her family members. The soft hearted director melts and excuses the student immediately. 

Handwritten letters were the lifeline of millions of people across the world till phones took over our lives. One among the millions was me, the student who bunked class probably just once to read the letters sent from home. These letters were never from only one person but would be a fat envelope which would contain letters written by my grandfather, mother, cousins, uncle and close friends, all of who would write and hand it over to my mother to courier it to me to my hostel address in Pune. The medley of emotions I would experience on receiving the envelope and reading the letters cannot me described in words. "Sandeshe aate hain " song from the movie Border was a hit song in that year 1997 when I left my hometown Kolkata and till today it remains one of my favourite song because of how symbolic the song was for me.

Letter writing, one of the most beautiful way of expressing emotions and sharing news is more or less dead today. But, some of us have preserved the letters written to us by our near and dear ones. The joy of laying our hands on the packet or box where we have stored our precious letters is unmatched with any other joy. To discover the last letter written by ones grandparent, or to find the Archie's card given by a very dear friend is truly a treasure and is priceless. 

In the 90's every magazine would have a section for pen friends. There were other sources of finding pen friends too. Most of us have enjoyed writing letters to our pen friends. In many cases the pen friend has become a lifelong friend, in a few cases the pen friends have married each other and in some cases one personal meeting with the pen friend has resulted in both feeling how foolishly they were communicating with someone who has failed to impress them personally, though they enjoyed the letters. The digital generation of today enjoy their instagram friends just as the genX enjoyed their pen friends.

Today's millenials preserve their memories in the form of digital photographs but GenX have preserved their youth in the letters and cards everyone has treasured.

No art is too late to be revived. So, this diwali surprise a loved one by sending a handwritten loving letter to add to their treasures. Happy diwali to you and your family.