you've got mail

I went to the post office today to mail the pictures. I visited a post office after years. This was a small one setup in an empty house inside a Govt colony. Driving through the deserted streets of the colony, I could immediately sense the strong resemblance of the setup with the environment I grew up in. Lines of rectangular box like buildings with green hedges around them. A small park-cum-playground inside the colony with swings and see-saws and slipping slopes. The post office also looked familiar. The department seemed to have not changed over the years - other than the cost of sending a letter. And probably the crowd. The P.O. was deserted, unlike how I remember them from my childhood, when there was no email...long distance calls were expensive, letters were what we all depended on. Every afternoon a bicycle bell will ring and everyone will come out to their balconies asking the postman if he has got anything from them. I could identify the sound of our postman's cycle's bell among 100 of others. Receiving a letter was a sheer joy. The carefully chosen words, the cursive writing, the structured balance of pleasantries and information all added up to a personal touch that an email just cannot match. But as technology spread its wings, post office took a back seat. These days the deliveries I get in my mailbox are mostly bills and account statements.

Though it lasted just about 15-20 mins, my visit to the post office today did bring back a lot of memories.