The Red Box

Today on my way back home from the Bangalore bus stand, I saw the old Indian post box – the RED BOXJ. Instantly, my memories from childhood flashed like a slideshow in front my eyes! Some 20 years ago, these boxes were very much in use. My grandmother would write those ‘blue inland letters’ to my mother. Every week they both eagerly waited for the other’s letter. They would write letters in Kannada which I can’t read even today. As we grew up, we would be more curious to know what gammy has written. I would pester my mother all day long, running behind her with the letter asking her details, stories from Bangalore, Mysore that my gammy has written! ‘Did she say anything about me?’ a very obvious anxious question from me! And soon in coming years, we started getting some space in the inland letter to write to gammy in English. My brother and I would take turns, to who will write to gammy this time, along with my mother. There is always very little space for a kid to write so many things!!!

Of course now, we don’t write letters anymore. Not even cards are sent annually. Everything is through the internet. I do miss the pen-written letters. I am sure there are many who feel the same. We had very little period of the letter writing times. But at least we got that. Today’s kids probably will never experience the joy and anxiety of writing letters and waiting for a reply that can take a few days.

My grandmother feels good about the technology of ‘Telephone’, where she can contact anybody anytime, than those old days of writing mails to know about her loved ones. Today, only after seeing ONE red box, I remembered so many things from my childhood. But I also didn’t miss realizing that they, the little red boxes, have disappeared from our streets for good. Before we would post letters on behalf of our elders and finding a box wouldn’t be that difficult. You could find it easily around every corner.

Thank you little red box, you brought me a smile and bundles of memories! J

Picture: http://img2.photographersdirect.com/img/19309/wm/pd2095931.jpg