The advent of a new device or tool would create a sea-change in our life-style. Not very long ago, our mother used to personally serve meals to us. We would be squatting on the floor. She would also sit beside us and make us, nay compel us consume more and more food. That was until the day the dining table came. She would then tell us that rice, curry and curd are on the table and we could 'help ourselves'. At the most, she would just supervise, sitting next to us at the table.

That was till our Television set came. From then on, we could only hear her shouting to us from the adjoining room, listing out the menu.



Similar are the changes in communication. We were in touch through letters. Our early Postman used to carry mail through woods and rivers, through rain and shine. It used to be a pleasure receiving a letter, may be from our brother, sister or mother from a far-off place. If the recipient of the letter was illiterate, the kind postman would read out the contents of the letter. He was a member of the family. He would announce as he approaches your house, 'here is a letter from your second son from Pune,' or something like that.

The advent of Telephone brought about a revolutionary change in communication. The very habit of writing letters slowly disappeared and it is almost non-existent. After the email arrived, even telephonic conversations have become rare.

The postman, however continues. Postal letters cannot disappear altogether. It still brings you the bill, the cheque, the receipt, the hall ticket and the like. Of course even here, the quantity is fast dwindling. The Postal department could not cope with the speed and perfection of the couriers. Even the speed-post proved a poor substitute. Then the Government discovered that the post office could be more than just a post office. You can pay your telephone bill there. You can receive your Western Union money there. This writer has, more often then not found that the staff are ill-equipped to deal with the new transactions. The only result was an eternally long, static queue.

The latest in the Postal department is the provision of brand new motorbikes to them. Yesterday, the Principal Chief Postmaster General of the Tamil Nadu Circle, Indira Krishna Kumar, handed over TVS Star motorbikes, wind-cheaters and mask helmets to five postmen of Anna Nagar Post Office. Do they expect the postmen to every time stop and restart the bike at every doorstep? And where do you have parking space? Would it not be wise to be on your feet to deliver postal articles? He would finally be compelled to park his bike at the Post Office itself and walk along to deliver the articles, resulting in delayed delivery. I have little doubt that this is bound to create more problems than it seeks to solve.