Ashok Sharma
Letter writing is a priceless art that dates back to thousands of years ago.History is witness to the fact that the ancient Greeks used to write letters to their dead asking for help from the departed with some problems the writers were having.Letters are also an integral part of the New Testament.With the changing course of time, the mode of writing and delivery of letters has also changed.In ancient times, letters were delivered through messangers.In the 6th century B.C, the Persian Empire developed a relay system that went upto 100 miles.The Greeks employed athlete runners to deliver letters.It is said that Philonides,who was courier for Alexander, The Great, ran as long as 148 miles a day to deliver letters.The Arabs used pigeons to carry letters whereas the great Roman king, Caeser too adopted relay system for the delivery of letters.But with the collapse of the Roman Empire, the mail network collapsed and so collapsed the organised system of delivery of letters.The art of writing letters again bounced back with the invention of the printing press.Upto 1800AD, it was only men who wrote letters but from mid ninteenth century onwards, women too started writing letters. With the introduction of limited postal service in 1942 and standardized stamps in 1847 in America, the delivery of letters became a systematic and organised activity.
We have many interesting facts from history about writing of letters.During the victorian era, strict rules had to be followed while writing letters and excellent writing skills were considered to be a sign of good breeding.Neat handwriting, elegant words, folding a letter properly, signing every letter etc were considered to be the hallmarks of a good letter.World’s shortest letter was written by the novelist Victor Hugo in 1862 to his publisher to ask for how his new book was selling.All he wrote was’ ?’ and his publisher replied ‘!’.It is interesting to note that the said book had over 1200 pages.Many emperors,politicians and authors have distinguished themselves in writing letters both in style and number.Napolean Bonaparte, the feared ruler is believed to have written as many as 75000 letters during his lifetime many of them to his beautiful wife , Josephine, both before and after marriage.Samuel Benkett and Anton Chekov were also insatiable letter writers. Letters written by famous poet John Keats to Fanny Brawne, Robert Browning to Elizabeth Barret Browning , famous composer Ludwig Beethoven to his ‘Immortal Beloved’, besides being full of passion, have literary beauty as well.Then there is the letter written by famous American presidentAbraham Lincoln to his son’s teacher advising him as to how to teach his son, which occupies an important place in the history of writing letters.The epistolary correspondence between Gandhiji and Leo Tolstoy, Karl Marx and Engels, Rabinder Nath Tagore and Gandhiji, Pt.Nehru and Gandhiji etc are too well known to need mention.In short, letters have played a key role in preserving and transmitting history.Using ‘stylus’, reed, quill,fountain pen and the ball point pen, the letter writers have written letters on leaves and barks of trees,linen rags and paper throughout the course of history to expresss their emotions and viewpoints.
But it is painful to observe that the priceless art of writing letters is fast declining and fading into history.The digital age of emails, sms and social sites such as Facebook, Twitter have sounded a quiet death knell for hand written letters.These days letters are written only under unavoidable circumstances such as for jobs or business purposes.Gone are the days when people used to anxiously wait for the postman for a letter from their beloved ones, especially those serving in the Indian Defence Forces ,who were away and the instant it came all the members of the family would sit together and read the letter with reverence.But these days the postman delivers only electricity and telephone bills, besides other un solicited material.It is said that the word which is heard perishes but the letter that is written remains.
Though the hand written letters may have been eclipsed by new technologies, there is nothing as valuable or revelatory as a beautifully crafted letter.It tells us that someone took extra time to write and send you something because you are special to them.It is the touch of paper and the feeling you get when you open it which is priceless.You don’t have the same feeling and joy when you read the same words in an e-mail.The actual message that is conveyed by various other forms of communication such as emails, sms, social sites etc are much different in tone and feeling than a hand written letter.Seeing ‘I luv u’ in an e-mail certainly does not have the same emotional impact as by seeing it in the beloved’s own handwriting using her own penmanship. There is much said than written in a hand written letter.A well written letter offers to the readers a glimpse into the social and psychological mindset of the writer and his sentiments for the addressee.Letters are also an important source of historical documentation, that enable us to have a glimpse into the lives and times of historical and literary figures.
But as the handwritten correspondence is virtually dying a slow death, many aspects of handwritten letters such as penmanship, delicate curves and calligraphy may come to an end.Vanishing art of writing letters also has grave consequences for the students, teachers and society and we may be deprived of reading the writing of our beloved ones.We must not just mourn the slow demise of hand written correspondence but take effective measures to keep this priceless art alive.The habit of writing letters should be cultivated in the children from the early age.Young children should be encouraged to write ‘thank you’ letters for the every present they get from their parents, relatives and friends. Instead of throwing old letters, we should preserve them by binding them in the form of a book.They should be treasured and reread in the spare time to relive our old moments and fill our heart with profound joy.Students must be trained in the art of writing beautiful letters in elegant style and language and suitably rewarded for writing superb letters.They should not be allowed to mug up letters from cheap guides and books.Properly taught, letters help the students a great deal in improving their language and expression Holding Letter writing competitions at school, zonal and district level and inclusion of letters written by great writers and philosphers in the courses of study at secondery, intermediate and college level too can help the students a lot in developing interest and skill in this priceless art.Letter writing may be comatose and close to its death but it is our duty to preserve and promote this precious and priceless art as it would be a great shame not to be able to hand over this valuable art to the posterity otherwise the coming generations will not believe that handwritten letters had ever been written.
(The writer is serving as lecturer in English .in Govt HSS Barolla ,Udhampur)
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