Letter Writing: A Case Study

Last post, we saw the different forms of communication prevalent in our forefathers’ times. Now, let us go back further in time to understand the predominant form of communication in the prehistoric era of the 20^th century.

Perhaps, that is how history would introduce the concept of a ‘Letter’ to its students five hundred years from now.

When was the last time any of us wrote or received a letter? Letter, as in, handwritten (however bad the handwriting may be) and delivered either through India Post or in person? Except for the occasional note attached to a gift, it has been ages since I received a nice handwritten personal letter. And of course, more than ages since I wrote one too.

I still remember the time I used to write to this pen friend of mine. It was during secondary school. She was technically not a pen pen friend if you know what I mean. A friend of mine had moved to a different city and we used to correspond through letters. E-mails were not popular options those days; we were still programming (read playing) with Logo on a now ancient black and white computer. Her friend in the new school somehow got introduced through mail to me and so we started corresponding too. I vividly recall the expectation with which I would await each letter of hers and the happiness with which I would write to her. Aah well, it died down due to some reasons. But, that is for another day!

One of the most memorable gifts I received for a birthday was a very smartly masqueraded, apparently alarming letter trying to profess love finally ending with a ‘Happy Birthday’. My reaction changed from speechless shock to undying laughter for the rest of the evening. Anyway, that is again a story for another day totally!

Many are the stories of the letter. These are some I remember off hand now. And I still have a file (hard bound) containing many of these letters, reminded of which, I think it is time to go through them today and relive old memories.

Today, we have only e-mail and chat history to go back to. But, what is scarier is we are very quickly migrating to Facebook and Twitter. The quick fix solution of updating statuses on Twitter* instead of sitting and writing a mail, even an electronic one at that, has become the trend of the day.

This post will be antique material in five years’ time. Already, ‘letters’ sound slightly dated.

Anyway, let me stop being so cribby about the whole thing and tell you about how we got around the problem of the ‘dying art of letter writing’.

Rashmi got married, very vividly recounted here. We, some very arbit almost 12 people (some did not participate to their full potential, so am not going to count them completely :D), started a thread to discuss operational issues like when we should reach the venue etc. Sometime down the line, the mail thread reached a count of 50 and we realized we had been mailing random stuff very similar to spamming on BR (our internal messaging system at IIMB). And, then, we thought we should take the thread to perhaps 1000 and print the same and give a hardbound copy to Rashmi to read and enjoy!?! We did not reach 1000. We ended at 263 odd. And, being an extremely environment friendly group, we translated the mails in to pdf, wrote it on a CD and gave it to Rashmi as a wedding gift. Last heard, Rashmi’s husband very patiently read through the entire set of mails and thanked us for the same. Some novel ways to keep the art of letter writing going!! What do you say? J

* – It would be extremely unceremonious on my part to not acknowledge that the minute this post is published, the link would be up as a status message on both Facebook and Twitter

Apple's Juice and Other Stories

Conversation on IM between Friend (F1) and Me (I)

F1: Hey where did you abscond suddenly? Connectivity issues?

I: No, I had to be away on something urgently for a bit

F1: Like what?

I: Like I needed a tissue urgently ‘cos something had dripped.

F1: Like what? Tea? Or something more honorable, like coffee?

(Targeted at my intense hatred for coffee which is considered the elixir of life by many of my friends)

I: Apple Juice

F1: Ohh! (suddenly sounding impressed and all that) How did you get it? Got it from home?

(I was in office during this conversation)

I: Hmm.. no.. well.. actually.. (Not really wanting to answer now but not having much of an option).. Juice from an apple while I was trying to bite in to it spilled out.

F1: !!!???!!! what the!!

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Mail from friend (S) on a group thread regarding another member (F2)*

So I was at Infinity Mall and suddenly what do I see - a F2-studiously-trying-to-avoid-me. What the heck - I think. Let me watch him closely to see what could be the reason behind this logic-defying-activity, then pounce on him when he least suspects it.

So I watch him like a hawk and before long detect the reason for the same. Ah - say I.

Now for moving in for the kill. So I choose my moment with care, and when he is looking his most relieved at having avoided the ordeal, I jump in front of him, and say – F2!!! He spends the next five minutes and fifty sentences saying how truly-deeply-madly surprised he is to see me there.

Then I ask him, innocently, as I am sure, I always do - Who are you with. This question clean-bowls him. He reals under the shock of it, then steadies himself and points vaguely towards Andromeda Galaxy, saying - with a colleague

I purse my lips, smile knowingly inside my head and save the discussion for another day.

* Had to be tweaked a bit so as to avoid hits on the head from party concerned but had to be included in the blog come what may, as promised :D. Though lacks context for most people reading this, am sure it would have been an independent laugh riot when you read statements like “watching him like a hawk” and “moving in for the kill”

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Telephone conversation between friend (B) and me (I)

B: Hey Kavity!

I: Hey ‘Butt’ahhh!! Am very excited about coming to B’lore!

B: Hey when are you coming?

I: This weekend

B: Thank God, man, Thank God!

I: Ohh! You in town? It’s been ages since we caught up!

B: No no, I meant ‘Thank God, am not in town’. Saves me from the pain of having to meet up with you otherwise!

I: ??!??!

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Conversation between two colleagues (C1 and C2) when they meet after a long time

C1: Hey C2! Both of us have gained weight!

C2: No, I have actually lost weight

C1: Oh! I thought you have gained weight!

C2: No. I checked it only last week. So, am pretty sure I have lost weight.

C1: You might have checked and all that. But, am very sure you have gained weight.

C2: Dude! Give me a break! Would I know better about my weight or you?

C1: No, but still..

.. and on it goes.

That was just a sample of a C1 ‘gem’! In fact, there are plans to release a book on ‘Chronicles of C1's Arbit Antics” J

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Why these four incidents are related:

1. Am arbit
2. They are really real with absolutely no exaggerations; meaning, it is a 'least efforts basis' post
3. They cover almost* all different forms of communication (OK, I sat and thought this up only after finishing the post, in order to make it sound less arbit :D)

* - I have my caveats in place; letter writing is a unique art form that deserves a post of its own!

What matters really?

What matters really?
Mulls a dear ally
Instantly I respond
Peace and absolute calm

Why oh why?
I introspect as I go by

Why does the action girl
want all the peace in the world?
Why does the fighter in me
wish to retreat so soon and let it all be?

Have I got worn down
with all the madness in “tinsel” town?
Or been caught unaware
by the terrible storm that blew me out of my lair?

Perhaps peace is that elusive object
I have desired and obtained this instant
Perhaps what really matters
varies across life’s chapters

Will there come a time when nothing really matters anymore?

(Inspired by an e mail thread between some friends including the introspective D and the philosophical J)

My Bangalore

It was half past five in the morning as I got down from the train. A whiff of realllllly cold air (by my standards) greeted me; after many, many months, I suddenly felt free from the heat, the humidity and the madness in general. It took hardly moments for the nostalgic and sentimental me to take over.

Memories of hurriedly rushing to the prepaid counter to get a rick (fondly referred to as an ‘auto’ in this part of the world) in time to get back to campus, unpack, shower and change JIT for the 8 a.m. class flooded my mind as I made my way very slowly to join the end of a serpentine queue.

On my very first day in campus, I asked a PGP05 what he liked most about IIMB. Pat came the reply: “The Campus”. I realized the weight of those words the moment my vehicle reached campus. I walked all the way to the main entrance, through those hallowed corridors where I had taken my very first GD/PI, peering through the doors in to the library where I had searched for solace during the storms, drowning in the greenery of the grounds where the ‘Con’s were ‘Vacate’d with an elaborate ceremony.

What with change being the only permanence and all that jazz, Chai Unchai has finally closed, Athicas has shifted. The shift has done it good I should say. It has expanded, relocated to a better place even, and has become more easily accessible in general. The chai has not changed even a wee bit though. After ‘putting chai’ and declining to ‘put sandwich’, staring further more at the corridors leading off to C Block and in between all this, snatching some time to shower and change which was the agenda of that 40 minute long drive, I came back to the mess to, as I would put it, ‘absorb the mess air and revel in its ambience’.

If not for two reminder calls and some messages, I might never have got up from the place as no one likes leaving home. For, that which is irresistible, comforting and inspiring all together, is home after all.

Note 1: My Bangalore, to me, is just IIMB, everything else being sundry and secondary. That is why I do not have a tag on Bangalore in my blog, unlike the ones on Chennai and Mumbai .

Note 2: I wanted to make my 50th post all gala and grandiose. Luckily, readers have been spared of all that arbit as I did not realize that this was my 50th post till I finished writing it.