NEW
DELHI, October
10, 2013
An ode to Indian postal system
RANA SIDDIQUI ZAMAN
Trailing the journey of the Indian
postal system from 1668 till 2007, Arvind Kumar Singh’s book“Bharatiya Dak:
Sadiyon Ka Safarnama” has been chosen by the Department of Education,
Ministry of Human Resource Development for the Shiksha Puraskar or the
Education Award for the year 2009. The award was launched by the Government of
India in 1992 for encouraging original writings in Hindi in the field of
education.
Published by National Book Trust, the
book has already been translated into three languages -- English, Hindi and
Assamese -- and is going to be translated in seven to 12 more languages.
“This book has been a best-seller on
the subject and that the new editions will have a new look,” said an NBT
representative.
One of its chapters titled “ Chittiyon
KI Anokhi Duniya – the unique world of letters” has also been included
in the NCERT book of Class VIII which runs into seven pages.
Titled the “Moving encyclopaedia of
Indian Post” in English, the book has 43 chapters and explains in detail the
postal systems during the times of kings and nobility, modern and rural postal
systems, postmen’s lives and the hardships they face, postcard, letterbox,
earlier postal services through pigeons to dak-bunglows to horses and elephants
and from male runners to rail, air etc.
It notes that that stalwarts
in their own fields like Noble Laureate C.V. Raman, authors Munshi Prem Chand,
Rajinder Singh Bedi, Nirad C. Chaudhary and Mahashewta Devi, actor Dev Anand
and celebrated Dogri writers Shivnath and Krishna Bihari ‘Noor’ were once
postal department employees.
Arvind Singh’s book has been written
for the layman and is about the post Independence status of the postal
services. It covers the challenges met by the carriers of postal services and
its heroic survival despite the onslaught of technology via mobile, internet
and private couriers.
Recalling a story about another
person who wanted to write on the subject, the 52-year-old author, who hails
from UP, said: “A postman in Allahabad wanted to write a book on the subject
but due to financial constraints and ill health he died. He would get me my
money order which I used to wait desperately for in my college days in
Allahabad. Once when I didn’t get any money order, I went to see him. He was
ill. I came to know that day that he used to give me money from his own pocket
if my money order didn’t reach on time. It humbled me immensely and raised my
curiosity to know more about the lives of postmen. But due to the lack of any
research material, I had to run across the whole of India and meet almost every
postman, virtually every post office to know the reality behind this unique
service.”
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