<p>The smell of paper, fragrance of pen and the happiness of opening a sealed envelope — these are some of the joys that used to be associated with writing a letter. <br />Before the technological revolution took over our lives, letters were the only way to connect to people across the world. <br /><br />Today, the art of writing letters to loved ones has reduced to the mere click of a button. <br />Metrolife speaks to a few people and finds out about the diminishing practice of letter writing.<br /><br />Says Bhamati Kothari, a student, “Nothing can replace the warmth of writing letters and the joy of reading them. In the earlier days, the feel of a letter itself used to make one smile. Letters have an inexplicable warmth associated with them that surpasses all the joys in the world.” <br /><br />Shalini, a BPO employee, is of a similar opinion.<br /><br /> “The flow of thought while writing a letter is something that one can never get while sitting before a computer. The delight of opening a sealed envelope and the curiosity that entails it is absolutely priceless,” she says. <br /><br />But many say writing letters is a laborious process and consumes a lot of time. <br /><br />“These days when everything is instantaneous, we can’t possibly send a letter, wait for it to reach the recipient and then anticipate a reply. When technology has offered so many convenient options, why stick to the conventional mode of communication,” asks Shwetha M K, who works for a private firm. <br /><br />On the other hand, some people feel writing letters means more consumption of paper and cutting of trees.<br /><br />“I would rather go green and use the Net than write letters or waste paper unnecessarily. Moreover after a point of time, papers may fade or tear but e-mails remain intact,” says Sandeep S Prasad, an IT employee. <br /><br />With the technology offering better options to personalise the design and look of letters, people prefer to stick to the Net than write letters. <br /><br />“I can personalise the contents, designs and the feel of an email and present it in a more colourful manner. I would prefer communicating through technology and making it look special than write letters,” says Asha, a business analyst with a private firm. <br /><br />However there are people who still stick to the habit of writing letters. <br /><br />“The joy of reading a letter, responding to it and making a person feel special and cared about is something that technology can never do. The smile on one’s face as he or she reads a letter is absolutely priceless,” sums up Sridevi, a homemaker who occasionally writes letters.<br /></p>
<p>The smell of paper, fragrance of pen and the happiness of opening a sealed envelope — these are some of the joys that used to be associated with writing a letter. <br />Before the technological revolution took over our lives, letters were the only way to connect to people across the world. <br /><br />Today, the art of writing letters to loved ones has reduced to the mere click of a button. <br />Metrolife speaks to a few people and finds out about the diminishing practice of letter writing.<br /><br />Says Bhamati Kothari, a student, “Nothing can replace the warmth of writing letters and the joy of reading them. In the earlier days, the feel of a letter itself used to make one smile. Letters have an inexplicable warmth associated with them that surpasses all the joys in the world.” <br /><br />Shalini, a BPO employee, is of a similar opinion.<br /><br /> “The flow of thought while writing a letter is something that one can never get while sitting before a computer. The delight of opening a sealed envelope and the curiosity that entails it is absolutely priceless,” she says. <br /><br />But many say writing letters is a laborious process and consumes a lot of time. <br /><br />“These days when everything is instantaneous, we can’t possibly send a letter, wait for it to reach the recipient and then anticipate a reply. When technology has offered so many convenient options, why stick to the conventional mode of communication,” asks Shwetha M K, who works for a private firm. <br /><br />On the other hand, some people feel writing letters means more consumption of paper and cutting of trees.<br /><br />“I would rather go green and use the Net than write letters or waste paper unnecessarily. Moreover after a point of time, papers may fade or tear but e-mails remain intact,” says Sandeep S Prasad, an IT employee. <br /><br />With the technology offering better options to personalise the design and look of letters, people prefer to stick to the Net than write letters. <br /><br />“I can personalise the contents, designs and the feel of an email and present it in a more colourful manner. I would prefer communicating through technology and making it look special than write letters,” says Asha, a business analyst with a private firm. <br /><br />However there are people who still stick to the habit of writing letters. <br /><br />“The joy of reading a letter, responding to it and making a person feel special and cared about is something that technology can never do. The smile on one’s face as he or she reads a letter is absolutely priceless,” sums up Sridevi, a homemaker who occasionally writes letters.<br /></p>