The power of the written word

Do you remember the last time you wrote a letter — not just scrawled a leave of absence slip or a dutiful thank you note, but actually used a letter pad to convey a message or share your thoughts with someone else?

Students may still be taught to write letters in schools and colleges, but the art of writing letters is dying in this digital world.

With people now communicating through text messages and e-mails, post offices are comparatively deserted. In an era, when people can easily type out a letter on a computer, there are very few who still stick to the ‘snail mail’.

But there are a few people in the City who still enjoy writing letters.
“I write to my relatives in Mandya once in a while. Of course, we talk over the phone very often. But, we still prefer writing because we are used to it,” says Manjunath, a retired person.

“About 10 years ago, I still used to write to all my friends. Now, I don’t really have the time — but I will definitely do so if I get a chance,” he
adds.

Vinodhini, a homemaker, admits that she is still in the habit of writing letters. “I’m originally from Tamil Nadu and many members of my family are still there. I don’t write to them as much as I used to when I first moved to Bangalore, which was about 20 years ago.

But I usually send letters asking about their well-being, especially during Deepavali,” she explains.These days, wedding invites too have turned digital. There are very few people who still send out attractive cards.

 “I have relatives in many cities and I do write letters to couples who post their wedding invites to me. I can call them, but it’s a nice gesture to reply in the same manner,” says Nagasheshiah, who works at the Karnataka Milk Federation.

Love letters are probably the only form of letters that have survived through many generations.

Sushmita N, a student, talks about how she writes love notes to her boyfriend every other week.

“I hand them over to him rather than post them. We have the habit of writing to each other despite talking on the phone everyday,” she says.

Sudha K, another homemaker, mentions that she likes writing to her extended family in India and her other relatives in California.

 She says, “I do keep in touch with my relatives abroad, mostly through social networking sites. But I occasionally write letters just for the fun of it.”

Ashwath Gowda is busy with his construction business and says, “When it comes to business, it’s all about being professional and writing formal letters to our clients or business partners. But when it comes to family, I prefer making calls.”