” You received a Speed Post Article for delivery. Thank You for Using India Post. Please track further status here. Download “Postinfo” India Post Android app at Google Playstore.” This is a message I received today morning and it brought me immense happiness because other than shopping deliveries and junk mail I rarely receive snail mail these days.

Growing up I used to religiously write letters to my friends who lived in other parts of India since I kept moving around and receiving a letter was one of those moments that defined a good day. It invariably started with ” How are you doing? I am doing fine” but for a 9 year old that is good prose. I have most of these letters kept safely tied with a red ribbon. In recent years I have progressively seen post boxes and post offices in India almost vanishing, hence I took it upon myself to start clicking them wherever I see them much to my husbands chagrin. Here are some of my best clicks so far.

The post box inside Rabrindra Bari (Rabindranath Tagore’s house) in Kolkatta. This was a hot and humid day when my brother, my sis in law and me decided to explore Kolkatta without any itinerary. Most of the time hence was spent seeing locked museums, tram rides and following random strangers who asked us to follow them to the nearest metro station through the crowded and narrow lanes of old Kolkatta.

 

A Post office and the post woman which is next to an Anganwadi in Coorg, Karnataka. This was on a road trip to Coorg and driving through the hills and coffee plantations around Coorg. We had gone to buy spices at Gonicopal and crossed this small hamlet, when I got down to take a pic of this post office this lady came out and inquired where I was coming from and we exchanged some small talk as the children in the anganwadi next door chanted rhymes. She then posed for this pic for me the strange city dweller.

Post box on top of Nandi Hills one early misty morning. This was clicked on Republic day on Nandi Hills and apparently a quarter of Bangalore also had the same idea that morning. We saw the flag hoisted on top of this hill as the clouds swept over the hill. It was a lovely morning with friends after which we gorged on parathas from the Indian Paratha House which is en route.

A post office in the misty mountains of Cherrapunjee.

The post office in Leh market at 14,000 Feet. Rarified air and rare letters from far a wide connecting this mountain abode with the rest of India.

I took this pic inside the ISB campus on an official trip as a speaker at ISB. This is my first pic shot of a PO inside a campus.