Letters are the ‘write’ path to keeping in touch with friends
The year 1990 was a particularly eventful one for me. It was the year that my schoolmate left for foreign shores for higher studies, while I left my hometown for a distant city to pursue my Master’s degree.
I also “mastered” another skill: writing letters.
When my schoolmate left for Portland, Oregon, United States, to pursue his Master’s in engineering on May 30, 1990, we had an unwritten agreement: we would write letters to each other as often as possible.
We stuck to our word. The letters flew thick and fast. Every airmail I sent received a prompt reply. It took one week to 10 days for the mail to reach the destination, but that didn’t let us down. Little wonder, it was called “snail mail”.
Soon, we realized we wanted to write more, but there wasn’t much space in the airmails. So, we decided to write on white sheets, place them in envelopes and mail them. That meant additional expenditure.
As against 6 rupees and 50 paise (94 cents) for an airmail, I spent 11 rupees on each letter sent in an envelope. The exchange values, though, are for the current period. It was a costly exercise.
But it was worth all the effort. We were learning about each other’s life and our friendship was growing stronger. Our handwriting also got better. The letters also gave us a platform to impress each other with our vocabulary skills.
And then came the disrupter: email. When I first signed up with Hotmail in November 1997, my joy knew no bounds because it was free. Those days, few people had an internet connection at home. We would either surf at the office or the nearest cybercafe.
The email did boost our exchanges initially, but not for long. As days went by, we sent fewer and fewer emails to each other.
Then came the cellphone. Mobile tariffs were high, and those receiving calls were billed. So, our exchanges were still restricted to emails. After a few years, the call rates dropped and the technology improved, which enabled Skype conversations. Still, it didn’t increase the frequency of our exchanges. Our Skype conversations happened once or twice a year, and barely 15 minutes each time.
The last time we spoke was about a month ago, and before that, two years ago.
Technology, it seems, had lost its charm. Maybe it’s time to switch to the written word again?
China has already made a beginning in this direction by reviving the practice of letter writing.
The Fu Lei Middle School in Shanghai, for instance, has been promoting the writing of letters for 10 years, according to a China Daily report. It encourages students to write to their parents.
Fu Guoqing, the school’s headmaster, said, “the classes enlighten young minds about family relationships, and help build strong, healthy families with efficient ways of communication.”
So true. I can recall having written even about minute things to my parents during my stay in the university hostel in 1990, my first experience of staying away from home. I must admit it helped strengthen the bond between us.
I confided all my problems with them, including about the quality of food and inability to cope with hostel life, and they came up with various suggestions. They were always there with me, through their letters.
On the other hand, letters from friends egged me on, while keeping me informed about the happenings in their personal lives and those of others, as well as their progress on academic front.
At the same time, our friendship was growing stronger.