The Monday letters: ‘Open with a smile!’
Yesterday, while searching my almirah, I found an old inland letter card that had “open with a smile” written on the back. It was my message to my parents in 2001, sent from the hostel of Punjab Public School, Nabha.
The sheet I had once folded and gummed reminded me of boarding school, where every Monday, we wore a big smile. It was the day when in the English class, we’d write to our parents, expressing our thoughts, mentioning the activities we participated in, and describing what we ate in canteen that opened only on Sundays. What more could we do? As we were not allowed to talk to our parents on telephone unless there was an emergency, letter writing became our antidote for homesickness.
Teachers would check our letters for grammatical errors, which made most students so uncomfortable that they’d hide their negative impressions of the hostel life and the problems they faced. A typical case was one of my best friends, Navdeep Singh, nicknamed ‘Dhobi’ (washerman) for some reasons. He used to fight for more letter stationery, so that he could express his actual feelings in secret mail and post it through secret sources, for which we always made fun of him.
But homesickness lasted only until we found friends who became our extended family. We did miss our parents sometimes but being away from home brought us closer as a family. Competing to write most expressive weekly letters made us careful selectors of words. It improved our vocabulary and writing skills.
Letter writing has gone rare in modern living. Now we text, voice message, comment, and post e-cards that say everything on our behalf. But no technological tool can replace the warmth and sincerity of a handwritten note. A letter remains the next best thing to showing up at someone’s door.
The ink from your pen stains the stationery, your fingers touch the paper, and your saliva seals the envelope. The recipient holds this paper and sees a reflection of you in your handwriting. Years later, when you discover a letter from a loved one, you relive the innocent joys of childhood. Asked why he preserved my old mail, my father said he had to. “These are legacy letters — love letters to family. It translates your personal story and family values into life’s lessons and wisdom for the younger generations. Today when they are drifting away, this roadmap will guide them home.”
Imagine how joyful it would be for grandparents to receive grandchildren’s drawings and an accompanying note saying how well they are doing in class! It’s personal touch. Is someone waiting to hear from you? The time to write is now.
A LETTER REMAINS THE NEXT BEST THING TO SHOWING UP AT SOMEONE’S DOOR