From Russia With Love

This is an impromptu post triggered by a chance letter that reached me this morning. Usually, I would have waited for all my regular readers (heh heh) to respond to my previous post. But, an exigency calls for some unforeseen measures. So on we go.

Letters always have this strange old world charm associated with them. Be it Papa sending you his wishes in the most unromantic monotones. Be it Didi sending you rakhi with nothing but a message like - "Sending in hurry, so unable to enclose chawal". Be it your best friend pouring his heart out. A hand-written account of even the simplest of things can never fail to move you. A smile is bound to grace that grumpy face. A memory is bound to be cherished. And the chitthi is bound to be read again and again.

It doesn't matter if you are the g33k G0d or n3rd p3rs0nifi3d. It doesn't matter if you swear by e-mail and Instant Relay Chat. That little chitthi will transform you (even if it's for a moment) into a teary-eyed fool (okay maybe that was an exaggeration). Like a flash, moments shared together are bound to, you know, just roll off. (Arrggh... I don't have the perfect expression for the feeling!)

We live in the age of emails and teleconferencing. Of flickr and orkut. So what is it that affects us in such a subtle way? Is it the personal touch? Is it the realization that the person took time out especially for you and not just forwarded the season's greetings? Or is it something beyond words? As always, questions like these can only have fuzzy answers. In the end, it's just the feeling. You feel strange (and good). So why the heck worry about the reason?

I, for one, used to enjoy writing letters. Believe it nor not, I used to write letters to my mum, while in school, pleading with her not to send me to that place the next morning. I even used to tell her that I was ready to clean utensils and all. "Mummy I am ready to even mop the floor. But I don't want to study!", I remember writing. Of course I was a lot more stupid and carefree back then. Those letters never fail to break me into peals of laughter even now.

But it's all telephonic conversations and emails now. "The old-world-charm is too slow a way to keep in touch", says the multitude. But it's not too much of a trouble to find time every now and then. On second thoughts, maybe it is. But take the time yaar. You might succeed in making someone smile today. And that is one good deed in your bahikhata. Start collecting the points now