Expressions Explosive

Expressions Explosive

4 mins
151


The evening sky exuded all the purple shades of the fading sunlight. The hyperactive nonagenarian bespectacled in his progressive lenses drooping precariously on his nose, reclined on an easy-chair on the terrace, chuckled as he laid his hands on his treasure trove of quaint readings.


 And why not?

They were hand-written letters from his wife when she was away to her native. Chunks of memories came sashaying his way as he glanced through these priceless exhibits of letters/greetings and postcards. It appeared as if he'd found his lost destiny.


Greeting cards/letters/postcards from our special ones captivated our hearts in the pre-internet era. Agree, wouldn't you?


These snail-mails resonated with everyone who experienced strong and long-lasting friendships and relationships in schools, colleges and beyond.


The ubiquitously found postman of the pre-internet days was a powerhouse of 'bushels of cheers' for all the people yearning for communication.


As kids, our pining minds would watch out for the postman with intense intrigue. The clinking bell from the cycle of the postman made us gallop to the letterbox frantically.


He was the magical soul who loaded our mail-box with letters and greetings from our kith and kin. We only had to have a glimpse of him to be instantly smitten. Greeting cards stemmed our senses with great gravitational pull. We displayed shades of emotions ranging from solidarity to optimism to nostalgia.


The palpable mirth turned a wee bit murkier and compounded the freneticism, had the postman erroneously dropped letters of our neighbours. Disappointment being order of the day, we would experience the descending anguish.

But the moment, the much-awaited greeting hit your letterbox, layers and layers of happiness

engulfed your senses. We would also compete for the number of greetings collected with our peers. The one heaping a maximum emerged the winner.


On our special days, though we were fancifully gifted with bouquets, cakes and greetings. It was the greeting with the words embossed on it that attracted great attention. Our order of preference was to instantly sneak into the greeting. Such was its vigour!

A jaunt in the reverse of time -


Those were our college days. The security at our gate was a tall and bulky person with a fearful moustache, that garnered panic from all the college girls. In his fifties and clad in a khakhi uniform, his shoes and belt always sparkled black. His strict demeanour earned laurels year after year, that added to the reputation of the college.


During our free periods, we used to cajole and coax him to allow an exit. (with the aim of buying a greeting card for a special friend's birthday.) 'Security chacha' as he was fondly addressed, was adamant with his refusals. Seeking permission from Principal mam and lecturers was an easier task, but not from the inexorable 'security chacha'.!


He often remarked and deviated our request thus - 'Bitiya', my aap logon ko baahar nahi bhijaonga, bus thodi aur intezaar karna, final bell ka'... :

Thoroughly disappointed and with a dash of rebellion towards him, we'd leave the college after the final bell, phew!


We'd amble ambitiously into all the lanes and bylanes that housed the greeting boutiques and would be spoilt for choice, for that one feisty pick!

With the peaking thrill of having selected that one special card for that special someone. In doing so, we almost grilled all the sales girls who showcased their convincing drill. :)


Having chosen one greeting after 95-minute foraging akin to selecting silk saree in a Kumaran silks house, our faces whipped up a festive spirit and we hopped back home convincingly!


However, the fun and thrill element has fizzled out dramatically with the social media domains.

The reminder in the right corner of FB steals the desired suspense and amusement. We seem

gawking at the influx of wishes that pour in like a ritual.

The tangible and ornate greetings always scored over the online lures anytime anywhere!

Anyone reaching out to that dusty attic after decades and are in possession of a fortune of old autographs, greetings, letters in a carton box are truly millionaires! 

Have a nice day!



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