Mumbai: Counter No. 10 of the Central Telegraph Office, a more than a century-old British-era building located between the Hutatma Chowk-Flora Fountain and the
Churchgate railway station is abuzz with activity.
A majority of those entering the building over the past week, are rushing towards the Counter No. 10. They are picking up a form, writing something, paying a fee and it is being accepted.
The Counter No. 10 actually is a counter that accepts Telegrams. All those who are visiting would be part of history - as these would be the last few telegrams that would be accepted.
On Sunday, the 163-year-old service shuts down - and India was the last country, where the service was still in existence. At 8 pm, Sunday night, July 14, 2013, it would be history.
“Its an emotional moment for all of us....telegram was not just a means of communication, it shared joy, sorrow, news, developments and important events....as employees we too are sad,” said Rajnath Pandey, Senior Section Supervisor (Operative), of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), even as he handles a bulk of telegrams and clear it for dispatch.
On Saturday, several hundred people visited the CTO to send in telegrams and be part of the history - and some messages were like “I SALUTE TELEGRAM”, “PLEASE DO NOT CLOSE IT”, “YOU HAVE BEEN PART OF OUR LIFE”....and so on.
The employees to have their share of worry. “Those who work in agriculture fields, suddenly you ask them to work on computers,” says R S Singh, a BSNL employee.
“Its a sad moment....three generations of my family has been involved with the Post Office of Post and Telegraph departments.....I have seen it.....I have felt it,” says Om Prakash Tiwari, a Mumbai-based journalist Om Prakash Tiwari, who hails from Faizabad. “Telegram has its own importance and the government must have kept it alive, and used it in a minimal way....in a country like India, there would be still people who would be using Telegrams,” he said, adding that definitely cell-phone density has increased, smart phones era have ushered, e-mails have become popular - but Telegrams has its own importance.
Adds Pandey: “It is not that there are no users.....at least if we take it individually, the metro CTOs, are profit making.” He points out that some of the bulk users are Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and government departments and banks like ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank.
A boy, who is a heritage lover, who has come to the CTO, sent across two dozen Telegrams to his friends - and a few to himself - as he wants to keep it as souvenir.
Heritage expert Rafique Baghdadi points out an interesting anecdote. “Around four years ago, I was conducting a lady, who was an artiste and her mother, a screenplay writer, to some to the heritage landmarks. I pointed out to them the building and said - this is CTO...they asked what the CTO is...to which I told, it is Central Telegraph Office and Telegrams are sent from here...They asked me - do we still use it.....its a fact, now the service closes down.”
Telegrams are part of Indian history and several telegrams have been preserved by conservators, collectors and in museums. "Telegrams were one of the sources for getting news quickly. Whether it was a death, or a birth, or news about that much-coveted government job, the telegram was the fastest way to get the news," said Pandey.
Churchgate railway station is abuzz with activity.
A majority of those entering the building over the past week, are rushing towards the Counter No. 10. They are picking up a form, writing something, paying a fee and it is being accepted.
The Counter No. 10 actually is a counter that accepts Telegrams. All those who are visiting would be part of history - as these would be the last few telegrams that would be accepted. On Sunday, the 163-year-old service shuts down - and India was the last country, where the service was still in existence. At 8 pm, Sunday night, July 14, 2013, it would be history.
“Its an emotional moment for all of us....telegram was not just a means of communication, it shared joy, sorrow, news, developments and important events....as employees we too are sad,” said Rajnath Pandey, Senior Section Supervisor (Operative), of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), even as he handles a bulk of telegrams and clear it for dispatch.
On Saturday, several hundred people visited the CTO to send in telegrams and be part of the history - and some messages were like “I SALUTE TELEGRAM”, “PLEASE DO NOT CLOSE IT”, “YOU HAVE BEEN PART OF OUR LIFE”....and so on.
The employees to have their share of worry. “Those who work in agriculture fields, suddenly you ask them to work on computers,” says R S Singh, a BSNL employee.
“Its a sad moment....three generations of my family has been involved with the Post Office of Post and Telegraph departments.....I have seen it.....I have felt it,” says Om Prakash Tiwari, a Mumbai-based journalist Om Prakash Tiwari, who hails from Faizabad. “Telegram has its own importance and the government must have kept it alive, and used it in a minimal way....in a country like India, there would be still people who would be using Telegrams,” he said, adding that definitely cell-phone density has increased, smart phones era have ushered, e-mails have become popular - but Telegrams has its own importance.
Adds Pandey: “It is not that there are no users.....at least if we take it individually, the metro CTOs, are profit making.” He points out that some of the bulk users are Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and government departments and banks like ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank.
A boy, who is a heritage lover, who has come to the CTO, sent across two dozen Telegrams to his friends - and a few to himself - as he wants to keep it as souvenir.
Heritage expert Rafique Baghdadi points out an interesting anecdote. “Around four years ago, I was conducting a lady, who was an artiste and her mother, a screenplay writer, to some to the heritage landmarks. I pointed out to them the building and said - this is CTO...they asked what the CTO is...to which I told, it is Central Telegraph Office and Telegrams are sent from here...They asked me - do we still use it.....its a fact, now the service closes down.”
Telegrams are part of Indian history and several telegrams have been preserved by conservators, collectors and in museums. "Telegrams were one of the sources for getting news quickly. Whether it was a death, or a birth, or news about that much-coveted government job, the telegram was the fastest way to get the news," said Pandey.
No comments:
Post a Comment