MIR group appears to be a business group with a difference! They are into construction in a big way. However, alongside construction business of cement-concrete-steel, they seem to promote also re-construction as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.
One thing they do, seems to stand out - that is a theme calendar. It's not the typical calendar of a firm, nor the calendar stuff like that of Kingfisher. It is primarily a thought - or an idea (which can change your life!!), developed into symbols, pictures and finally, a calendar. The format is desk top.
But it doesn't end there - there is usually some student (school-college) activity in this connection. May be a caption contest or essay competition or picture/painting contest on the theme. Then a gathering where the winners/participants are felicitated, some food is shared, and most interesting among all, the idea-theme is celebrated.
I had the good fortune to be part of this exercise for two years. And that showed that the themes were very sensible ones, and previous two were really closer to my heart - one being on 'motherhood' and the other on 'nature' or something like that. Then last year, it was on mirror, and the calendar had a mirror in it, so that the one who looked at the calendar could see oneself reflected on the desk top calendar. I had to join the releasing ceremony, where I shared my reflection on 'mirror'. It was an intellectually stimulating cultural exchange. That way, I consider this as a CSR activity. In this age of very business-like relations and exchanges, in spite of the business of good will generation intended in this exercise, this can be held as a social outreach and a relevant initiative for a world getting depleted of cultural niceties and refined thinking.
So this time it was all about letters - letter writing symbolised by post-cards - those tiny rectangular pieces of yellow. The backdrop was a collection of such pieces which came in competition - I counted about 420 (I forgot...). It formed a very attractive and novel back-drop.
It struck a chord within me, as I was a regular user of post cards for a long time - they were small; they could be filled neatly and easily and they were very open, but you could write your heart on to them, if needed, and yet manage to deliver them as confidential matter, as hardly anybody would have ventured to look into what was written there.
In my memory they were just 5 ps per card initially, then it steadily grew in price - 10 -15, 20, 25. Perhaps, after that a quantum jump to 50 ps. and I think it has got stuck there for a long time! But then came the age of competitions and contests of all sorts - the pre-sms age, when post cards had to be sent. That made a section of them expensive - Rs. 4 per piece. something like our sms pricing on holidays, now-a-days.
The reflections on writing post cards brought nostalgic reflections to the speakers present. The Chairman, the famous novelist, Sri Subhash Chandran shared beautiful reflections on letter writing of his childhood, youth and love. He also recalled the story of
ottal and the letter the abused young boy, linking its core to the story by Anton Chekhov. That was beautiful and ennobling.
I recalled the famous ghazal of Pankaj Udhas: :
चिठ्ठी आई है... बड़े दिनों के बाद, हम वतनों को याद
पहले जब तू खत लिखता था
कागज़ में चेहरे दीखता था बंद हुआ यह मेल भी अब तो
ख़त्म हुआ यह खेल भी अब तो
In my desire to be a writer (author) I was almost reconciled to the idea that I may be at the best a writer of 'letters' which at least, at some point of time, were appreciated by my sister, by Asoka my good friend. However, I look back and without any surprise assess the fact of my not having 'written' any letter for past many many years. It has progressed steadily from a few mails, gradually emails taking over and dumping those letters of old times as 'snail mail'. In the age of 24 x 7, and of express high ways, never satisfying speed, we are into txtg - not even having the patience to write even the full texts, but all the same awaiting response the express way. You get irritated if you don't get a response in an hour. You text and await answer, if it takes a day, or at times, even an hour, you get irritated. You starting ringing up, and ask whether you got the mail/the msg; and why no response.
At times, it appears like a conversation on many platforms FB, twitter messenger services or even on email. And there are many such provisions now, like skype where you can 'integrate' reading, writing and hearing skills - where you combine texts, visuals and sound. .
In this rapid growth of communication and connectedness, the old time communion seems to escape. Some of the speakers share the nostalgia of missing the good old post-man, how he used to run/walk around/or bicycle around - being part of the geography and community, and be a link between the houses of the locality.
Now for the sake of our 'feeling good' should we retain the punishment of being a post-man.
The nostalgia of the homeliness of the post-card, post-man, post-master/mistress not withstanding, I feel their slot is now that of being part of history and museum. I suggest let us be candid about this.
Earlier, the claims were made for reading, writing and speaking - today, writing is replaced by texting. In the process, perhaps what we are losing is actually writing skills. You hands and fingers tend to get stuck and sticky in the effort. Instead, the skill to key in letters becomes a basic skill.
In spite of my lingering nostalgia for pens - especially, ink pens (I still use them) - we must confess that the modern technology frees us from the stain of ink - and in the context of ink-pens disappearing and being replaced by plastic refillers and throw away pens - all of which add to the pollution - waste generatoin. The saving grace of the modern (e) letters - is that it is less polluting. Less hard copy drafts; less the polluting tubes and pens, we are being blessed by the new technology. Let us be forthright and accept the fact,
In this modern era, one of my major concerns - on the flip side - is that the paper cards, imply trees, forests being cleared. So the new technology which appears unromantic and very techno, apparently lacking in relationships, is in a way, preventing our final alienation with the planet, with earth, its resources.
Come to our actual 'feel good factors' of this era - don't we feel good when we spend less money or no money and stay in touch - with prompt responses from our friends, relatives from all over the world - text, talk, see.
The new technology prevents or reduces our possibilities to cheat - the when, where etc. of our responses become clear, and not easily hideable.
The new modes of corresponding can reveal or hide - but more easily reveal ourselves - the level of sincerity will depend on us, the users.
It provides world wide mobility and reach.
And our earlier time writing skill, though being lost, is being replaced by texting dexterity. New skill sets emerge!
The whole process is more easily documented, stored and integrate our transactions, our documents, pictures, videos. What a fabulous world!!
In spite of the nostalgic feelings, and in spite of my being still a user of the age old post cards, I think the disappearance of old time letters, with the new generation technology is indeed a blessing. And I am afraid, rather, I hope, that there is no going back!
Though there is an old world charm getting lost - there is a whole world of opportunities opening up in the new dispensation of communication. A safe, kind, brave, new world (Aldous Huxley?) is before us! Let us face it, Let us embrace it!
Today's corporate social responsibility (CSR) should give weight to processes that are less burdensome to the planet and less wasteful. (The very plastic wrapped fantastic bouquet the oragnisers gift the guests are unwarranted and waste generating and an indicator of thoughtless corporate social irresponsibility of following some fads, and not being critically responsible). Thus, reflection and celebration of old times and post-cards, while being good, let us focus our energies on being kind to our planet and other beings, by our conscious choices of technology.
PS. The gathering was good. I thought I shared my candid reflections. But I sensed some sort of animosity - almost tangible. Then, Dr. Sr. Vineeta, former Principal of St. Teresa's was invited to share her thoughts - and to my surprise, she hang on to my reflections on wastefulness and concern for waste, and retorted almost vehemently that this obsession has to do with our mentality. She thundered where does waste come from? It was not there earlier. Now just writing simple letters will create waste was non-sensical etc. And there was a positive response from the audience to her response, an applause - as, (to my guess) people didn't want to accept the fact of their lives, and possibility of goodness in that, and preferred to have those tokens of nostalgia kept in tact (in spite of their never ever likelihood of using them). And the organising team and the beneficiaries sensed that I was being critical which was not welcome. They would have preferred me speak good of the organising, the theme and its goodness, rather than open up possibilities which were proving that their replacement was a blessing!
It was okay for me.
It was like the old saying: सत्यम ब्रूयात प्रियं ब्रूयात न ब्रूयात सत्यम अप्रियम!
Or as the Isha Upanishad goes:
हिरण्मयॆन पात्रॆन सत्यस्यापिहितं मुखम् ।
तत् त्वं पूषन्नपावृणु सत्यधर्माय दृष्टयॆ ॥ १५
With the golden lid the face of the Truth is covered.
Oh sun, you remove that! Let (me) see with true-principle!
I was rather convinced that hardly anyone among the speakers or listeners would be using a post card for actual correspondence.. . I thought I should get back and send a post card to sister as Christmas greetings! However, it didn't materialise. It was bit too late, and we were exchanging notes on various issues over email or phone.
I did send post cards on my return from the retreat which I had begun the very same day. To four of my students who had invited me for their wedding. I was unable to attend them, and I wrote very personal congratulatory notes on post cards, in my own fairly legible and rather good hand-writing (after a very long time of having done so). Three of them received no response. One of them, which I had sent to Thammanna (deep desire) of Botany, returned saying the addressee was not available! After all, she was from Fort Kochi!!
