REINVENTION OF INDIA POST

 The following  information about Indian Postal Service made me go down memory lane about our postal system. How it has been replaced  by the instant communication, across the world, possible through emails and social media today forcing the India Post to reinvent itself.

 “India Post is undergoing a major digital transformation with its IT 2.0 initiative, launching Advanced Postal Technology (APT) to modernise services, integrate banking (IPPB), and enhance rural reach. Key recent changes include the discontinuation of the traditional Registered Post service in favour of Speed Post for better tracking, and new "Generation Z" post offices focused on youth”

 Remember the times, not long ago, when all communication to your near and dear ones, staying near or far, was done through letters written by hand or typewritten on a self-stamped postcard, or an Inland letter or postal covers. If we were sending the letter in plain envelopes, then we had to buy stamps of different denominations depending on the weight of the envelope and paste them on the envelopes using some form of adhesive. Even grains of cooked rice came in handy as an adhesive!. This task was later made easy by the Post Office, which provided self-adhesive stamps, and all that you had to do was to wet it by using a wet sponge or just lick it!.

 We used the postcard for open communication and Inland letters or enveloped letters for any communication which required some privacy. If we wanted to secure the delivery of letters or important documents, we had the facility of sending them by Registered Post, with or without Acknowledgement Due. When the electronic payment facilities or even basic banking services did not have the kind of reach it has today, Money Orders were the sure way of sending money from one place to another. VPP was another service offered.

 In the olden days, our elders believed in using postcards more often, with information packed using every centimeter of space available in the postcard. It was not unusual to see sentences squeezed into the margins and even the address portions. You had to wait patiently for letters from your near and dear ones, living abroad, sent by Sea Post. They would take more than a month to reach you. Later, the waiting time was reduced to a week when the letters started arriving by air mail.

 The government, in its wisdom, has been providing this as a subsidised service. India can proudly claim to have one of the best postal systems in the world. We have 1,55,000 post offices to serve the 6,00,000 villages of India of which 1,38,000 are located in villages. In many of the villages, the Post Offices are located in the home of a prominent resident of the village. I have heard that my maternal grandfather was operating one such Post office from his home in our village in Tamil Nadu

 With the growing popularity of Social media, when the Postal Department found reduced patronage for its services, making huge losses, it had to reinvent itself. It had to think of non-conventional services using its wide network connecting the remotest villages of India. IPO has one of the best distribution networks available in the country for any product or service. No wonder that Post Offices diversified into offering services like Life Insurance, Postal savings. They even offer their Network to Corporates for selling their products. The Indian Post Payments Bank has been taking  Banking services to the doorsteps of households, especially rural households.

 While the Postal Department is trying its best to stay relevant, it is sad that a whole generation of Indians has grown up without any idea of postal services. The other day, I asked a schoolboy if he had heard of post offices. His response was `What is a Post Office?`

 {Updated version of my article titled ``Snail Mail` which appeared in one of the issues of Adyar Times in 2019 under my column `Rajan`s Random Reflections )

 

A BOOK BY A TEENAGER

 I have attended several book launches in my long life, both as a member of the audience and some as a guest of honour. Authors of most of these book launches were adults, including some senior citizens who were releasing their memoirs or biographies. The book launch that I attended on Friday, 19th December, was different. The author was a seventeen-year-old Aadhya Surendar, a school student studying in the 12th standard. Her book `Seventeen and Anxious` was being released at the Cosmopolitan Club, Coimbatore, attended by a large gathering of relatives and friends.

Aadhya lost her mother when she was five. Though she was being brought up by her loving grandmother, she could not come out of the irreparable loss, leading to her developing mental health problems. A bright girl with a lot of creativity, she would suffer from pangs of anxiety. In writing, she found a personal outlet to process her thoughts and emotions, evolving into a form of reflection and healing. This book is her first, a deeply personal exploration of living with anxiety, growth and resilience. Through her book she seeks to bring awareness to mental health and help others navigate similar experiences.

I had helped her in getting the book published in record time, thanks to my good friend Diwakar of Compuprint. Despite the tremendous workload he had because of the music season, he ensured that the book was ready in time for the release function. It was a well-planned and executed event where Aadhya gave a moving and inspiring account of her turbulent journey, thanking everyone who stood by her during the difficult period. She proved that she is not only a good writer but also a good speaker. I had goosebumps listening to her brilliant speech. There was also audience participation in the form of a few friends and relatives talking about Aadhya.

As the guest of honour at the event, I was privileged to receive the first copy of the book from A G. Guruswamy, Aadhya`s grandfather, who runs a popular Cricket Academy in Coimbatore. In the attached photo, you can see her father, Surendar, standing at the extreme left.

Aadhya is a bundle of talent with a lot of creative energy. I am sure that this book is the first step towards her long journey as a creative person. I wish her all the best in all her future endeavours.

The book, priced at Rs 250, is available on Amazon.

SOWMYA SRINIVASAN More than a professional Storyteller!

 During my recent visits to my younger daughter Sowmya`s home in Coimbatore, I found her busy doing crochet work whenever she has free time- which she has in plenty as both her daughter Uthara and son Keshav left home to pursue their higher education- Uthara doing her PhD in theoretical evolution in Germany and Keshav doing an integrated PhD in Ecology and Evolution at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Hyderabad. And her husband, Srinivasan (Retd. Group Captain, IAF), is busy visiting Chennai often on his consultancy assignments.

“I learnt to Crochet from my Athai (father's sister) when I was in my teens, spending a boring summer holiday in Mumbai with them! The bug bit me again during the 2020 pandemic, also for the same reasons of boredom! I renewed my craziness and obsession! Through my initial trials and tribulations, I made only circular crochet patterns, as I loved the designs. These patterns were done over the years 2021 - 24! Now I am trying different patterns!”(The attached photos indicate a few designs she has done in crocheting.)

I was impressed with how Sowmya keeps herself occupied. Apart from  maintaining a home, Crochet work, Sowmya also keeps herself busy with activities related to her role as a Professional Storyteller.

Right from her school days in Chennai, she showed an inclination to be a performing artist, while my elder daughter Kavitha is a Visual artist. She used to take part in school plays and also learnt Bharatanatyam along with her sister. We had the Arangetram of the duo in 1987. Though neither pursued their interest in dancing, the knowledge and experience gained came in handy in the careers they chose to pursue later.

 

 After acquiring a BSc degree from Madras University and MPhil in Psychology (HR) from Annamalai University, Sowmya did a Diploma course in  Special Education from the Spastic Society of India. She was  employed there until her marriage in 1998, when she moved to Bangalore, where her husband was stationed.

 

Sowmya says, “ It was while working in the Spastic Society of India, I realised the importance of storytelling in  communicating with the differently  abled Children”

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She decided to undergo training in Storytelling therapy from the World Storytelling Institute (Chennai) run by Eric Miller. This led to her taking up Professional storytelling as a vocation. By then, her two children had arrived, and she had given up teaching differently abled children.

 

Sowmya has been actively involved with  Professional Storytelling for over 15 years. She uses storytelling and creative techniques to develop imagination through a venture called SoulSpace Storytell.

 

Professional storytelling involves telling stories not only to children but also to adults. While many Professional storytellers have used their talent to monetise their talent, Sowmya, a compassionate girl that she is, decided to use her knowledge to help society. Being a student of  psychology, she has been able to use the knowledge to devise interesting programmes aimed at different target audiences

 

The healing storytelling called Soul Story Mandala is one such effort to engage adults deeply with stories for self-development and wellbeing. She is an associate at Muktha Foundation, Bangalore, an organisation working in the space of mental health and abuse prevention. Recently, she has come together with 3 storytellers from across India to form the Story Circle of Love that has a vision to spread stories for renewal and hope in the Community.

 

 She is one of the founder-members of Bangalore Storytelling Society, a not-for-profit community that promotes, nurtures and spreads awareness about the Art of Oral Storytelling. Interestingly, she was one of the five  members of the society to participate in a conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in one of his monthly `Manki Bath ` programmes.

 

Sowmya feels that there are no limits to gaining new knowledge. She has been regularly attending online courses on subjects related to her vocation.  She is a certified Mindfulness practitioner and Happiness coach.

 

She has facilitated training programmes and workshops for many educational institutes and designed the curriculum on Storytelling for some.

In December 2024, she was a Special invitee Storyteller at the Bursa Storytelling Festival, Turkey. In June 2025, her workshop on Storytelling & Wellbeing, called Story Mandala, was selected for the Sydney Storytelling Conference and received heartwarming reviews.

 

Among the several recognitions she has received are the Yuva Shakti award (2021) from Rotary Club Kria Shakthi (District 3232) and the Vocational Service award from Rotary Club Bangalore West and RC Spandana (2022).

 

She is a published author with two books to her credit. First is a children’s picture book on Pratham Storyweaver (When Crocodile Craved Chocolate and Chips), and the second is an anthology of poems called “Dragon of Hope and Other Poems from my life”.

 

In Coimbatore, in addition to pursuing varied interests as a professional storyteller, her current field of work includes curriculum development and learner-centric pedagogy for adults, and many other initiatives. She is also associated with the Coimbatore Book Club and the amateur stage in Coimbatore. Her performance in a short play staged by Coimbatore Arts and Theatre Society recently was well received by the audience.

 

I am proud of Sowmya and her achievements and how she has learnt to balance her family commitments with her other interests. She is fortunate to have a husband who has given her full freedom to do what she likes to do. I am also lucky that she is based in Coimbatore, one of the many reasons why I moved to Coimbatore to stay in Nana Nani.

 

Pray to God to bestow good health and lots of energy on Sowmya so that she continues to serve society in her own ways.

R.T.Chari- A philanthropist with a vision

 

R.TChari ( 86 ) is considered a crusader in the music and heritage circle of Chennai. He built TAG center, an auditorium on TTK Road in the heart of Chennai. not to make money. but to primarily conduct programmes of his choice and to derive great joy in throwing it open to friends and well-wishers as well? Always preceded by a sumptuous South Indian tiffin.

 

Chari is a hands-on philanthropist, who never believed in cheque book charity. He  has been sharing his wealth with the society, long before Corporate Social Responsibility became a buzz word in the corporate world!

 

* * * * *

 

Chari was born in a middle class family of nine children at Mundakanni Amman Koil Street in the heart of Mylapore, His father, could only assure his children three square meals a day and decent education. Chari was mildly dyslexic as a student making his brothers tease him about it. This made him an angry young man who was determined to prove to the world what he was capable of

 

The family`s move to Tambaram where he joined a School run by Christian missionaries, became the first turning point in Chari`s life.. The headmaster of the school discovered that not only was Chari a good student but the tall young man was also good in sports.

 

“My success in sports and the recognition I got because of it changed the attitude of my family towards me.They stopped teasing me” Chari recounts.

 

* * * * *

 

Chari`s second  break in life came when he got the admission to the prestigious College of Engineering, Guindy, because of  a timely help provided by a distant relative who was the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu at that time,.After successfully completing his degree in Engineering,Chari joined Seshasayee Group as an Apprentice Engineer in 1961.

 

Chari’s reputation as an engineer who was also a super salesman brought him quick recognition in the company. By1972 he had become the  Chief Technical Commercial Manager.

 

Chari was married to Rangi, a multitalented girl from Bangalore, chosen by his parents, in 1971.Within two weeks of his starting his married life, fate again intervened to change the course of his life.

                                                        

Chari was selected by his company to attend a ‘Foundry Exhibition’ in West Germany and also explore a possible collaboration in Europe.During his trip Chari managed to strike a deal with an Italian company, leading maker of the particular product his  company wanted to produce. However, on his return to India, he found to his dismay that the Management, had decided to drop  their expansion plans.

 

Not one to accept defeat, when Chari requested the management to allow him to try his luck with the new project, they agreed. They allowed him to continue as a Commercial Manager with the company until he proved himself in his business. Chari could have his cake and eat it too! This turned out to be the ultimate break in his life

 

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Along with his brother Gopal who had also come out successfully as an Engineer from the College of Engineering, Guindy, Chari launched TAG Corporation with its factory located in Chrompet.

 

TAG Corporation had developed an import substitute item for 4R Dampers, with half the weight and price, which were in great demand by all the Electricity Boards in the country. Chari became the uncrowned king in the manufacture of 4R Dampers, By now he had also cut his umbilical cord with Seshasayee group.

 

Chari started seeing big money and instead of just hoarding the money, he decided,  at the  young age of 40, to share his prosperity with  society. From being a successful businessman, Chari was on the road to becoming a generous philanthropist.

 

For Chari, ‘charity began at home”. He decided to persuade, cajole and  if necessary help every one of his siblings to acquire a house of their own.

 

At this stage Chari also realized the immense joy he was getting by the act of giving and sharing. He  started supporting  deserving health related projects in Chennai.

 

While Chari was continuing with his generosity, an incident in his personal life completely changed the direction of his philanthropic activities.

 

Sharing wealth with music

In his college days Chari was fond of hearing only Tamil, Hindi and English film songs .He would get peeved when he was not allowed to listen to his favourite `Binaca Geethmala` programme, as his brothers used to listen to Carnatic music on the only radio available in the house. This resulted in his developing an aversion towards  Carnatic music.

 

One evening when he was hosting a dinner for some of his family members, he found that the entire conversation was revolving around Carnatic music. He felt terribly left out. Looking at his displeasure his brothers-in-law  challenged  him to listen to 500 hours of Carnatic music to realise its magic. Chari accepted the challenge.

 

He started listening to the tapes of famous Vidwans for a couple of hours every night. His brothers-in-law was proved right. Chari was hooked to Carnatic music in a big way. Soon he became a donor member of Music Academy, attending concerts regularly. Chari realized that Carnatic music was not only giving him great joy but also helped him to become a calmer and a focused person.

 

Just as he had decided to share his wealth with the deserving in the society, he also decided to share the joy of listening to Carnatic music with his close friends and relatives.

 

His first initiative in this direction was to hold Chamber music at his remodeled flat in Poes Garden. For 10 years, Chari organized nearly 50 chamber concerts lasting for about 150 minutes each, always followed by a sumptuous dinner for all the invitees.

 

 

* * * * *

This abiding interest in Carnatic music led Chari to collect more than 6000 hours of carnatic music. Chari realized the need for chronicling and preserving the treasure trove of music he had collected for posterity.

 

The idea for a Digital Listening Library was born. Chari persuaded the Music Academy in which he was already an executive committee member to house the proposed TAG Music Academy Digital Listening Archives which was launched at the Music Academy on 13^th December 2008.

 

Chari says, “The user can in 10 seconds listen to a song of his choice, categorized under a raga,  name of the song, singer or composer”

 

Chari  sponsored  similar archives in Bangalore, Mysore, Hyderabad, and Pallakad, apart from the one in Madras University`s Music Department besides Singapore and  Sri Lanka.

 

Chari decided to also  extend his help in archiving Indian classical dance. The TAG Viewing Gallery was launched at the Music Academy adding one more dimension to the Academy`s efforts in promoting classical music and dance.

 

His passion for music and how it should be received by the audience extended beyond TAG Centre, which he owns. TAG Corporation has already sponsored state-of-the-art auditoriums in many schools and colleges in Chennai. He constructed the Super Tech 400 seater auditorium at the Guindy Engineering College, his alma mater, which he considers as one of his best contribution

The next big project that Chari launched in February 2002 was the TAG South India Heritage Programme. Held on the last Sunday of every month, these lectures focused on specific aspects of South Indian Heritage, by eminent speakers 

 

Under the auspices of South India Heritage programme, in the last 25 years  he has arranged over 650  lectures, lec-dems, music concerts, plays, religious  discourses, Tamil book reviews  and many more.. Both Tag Centre and the South India Heritage Programme have become synonymous with cultural excellence. The South India Heritage Programme also recognized exceptional music talent with the Ramabadhran Centenary Music Award, instituted in 2004, named after his father and  outstanding performances in Heritage promotion by young achievers were recognized through the Vedavalli Memorial Heritage Award, named after his mother.

 

Chari  has also published a 600 page book titled `South India heritage-an Introduction` which has contributions from 40 eminent scholars. This book is given free to any one going abroad for further studies.

 

Among the recognitions he has got is the S Rajam Award of Excellence for his exemplary work in preserving and promoting fine arts, performing arts and cultural heritage of South India by Sunanda Trust,. On the professional front Chari has been a recipient of the Udyog Patra Award from Government of India. The other recognitions include the Best Alumni Award from Guindy Engineering College.

 

Chari credits his  wife for playing  a big role in bringing up his  children with right values, while he  was very busy with his  business and other activities. He  also would like to recognize the role of his  brother Gopal who was a pillar of strength to him in his business.

 

Chari`s sons have now taken over the day to day running of his highly successful business  Age and health issues have slowed down Chari’s saga of service to society in the area of health, education, music and heritage and other social causes. But he continues to have a monthly get together of chosen friends, all in the age group of 70 plus, on the last Sunday of every month at Tag Centre, where he arranges a programme which entertains  and educates them. Always preceded by a sumptuous breakfast  of South Indian delicacies! A visionary with an indomitable spirit, indeed!