POST OFFICE
Friends, Today afternoon after somepurchases while I was crossing the post office, it was closed time for meals. Irecollected it is more than a year Ihave either made a deposit or withdrawal. I asked the driver to stop the taxi before anATM. I always keep post office ATM card. I just tried to withdraw 500-00rupees. I could get cash. I had a relief the account is operative. This posting is about thenostalgic memories and facilities of post office system and anchal officesystem. Also I have gone to some current systems in post office advantageous tous. Hope an interestingreading- Nothing more. Sincerely, Gopala krishnan 26-7- 2021. 1. Thapal petti and Anchal petti. In Chennai city there is aplace itself called Thapal petti. It is on the way to Madhavaram from Perambur. I have heard Thapal pettiwas used to post letters to go outside Travancore in ancient days in Kerala.Anchal petti was used to post letters with in Travancore state. Thapal chargewas more. If I recollect old post offices were calledAnchal office and postmen were called anchal sipayi. The anchal petti waspainted in green and Thapal petti in Red Brown. There were anchal and thapalpost cards separately at one time in the post offices. 2. Emblem (conch) sankhu I have seen old post boxpainted and maintained in the front of PMG office Trivandrum with emblem Sankhuof old Travancore state. The PMG office is also having the emblem of Sankhu inthe entrance. My circle office was behind PMG office, carving premises from it. 3. Postmanae kananilla. (Not seeing post man) There was a Malayalam filmalso by the above name. It was a practice on olden days to wait for thepostman. There was somewhat fixed time the postman would come to eacharea. People anxiously waited for his arrival. He would come to the area,either 10 minutes earlier or later than the time. Now too in our area, a postal women has her duty.She would appear about 11 AM in her scooty. They have become more interactive and personalthan olden days I think. Today our area postwomen know well about me. Today aregistered letter to me he delivers to my wife if I am not there. She feels freedom to askfor water sitting in the corridor or sit out, and pleasingly accept coolbuttermilk offered. While I was in Trivandrum,it was the practice of the postman of the premises post office call andintimate if any registered document was there and the time he might arrive.This was to ensure we may not go out. The communication was by post cards and covers.I recollect inland was introduced when I was studying in 7thstandard or so. Thecards were the most common form of communication. People used to get pensionthrough money order only by 1966’s. By10th of every month, people would be anxiously waiting to get themoney order of their sons. Unless it comes, many could not pay the credits ofpeedika (shop). Later pension money orders came by 2nd or 3rdof the month. Mostly my father used to receive money order from me and pensionon the same day. 4. Crowd before post office. By 1960’s it was apractice for many to go Post office as a regular schedule. Most used to get oneor two letters. Sometimes postmen used to hand over ordinary letters to nearbyhouses also to the person visiting. For delivering money order and registeredletters post come in person, as continued now too. On those days postmen would handover letter, not to puton letterbox or gate. Now also if the post women put letter inletterbox, she would announcepost in slightly loud voice 5. Salary by money order I used to get my salary asTelephone inspector and Junior Engineer by money order till about 1975’s. Payrolls and distribution were in headquarters only. Lately crediting to bankaccount came in 1997’s. 6. Post Master and postman VIPs For any function thepostmaster and postman were VIPs during yester years. They used to attend afteroffice time. Now a day the postman has become busier. Surely he would call oneday and enquire about the function. 7. Post and Telegraph office. Even when I was about tenyears, my Pandalam post office was a P and T office with telegraph facility.Telegrams were received at all time by post master residing in the quarters.Telegrams were sent with late fee and postmaster used to receive it. There weretelegraph messengers separately. Mostly persons were afraid of telegrams. The reason telegrams were sentonly for such purposes in earlier days. I received my selection as Junior engineer and instructionsto join Trivandrum training centre by telegram. 8. Pandalam PCO. When I was studying in thecollege, I found a big structure installed in the post office and one peon usedto get in to and crank the handle of an equipment and say hello, hello… Truly to say I just understood it wastelephone. Later only Istudied about Alexander Grahambal and invention of Magneto telephone and itsworking. I never used the phone till I entered service. Later I understood if atelephone call was there to anybody it is received in the PO, a messenger willgo and call the concerned person and he would come and talk. I am talking aperiod of 1960’s in Kerala. - About sixty years back!!! 9. Penalty for less stamps. While sending items incover for excess weight the postman would collect excess charge levied in person. This was misused instead ofsending registered articles by many businessmen. Somehow it got stopped by somestringent measures by postal department later. 10. Postal seal and date. The postal seal with date was considered asauthority in olden days. New post offices tillestablished well had no name. When a post office at Kulanada, my exact home wasopened, still I recollect the seal was EXPTL PO.(Experimental Post office) 11. Express delivery and speed post On those days, affixingadditional stamp and affixing EXPRESS DELIVERY stripe supplied, delivery was done on Sundayalso. Nowour speed post also is not working on Sundays. (By the way affixing astamp upside down was called invalid!!) 12. The post office savings bank. The only bank known to themiddle class or common man was post office savings bank. Rich people used to keep thousandsof rupees in post office. A sum of Rs- 5000 in post office was a very very bigamount during 1960’s. Today too many keep postoffice savings along with other bank accounts. Post office Fixed deposit isgiven more interest than bank accounts. Hence always post office fixed depositcounter is having heavy queues. Now one can withdraw using Post office ATM cardfrom any ATM, their savings bank account cash. 13. Postal engraving machine. To avoid wastage of stampsengraving machine was introduced. This is still in use for bulk postings. Concession posting,prepaid posting, pre-approved posting are all late additions. 14. Radio license collection. License fee for radio werecollected in post offices. Of late many facilitiesare introduced every day. 15. Postal charges. The postal charges arecomparatively lesser today. It is less costly to send via post office lettersto foreign countries. Courier is cheap and convenient only locally. Now a day money order is transmittedon line. Mostly the money order is paid the same or next day. Telegram service hasstopped a few years back The money order charges ofRs 5-00 for one hundred rupees are practically very less. Many people prefer tosend small amounts by money order. 16. Divine activity Recently I read if anylost purse or documents are put in post box, it would be delivered to the proper person, if detailsavailable with small fee. What a divine act? 17. Airmail. Previously we had to fixairmail strip and additional charge for sending through airmail. Now no suchthing. Intercity dak exchange is throughair now mostly. 18. Courteous behavior. I do not know, whether a change of situationor any training, most staff exhibit excellent behavior. If you go to major postoffices, the staffs in the counter are found most pleasing really with mottoservice before self. This is similar to personal banking branches of banks!! 19 Mobile post office I am not sure still citieshave mobile post offices now. I have seen mobile ATMs in much part of cities.One thing is sure- Mobile ATM would function 100%. 20 Post office ATMs Though comparativelylesser in number, post office ATMs are appreciated for their efficient working.In Tambaram, the postoffice ATM before post office/railway station/bus stand is always having publicwaiting in queue except late nights 21. Open post office. I conclude this postingwith an indirect saying that post office is opened. If somebody had forgot toput zip of pant to remind of him of it nowadays open post office is used totell of it indirectly!! -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. 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