Random Thoughts

some days ago i was talking to my friend, and he told me that he had to write a letter to his home. i asked him if his home's telephone connection was not working, or whether the place was totally flooded right now, with postal service being the only connection with the rest of the world. i asked this because you actually have some places like this in Bihar during monsoos. there telephone lines break in the middle, and they can't be replaced because the roads are all submerged. the preferred mode of transportation becomes the good old boat, and you can guess the depth of flood water by the fact that my cousins have seen and even tried catching fish that swim in that rainy water.

however, this is not the main point. my friend is a computer engineer, and has worked in software industry for 2 years. i don't think he has any phobia towards use of electronic items. when i asked him, he told that he writes the letter just because the effort that is put in writing a letter reminds him more deeply of his home. his parents are also happy even though they know that there is nothing of significance in the letter and the whole content could have been talked about over phone in just 5-6 minutes. this reminds me of my IIT-graduate uncle, who writes letters to his 80-yr old great-grandmother even though she is no longer able to read and write anything. no wonder, that by now she has forgotten all the names of her grandsons except him.

the most vivid memories of your life are not captured by your ears, but by your heart, which doesn't need the help of sound. silence speaks much louder than words, and the cover of an envelope can tell you much more than what could have been written in the letter inside it.