The Bicycle Messenger !

‘The Bicycle messenger’ ! One might think of it as the latest app to follow the bandwagon of messenger services like Facebook messenger, Telegram, Signal etc. However it isn’t folks. It is one of the oldest messenger service used by our generation and the generations before ours. In the early 1990’s this messenger service was about to reach a point of extinction however it has still managed to survive as it continues to serve in some specific areas and the remote parts of the country.

The Bicycle Messenger aka ‘THE POSTMAN’ reigned for decades and he was the most sought after being the most popular means of communication. I would wait for him to come and deliver my much awaited mails from my near and dear ones. Letters, greetings from friends and family were sent via the post which were diligently delivered by the Postman. There used to be a fixed time when he would be seen walking down my street and I would eagerly wait for him to come up our building and hand over our mails. Seeing him leave the building without ringing our doorbell would leave me disheartened. However even one mail bearing my name would give me immense joy. It signified one very important thing and that would bring an instant smile on my face. Someone had remembered me, someone had thought of me and cared enough about me to take time out to write to me. That someone had taken efforts not only to write but to find a postage stamp, an envelop and drop that letter or card in the postbox down their street. Those were the simple moments of joy. We derived pleasure and happiness out of the smallest but significant things.

The end of the 20^th century saw the emergence of new means of communication using Technology. Wow… I was happy to see that technology had managed to close the distance between people and we could communicate with our near and dear ones whenever we want and receive the reply instantly. That was the birth of Instant messenger. I was thrilled to use Yahooo messenger which was launched sometime in 1998 and it was the most popular IM (Instant Messenger) service back then. The world suddenly seemed so small. Communication became easier and that was when chats became a part of our life. During the same time Hotmail and Google also had their IM Services and I thought this was here to stay as it brought people closer. To be able to connect, communicate and see each other was at a click of button. It was like a dream come true.

However I was wrong. Like there are two sides to every coin, there was something which I had not thought of. Although with the evolution in technology, the physical distance seemed to reduce, the emotional distance increased. We suddenly did not want to be seen online for everybody and then there were options to stay offline for some. People started to avoid chatting giving all sorts of vague excuses like being busy or whatever. The heartfelt handwritten letters which were replaced with emails suddenly seemed to shorten and would be replied to the point, in brief. Birthday cards carefully chosen with meaningful tests were replaced with cold ‘Happy Birthday’ wishes on chat. Although the smilies on the chat were introduced to express the emotion felt at that time by a person, sadly they started replacing words. Verbal communication had reduced. 

Chats which used to go on for hours had suddenly come to an end. The conversations started becoming cold and now there are no meaningful conversations as one does not even know what to say to the other person. Communication has been replaced with forwarded messeages which are not even read. Wonder why this has happened. Have we lost the essence of communication? Although we have Video calls just a click away, many are seen to avoid video calls. The warmth in the relationship has suddenly gone cold. Although technology has brought the world closer, it has also provided us with a loophole to escape. To escape from each other thereby building a wall between two people.

A few days ago as I was going through my treasure chest of memories, I came across letters and cards sent by family and friends. The warmth in those letters took be down memory lane when things were so different. There was communication. There were words and we used to cherish them. Now it hurts to see how communication has lost its flavour. There is no exchange of meaningful conversations. Wonder what has changed? Why couldn’t we put technology to better use and improve our relationships rather than taking people for granted. I miss those hand written letters and cards. I miss my  Bicycle messenger.