"Yes, Granny!" shouted Jimmy, stuffing his books inside his school bag. "Now, I can go and play cricket."
"English homework left. I have to write a letter to a friend," sighed Jessie.
"Did you write letters when you were in school, Granny?"
"Yes, I did, but real letters," she laughed.
"Not in my school notebooks."
Jimmy was curious. "Who did you write to, Granny?"
"The first letter I wrote was to Archana, the first friend I ever made. We were in the first standard. It was during the winter holidays. I can never forget that. She stayed in the school hostel and had gone to her hometown."
"My sister and I would write to our relatives too. Sending and receiving birthday and Christmas cards was something we looked forward to. I wrote to my parents too when I was studying in college."
"You liked writing letters?" Jessie asked.
"Yes, it was the only way of keeping in touch. Very few people had telephones. Phone calls were quite expensive too. An outstation call had to be booked through an operator before we started adding STD codes to landline numbers and making the calls ourselves. We didn't have mobile phones those days, you know, to make a call whenever we pleased."
"We used to be so excited when we received letters in the college hostel," reminisced Granny. "My friend Radha used to gather a bunch of friends and read out letters from her grandmother every week, which used to have all the village news written in an amusing way. Their neighbour's daughter Ammu had a goat which reached the school one day. I still remember the letter in which she described its antics."
"A goat in the school? Then what happened, Granny?" Jimmy interrupted.
Denne historien er fra September First 2024-utgaven av Champak.
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Denne historien er fra September First 2024-utgaven av Champak.
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FINDERS, KEEPERS
Raji came out of her cool, thatched roof hut. The rough, sun-baked ground scorched her little feet. She looked up at the sun - it was still not very high in the sky. Judging by its position, Raji guessed it was around ten o'clock...
A Dog Named DOT
Dogs like Dot are found a dime a dozen on Chennai streets. Diya could never understand why that one particular dog who was just like any other brown and white dog, chose to pull at her heartstrings...
THE SCHOOL CONSTITUTION
10-year-old Mayank had just opened his tiffin box to eat when the aroma of his food spread through the class...
TARUN'S TALE
\"Stories should be like a breath of fresh air. They should give strength to our souls,\" Tarun's grandmother told him...
The Forest Lesson
Once upon a time, in a deep, green forest humming with life, there lived a fox named Foxy. Foxy was known for his sharp mind and charm, yet he often exaggerated his adventures. His best friends were Sandy sparrow, Rosy rabbit and Timmy turtle...
The Story of a Visionary
A few years after India's independence, the country's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, fondly known as 'Chacha Nehru,' visited a small village...
Poppy and Karan's Masterchef Mummy
\"What have you made this time, Mummy?\"...
The Mighty Mouse
Ricky mouse emerged from his hole and set off for some work. Katie cat spotted him and dashed to catch him.
Halloween Costume Party
Nandu was the first one to reach Soham's house for the Halloween party.
A FAIR EX CHANGE
Mani heard Thatha arguing with his friend as he entered the hall.