Telegram As a Museum Piece

Amid a bewildering deluge of smartphone messenger apps and other high tech text messaging services came the news that the state-owned BSNL has decided to mothball its Telegram service from July 15. It will be the last state-owned telegram service in the world to be shuttered.

The public reaction ranged from nostalgia (for those on the wrong side of 40), to a dismissive 'by-the-way-what-is-a-telegram?' shrug by the Instagram generation.

Telecom and IT minister Kapil Sibal sounded triumphal when he  declared that the country will bid the telegram a 'warm farewell' on July 15 and "the last telegram sent should be a museum piece".

The number of telegrams sent in a day in the country had come down to 5,000 from more than 60 million in 1985 and hence not even remotely viable.

In the pre-fax and -STD phone days telegrams played a major role in Government administration, banks and other commercial establishments.

At a personal level telegrams were seen by people as carriers of bad news. They were opened with anxiety, trepidation and prayer. In fact the receivers would often try to size up the expression of the telegram bearer to gauge whether the tidings were happy or sad. Laconic messages such as 'father serious, start immediately', 'grandpa no more' (in this SMS era even this may look too verbose) or news of birth, job posting, wedding wishes - evoked a range of emotions.

In India telegram services were thrown open to public in 1855 and in most Indian languages it came to be known as vernacular equivalent of the word 'wire' - for instance in Hindi it was called taar. By 1856 itself 4,000 plus miles got 'wired', thanks to the foresight of our colonial masters. The telegraph service came in handy for the East India Company and later the British Empire in quick mobilisation of troops to take part in wars or crush rebellions. A beginning was made at the 1857 revolt itself.

In its 150 plus years journey the telegraph system too changed with the times and underwent many technological metamorphosis. It graduated from Morse code to teleprinters and later to world wide web, but since the 1990s it has been a downhill ride. The advent of internet and later mobile phones made telegrams look primitive.

However, in its zeal to bid a 'warm farewell' the government seems to have overlooked some of the problems that may arise in winding up such a long standing service and has not put any alternative systems in place.

First of all the miniscule number of people who still use telegrams have not been provided with any alternative. Many of them may be residing in places which has little internet or mobile phone penetration. They may be illiterate or technologically challenged nor have the wherewithal to own a mobile phone or a computer.

Unlike e-mails or text messages telegrams enjoy legal sanctity and courts accept it as documentary proof. Courts extensively use telegrams for functions such as sending a notice or court order, informing the family of a person who has been arrested and the like. Without telegrams courts and legal fraternity may find it difficult to carry out such vital functions. It is really strange that the policy makers overlooked this important aspect.

Armed forces personnel posted in far flung border areas too have to depend on telegrams to contact their camps while on leave. In case they need to extend their leave telegram is the best option as phone calls are not accepted and letters take time. Without telegrams they even run the risk of facing disciplinary action.

Also Read: Bangalore Beat

In Praise of India

For most Indians there is nothing like getting a pat from a Westerner, it is almost akin to schoolboy's euphoria on being praised by a hard-to-please teacher.

The Telegraph opinion piece by Theodore Darlymple will surely be music to their ears. The author’s name did ring a bell and I wondered if he is anyway connected with the famous historian William Darlymple. But a Wikipedia search revealed that Theodore Darlymple is in fact a pen name for Anthony (A.M.) Daniels, writer and retired doctor.

The columnist's main aim seems to be to run down Britain for being caught in its colonial time wrap and refusing to accept the new 'little England' ground realities.

He begins by attacking Britain's policy of extending aid to foreign countries in general and says it only helps the concerned British officials feather their nests with fat salaries and help corrupt governments in donor countries. Citing his own example as aid project official he said, "I bought my first house with money saved from the generous salary an aid project paid me, when I worked in the South Seas."

Then Darlymple comes to British aid to India says it has more to do with "hangover of a colonial superiority complex" and also decries clubbing all poor nations in one category. He also quotes Pranab Mukherjee as saying British aid was 'peanuts'. He lauds India for the scientific and economic progress made by the country in general – and all that without an authoritarian government. He heaps praise on youth of India and their thirst for knowledge and says the country's condition improved because of hard work by its people and not due to any aid.

Surprisingly Darlymple also finds Indians’ command over English language amazing. He gushes, “The best and most beautiful spoken English in the world is now to be heard in India.” Probably the rise of Indian writers in English fiction made him come to such a conclusion.

However, Darlymple at the same time reminds us that he has not lost track of what ails India. He says the country “remains profoundly corrupt and its government is incapable of passing necessary reforms. Rural poverty is deep and persistent.” Still he says it has come a long way from being perceived as a hopeless case with “perpetual epidemic and recurring famine”.

What I found a bit disconcerting was his justification for India's low tally of medals at the Olympic Games. He says, “Its young people have more important things to do than put the shot or throw the javelin.” Sorry Mr Darlymple, we are a medal starved country and are acutely conscious of it. That is why even bronze medalists here get the kind of reception, which even multiple gold medalists in other countries may not get. One of the main factor for this disquiet is that our neighbour China returns home after every Olympics with a cart load of medals.

I also don’t share his fulsome praise of how things have improved in Calcutta, “they don’t any longer collect dead people from the pavements who have died in the night of starvation.”  Maybe starvation deaths in our cities are no longer happening or not getting recorded, but our metros such as Kolkata or Mumbai are far from presentable. And when I say this I am not even thinking of London or New York, even those who have been to Shanghai or Bangkok rave about their infrastructure, clean streets and polite people. Something sorely lacking in our cities.

Also Read: Bangalore Beat