The Lost Art Of Letter Writing

'A written, typed, or printed communication, sent in an envelope by post or messenger' is how the Oxford dictionary defines a 'letter'.

Back in school we were taught how to write letters which were mostly divided into two categories - formal and informal. The formal letters did not matter much to us, but the informal letters were a joyous task. Choosing our best friend as the addressee, losing our heads over whom to address the letter when in a fight with the best friends, getting upset because they did not choose us - how wonderful those times were!

With the new age came tons of new technologies and these letters started disappearing from our lives. Being a 90's kid, I myself did not write any letters to friends or family (shhh... that does not include love letters) but we surely did exchange cards, especially during the new years. Those cards and those letters hold a plethora of emotions but with passing time, the letters and the emotions, both have lost their value.

The present generation of Netflix & Chill never understood the charm of a handwritten letter, never knew how it felt to wait for days at an end for a letter, completely unaware whether or not they will receive a letter from their loved ones. The WhatsApp messages and the Instagram Highlights may hold memories but they will never carry the emotion of a post card coming from a faraway place where our friends and family are.

The smell of dried up ink on an old piece of paper is nostalgic. Suddenly finding a hidden letter in an old book brings back so many memories, so many emotions, a wonderful emotion. It reminds one of old times which they will never get back, or maybe don't want to go back to, but the enchanting feeling is unarguably alluring.

Many of us maintain a diary, but the ratio of the people who don't maintain a diary is comparatively higher. We need to revive the lost charm. We need to bring back the age old nostalgia. We need to revise our communication modes to restore the emotional well being of the human beings living in the present world. After all, how human are we without emotions? Do the messages sent on social media sites really hold any emotions? These questions need to be thought about and answered.

Revive the lost art of letter writing. It may be old fashioned, but it's evergreen.