Post Office - Not just an office

Whenever I enter a post office, I try to imagine how it would've looked 25 years ago, or how it would look 25 years hence. And I must say, I can't think of anything much that would've changed or would change. The stately post master, the old but regal and stolid clock, the huge rubber stamps, the ink stains on the walls, the smell of wax seals, rusty almariahs full of ledgers, the pictures of our national leaders - It is the same feeling of belonging to India that engulfs you when you enter a Government School in a village. The Indian Post office is the widest post office network in the world with 1.5 lakh offices around the country and has been in existence for 150 years now. Though it is difficult to believe, only 4 of its 20 postal services are profitable. With the advent of email, mobile phones and private courier services, the dependence on the Post Office has really come down. But I hope it never goes out of vogue or gets privatized because for me it is not its efficiency or its success that should justify its being there. Its the peace you get when you see its simplicity, timelessness and patriotism. It is one of those things you would always like to stay. And NOTHING can replace the joy of waiting for a letter from the good ol postman on his bicycle with his red box :) God bless him !!!