Remember, the first time someone wrote you a letter? Maybe it was a crush back in school, maybe it was your best friend after a fight or maybe it was a younger sibling who made you a handmade card. And, on an extremely busy day you'll be rummaging through your shelves in search of something, when a piece of paper will play peekaboo. It catches your eye and you pull it out to find it, that letter from a forgotten time. You read the message over and over again, letting the words take you to an era of your life you've not visited in a long time. That's the beauty of handwritten notes, letters and postcards, isn't it?
However, lately, folks are quick to claim that who will take so much effort. In the times of WhatsApp or Instagram we fail to even make calls (something I'm guilty of) and long texts usually pour out at the 2 am hour. Food, cabs, clothes, everything happens with a click, doesn't it? Is that what makes the fact that someone wrote you a letter that much more special? Because in a fast paced existence we care enough to do something with ease.
The Postcard Project
When I express these thoughts I'm met with remarks such as who actually does this, it takes too long and is it worth it? Thus, 2 weeks before my trip to Spiti as I romanticized the idea of sending postcards from the world's highest post office, an idea struck. Let me actually test if there are others out there who would care about something like this. I posted a story asking if someone would like a postcard from there. One single story and a couple of re-shares later, I had 88 people sign up!
When I came up with the idea I thought about a dozen people would express interest but nostalgia, my friend, lives within most of us and it saw a whole bunch of people seek a piece of it. My plan was simple, I wouldn't charge any individual or pocket anything out of this but merely request people to pay up for the postcard and postage fee. I wasn't aware myself of the emotional journey that my pen and I were about to take.
Some Emotions Are Expressed Better On Paper
Among the 88 odd kindred spirits who joined me in my endeavour, few were known to me while many were unknown. Friends of friends to absolute strangers reached out. Some with a simple, "hey, could I get a postcard?" to some with heart tugging messages of what it would mean to them. Jatin wanted his wife Urvashi to know how he believed in her dream of being a successful nutritionist and how he'd be there with her every step of the way. Rishi wanted his friend Alka to know that things would get better after she'd lost her job.
Jolly is in the merchant navy and shall be away from home for the next few months so he wanted his mom to know that he'd be back soon and he'd be missing her every step of the way. Vishnu took this chance to apologize to her best friend and remind him that she'd be there for him no matter what. Meanwhile, Arpitha wrote to herself about how her life story would get written with her own hands.
What Do You Write For Someone You Have Never Met?
Beyond the ones who knew what they wanted their postcards to read were individuals who only knew that they wanted a slice of Spiti Valley to enter their homes. What would their postcards read? They left it up to me. Some were clear, such as Anjali who wanted me to write not to her but to her parents to encourage them to surrender to the experience of travel too! And, Sangeeta asked me to pen her something on hope (which I pray from my whole heart that I did).
Then came the ones who specified nothing. We were sitting in Kaza when someone said to me, "Craft one nice message and then write that to everyone, right? It will save you time". But you see for me this wasn't about saving time. It was about sharing our mutual love for the written and about reminding them about the joy of receiving a postcard. So, I opened one account after the other of each person who'd messaged me and hoped like hell to word something a little more meaningful for them.
Help Shows Up When You Least Expect It
After the incredible response I knew that there was no way that I'd be able to write nearly a 100 postcards during the course of my trip! Exploring through the day and conversations to games through the wee hours of the night with the group leave little time for sleep itself. I ordered the postcards in advance, intending on having them ready to post when I actually reached the destination. Mother Nature however was teaching humans a lesson that week and a courier that would deliver in 5 days hadn't made its way to me even after 8 days thanks to flash floods. Right when my hope was about to step out the door, a childhood friend was visiting from Dharamshala (where the package was) to Bir (where yours truly was) and less than 24 hours before my trip started, a stack of 100 postcards fell on my lap!
Now came the task of leading a group and managing to write the postcards too. I decided that whenever the group would be resting I'd take out an hour to do the deed. Luckily for me, some of the gang volunteered to help! Manisha, Sonu, Ipsita, Samidha and I would curl up inside blankets in one room. The yap session would commence and so would the work. They'd write the addresses, I'd write the messages and with utmost gratitude I have to say that that's how this dream project of mine came to materialize.
All About The Workings Of The World's Highest Post Office, Hikkim
What's your favourite travel souvenir to collect? Some collect magnets, some pick out currencies and then there's me who of course collects postcards. I've been doing this for over 2 years now but unfortunately at a number of locations I've been unsuccessful in finding postcards. They say it's because of the dying demand. Yet when you set foot on the soil of Hikkim, you breathe in a different atmosphere.
The post master who has been around for ages, smiled through his wrinkles as he narrated to me the excitement he's witnessed at the post office. People of all ages, genders and regions have knocked on his door to send postcards and letters to their loved ones. Many don't know what to write but I think the aura of the place is such that they eventually find the words, all the while waiting to see the reaction of the recipient. Therefore, what may be dying at a number of places is alive and kicking at 14,567 ft. Hikkim actually rekindles a lost romance within many traveller's hearts.
Cost, Timing And More - How Does It Work?
Postcard Cost - Anything between Rs.20 to 70 depending on the image, size and overall quality
Postage Fee - Rs.6 for posting across India, Rs.30 for international posts
Miscellaneous Cost - It's a standard practice to pay the post master a couple of 100 bucks
Duration - It can take roughly 2 weeks for your postcard to arrive (but it's worth the wait!)
Sadly, some postcards may never make it home on account of weather conditions so as a practice always take images of the postcards.
What Would You Say At 14,567 ft?
Tell me though if you found yourself standing at an altitude of 4,440 mts., with the Spitian winds blowing through your hair, a rustic looking post office in front of your eyes, the image of a stunning shot from the valley in your hand and a pen waiting for you to let your fingers dance with it for a while; then tell me what would you say? To whom would you write? And, what would you wish to tell them? You see the love of sending postcards is as much in writing them as it is in the number of thoughts and emotions that it causes to surge through your soul.
Would you like a postcard? I'm going to be at Hikkim exactly a week from now, so, if you too would like one, just drop me a message and one day as you're sipping on your morning cup of tea, I'll yearn for you to receive a little something written to you from me.
The Postcard Project is now an ongoing endeavour at all times. I am sending out postcards from wherever I head to. So, if you would like a postcard simply DM me on Instagram @migrantmusings to know more!
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