Yester night I could see an update on my mobile phone that would reflect that postal service day is celebrated every year on 7 October throughout the world and in our country as well. I just recollected my past when the postal service was enjoying the prime of its youth. When every household would wait for the postal delivery with regard to letters form their dear and near ones. They would wait for the official letters and orders. When we would wait very curiously for college admission confirmation letters as all the official correspondence would take place through post office. And my mind got prompted to write an article about the history, evolution and essence of postal services in our country so that the readers may get a touch of refresh in their mind and rethink about the concurrence of the said services which however a long history to tell us has.
There is no doubt that postal service has got a reduction in demand from public sphere letters but it doesn’t necessarily mean that postal service has totally lost its concurrence as most of the official correspondences are being done online and people seem to have forgot about what postal service can do for us. In past, we would post our letters, post cards and invitation cards through postal service. We would send our job applications to different departments and they would send us call letters and appointment letters through post offices. To some extent, in villages and small towns, it used to be a matter of pride when someone came to our home with a letter, order etc.
A sense of nostalgia has got full visualization after the inception of new trends in communication system like email, fax and other fastest means of communication. As the service and security of communicated stuff has been a mark of question for the world of online services. Postal department doesn’t only provide us series like sending letters, parcels, job applications thorough registered post, speed post etc only, but it gives a carriage to our belongings also. We can send our stationary, books, luggage of lowest magnitude etc through the post. Any sort of online service can’t replace postal service in respect of safety and security of our belongings and the posts we may have posted. Still many open universities and colleges like IGNOU, MANUU and other distance mode universities dispatch their study material through post office and still we can send our letters and post cards to our friends and relatives through postal service.
The British Raj was instituted in 1858, when the rule of the East India Company was transferred to the Crown. A number of acts were enacted during the British Raj to expand and regulate posts and telegraphs service: The Government Savings Bank Act, 1873 (5 of 1873), passed by the legislature 28 January 1873, was enacted in 1881. On 1 April 1882, Post Office Savings Banks opened throughout India (except in the Bombay Presidency). In Madras Presidency, it was limited; in the Bengal Presidency, no POSBs were established in Calcutta or Howrah. Postal life insurance began on 1 February 1884 as a welfare measure for the employees of the Posts & Telegraphs Department as Government of India dispatch No. 299 dated 18 October 1882 to the Secretary of State. The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885.The Indian Post Office Act, 1898 passed by the legislature on 22 March 1898, became effective on 1 July 1898 regulating postal service. It was preceded by Act III of 1882 and Act XVI of 1896.The Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933
The world's first official airmail flight took place in India on 18 February 1911, a journey of 18 kilometers (11 mi) lasting 27 minutes. Henri Piquet, a French pilot, carried about 15 kilograms (33 lb) of mail (approximately 6,000 letters and cards) across the Ganges from Allahabad to Naini; included in the airmail was a letter to King George V of the United Kingdom. India Post inaugurated a floating post office in August 2011 at Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir. Telegraphy and telephony made their appearance as part of the postal service before becoming separate departments. One unique telegraph office was established and operated in the capital of Lhasa until the People's Republic of China's annexation of Tibet. The Posts and Telegraphs departments merged in 1914, later separated again on 1 January 1985.Since India became independent in 1947, the postal service continues to function on a nationwide basis, providing a variety of services. The structure of the organization has the directorate at its apex; below it are circle offices, regional offices, the superintendent's offices, head post offices, sub-post offices and branch offices. In April 1959, the Indian Postal Department adopted the motto "Service before help"; it revised its logo in September 2008The number of post offices was 23,344 when India became independent in 1947 and these were primarily in urban areas. The number increased to 155,015 in 2016 and 90% of these were in rural areas.
Post department doesn’t only serve as a reliable source of communication, but it also renders the services banking and financial type. It generates saving, current and all other types of accounts and it can be very proudly said that the money that we deposit in post office is more safe and secure than any other banking institute. As it is backed by govt of India and it can’t snatch from the public their right of property in case of financial loss or bankruptcy like private financial corporations. Besides all the above, the post department facilitates us with many beneficial schemes like life insurance, property insurance etc. It is one of the highest employment generator and employment providing agency of country. It accommodates Lakhs of unemployed youth every year in various capacities. In recent past , the said department would initiate the employment scheme at our door step in terms of recruiting GDS that has benefitted thousands of unemployed candidates and would opportunity to the rural educated youth as it would follow the procedure of merit based selection at District level. So, no doubt the world has advanced in communication sphere especially with the advent of internet, but the importance of postal services remains at its own position and status.

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