The world sent its last telegram when India‘s state-owned telecom company shut its 163-year-old telegraph service on 15 July. The service had become largely irrelevant due to the advent of the mobile phone and computers, but that did not stop many from reminiscing over the rich history of the service. The closure sparked a feeling of nostalgia in newspapers as they remembered the telegram’s importance during the British rule and the role of the humble postman, who was the bearer of all kinds of news, in connecting India’s villages to its cities. The service had a deep connection with India as it was regularly shown as a mode of communication in early Bollywood films – where the news ranged from a hero sending a telegram to his father about his new job or a family receiving information about the death of their breadwinner in a battle field. Telegrams always triggered a sense of excitement and it wasn’t surprising when thousands queued up to send a final “nostalgic telegram” on 15 July.
TELEGRAM SERVICE ENDS
