When You Write, You Choose Your Words With Care
On World Postcard Day, pen pals, deltiologists share the joy of exchanging handwritten letters
Hyderabad: In a time when most of our connections are reduced to social media updates and fleeting instant messages, there are still people who hold on to the charm of handwritten letters and postcards. On World Postcard Day, celebrated on October 1, Postcrossing groups across the country are bringing together such enthusiasts, who believe that ink on paper carries emotions that no screen ever can.
For Hemang Mayatra, a B.Tech student from Rajkot, letter writing and sending postcards is a hobby that grew alongside his studies and quickly became something more. “I can revisit the very first letter I received in 2021 and relive the emotions, while I barely remember what I texted someone last week,” he says with a smile. Through Postcrossing, he found a circle of friends across the world—people he calls “soulmates”—and their connections now stretch beyond postcards to WhatsApp and Instagram. But for him, the written word remains sacred. “In an age where emotions are often lost to digital speed, writing keeps humanity alive,” he reflects.
Hemang makes it a ritual to write once every month, often sending a large batch of postcards in one go. Birthdays, too, are incomplete without handwritten letters. “One of my most memorable moments was celebrating my birthday with an outpouring of snail mail from across the globe. A dear friend in Mumbai once sent me two large parcels, each weighing nearly four kilos, which made me feel truly special,” he recalls.
For artist Baruru Venkata Krishna Siva Kasyap from Nellore, writing letters has been more than a hobby; it has been healing. Having gone through difficult experiences in the past, he found solace in putting his thoughts on paper. “When you write, there is a quiet grace in it. Expressing yourself on paper has a charm that social media interactions can never capture,” he says softly.
Hyderabad-based corporate professional Anwesh Goda echoes the sentiment. For him, letters are not just words but vessels of emotion. His love for tangible storytelling even led him to set up a typewriter stall at Write Fest, which remains one of his fondest memories. Over the years, Anwesh has exchanged postcards with people from 17 different countries—each card offering a glimpse into another culture, another life. “Many of these exchanges have turned into lasting friendships. Some even led to real-life meetings,” he shares.
A trip to the post office after 25 years, just to buy stamps and postcards, turned into a moving experience for him. It was a reminder of traditions slowly slipping away. “That day made me realise how important it is to preserve this. Now I try to encourage schoolchildren in Hyderabad to discover the joy of writing letters and to value the role of our postal service,” he says with pride.
In Bengaluru, Brahmam found a way to mark time through letters. What began as a childhood routine of waiting for her father’s letters soon became a couple’s ritual. “As a child, I would eagerly wait for my father’s letters. He would buy the newest stamps at Mumbai GPO and send them to me when I was just six or seven. Later, when I grew up and got married, my husband and I started sending postcards from our travels. It became our way of capturing memories—something we could hold in our hands when we returned home,” she recalls.
Today, the couple continues the practice, sending out 20–40 postcards every month to friends, fellow philatelists, and fellow travellers they have met online. “Letters carry weight that digital words never will. If you have ever stood at a war memorial, reading letters written by soldiers, you will know what I mean. I couldn’t even finish reading the ones at the Kargil War Memorial; my eyes were brimming with tears. Even decades later, those words are alive,” she says.
For Mumbai-based Dr. Bhumika Israni, the journey began in 2018 in the most unexpected way—through free postcards being given away by a clothing brand. “I remember asking the salesman if I could take a few extra, and he generously let me have around 20. That small moment shaped what has now become one of the most fulfilling parts of my life,” she recalls.
Since then, she has built many meaningful friendships through Postcrossing and letter writing. For her, the act of sitting down to write is what makes the difference. “When you write, you choose your words with care. Sometimes you share things on paper that you would never say even in person. That’s the beauty of it. It gives you the space to slow down, to reflect, and to truly connect,” she explains.
For all of them, the simple act of picking up a pen, choosing the right words, and waiting for a letter and postcard to reach its destination is not just nostalgia—it’s a way of holding on to humanity in a world that often feels too fast, too digital, and too fleeting.
