Letters fade, runners disappear, memories endure

Even in the 1990s, we used to write letters to our loved ones. Those handwritten letters were filled with our joys, sorrows, emotions, and love. The wait for a letter felt like an eternity—when would the letter carrier arrive? The anticipation made it hard to sleep. But in this modern era, our ways of waiting and living have changed. We no longer wait for letters or the postmaster, whom our ancestors called the "mail runner" or "runner." They too have faded into the depths of history.

The mail runner now exists only as a memory, evoking nostalgia through songs, poems, and stories. "The runner from the village carries the news of people's joys and sorrows, tirelessly night after night, bringing their burdens to their doorsteps. But who keeps track of his news?" Hemanta Mukherjee introduces the runner in this way in his famous song. Poet Sukanta Bhattacharya also immortalized the runner in his well-known poem: "The runner has rushed, the bells are ringing at night / The runner is on his way, carrying the news, / The runner is coming, the runner!... / He has taken on the task of bringing new news."

Even our national anthem is inspired by the tune composed by Gagan Harkara, a mail runner from the post office in Shilaidah, Kushtia. He was also a folk singer. One night, while returning with mail, he was singing, “Ami kothay pabo tare / Amar moner manush je re…” Rabindranath Tagore heard this song from his cottage. One day, he summoned Gagan to listen to the song. That very tune later became part of the national anthem “Amar Sonar Bangla.” This is how the mail runners are intertwined with our existence.

When we think of the runner, we imagine a solitary traveler, lantern in hand and a spear with a bell tied to its tip, traversing the night to deliver the mail to distant places. The bell would ring so that people could recognize the runner’s approach, ensuring no one mistook him for a thief or a bandit.

The runner walks alone through the dark of night. The roads were fraught with dangers of robbery. The renowned writer Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay captured the essence of a runner’s life in his timeless story "Dak-Harkara." In it, Dinu, the mail runner, ties a rope around his chin, holds a spear firmly in one hand, and carries a flickering hurricane lamp, its chimney blackened with soot, as he moves with the familiar pace of his duties.

The Origin of Mail and Runners
The oldest discovered handwritten letter dates back to 500 years before Christ, written by Atossa, the daughter of Cyrus, the Persian queen.

However, the existence of a postal system in the Indian subcontinent is ancient. The Atharva Veda mentions it. Additionally, various literature, folklore, rhymes, and poems reference it. In ancient times, messengers, as well as pigeons, were used to send news from one place to another. The famous poet Kalidasa and Dhoyi depicted the use of seasonal clouds and winds as messengers in his works "Meghaduta" and "Pavanaduta."

Mythology also features messengers, with swans in the story of Nal Damayanti, and Hanuman in the Ramayana, as well as deer in the tale of Anar-Koli, highlighting the long-standing tradition of communication through various means.

History tells us that in ancient times, the social status of messengers was so high that they could not be imprisoned, mistreated, or killed. The Arthashastra of Kautilya also mentions postal charges. During the Mauryan era, there are references to messengers and couriers.

The Evolution of Mail in Bengal
In the Bengali region, the origins of mail and couriers can be traced back to the Sultanate period, specifically from 1186 to 1206. During this time, a system for transmitting news using camels began.

One of the prominent sultans of the Ghuri Empire was Muizuddin Muhammad, also known as Shihabuddin Muhammad Ghuri. Born in 1149 in the Ghur region of Afghanistan, his empire encompassed Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Bangladesh, and Iran. His favorite slave was Qutbudin Aibak, who became the first Sultan of Delhi (1206-1210). Under Qutubuddin's reign, a postal system resembling that of the Arabs was established, facilitating communication from Delhi to Bangladesh. He also introduced several new terms, such as "kasid" meaning messenger, "dhawa" meaning runner, and "ulap" referring to horse couriers.

This system was reformed by Sultan Alauddin Khalji, who was the first to establish postal stations. In 1296, he implemented a system for transporting information using both horse-rider mail and foot couriers. During his reign, the postal department was referred to as Mahkama e Barid. This department had two postal officials: one was called Malik Barid-e-Mamalik, and his assistant was known as Naib Barid-e-Mamalik. He appointed news writers (Munshi) in every city.

During the reign of Muhammad bin Tughluq (1325-1351), significant contributions were made to the development of the postal department. The travelogue of Ibn Battuta records that Tughluq established two types of postal systems: horse-rider mails and foot couriers. Ibn Battuta noted that very little time was spent transporting mail from Sindh to Delhi. During the Tughluq dynasty, postal officials also partially performed police duties.

Sher Shah refined this system further by constructing the Grand Trunk Road for rapid travel. He established 1,700 post offices and appointed about 3,400 couriers, whose job was to deliver and collect news on horseback. During this time, the Mir Munshi, the royal decree and secretary of the communication and postal department, worked under the supervision of the Daroga-e-Chawki, an official overseeing postal stations. The expanded postal system, coordinated by a large number of employees, was called Diwan-e-Insa. Two clerks, known as Tarikh-Navis, oversaw the lower-caste employees called Moiwar, who facilitated the royal communication.

Despite changes in governance, the Mughals maintained the Daroga-e-Dakchawki system. The post stations were primarily controlled by the provincial government. During the reign of Emperor Jahangir, postal communication was established between the capital Dhaka in Bengal and Delhi, and Darogas were appointed for receiving and sending mail. Furthermore, postal communication was also established between Bengal and Odisha, as well as between the capital and Murshidabad, utilizing pigeons for delivery.

British Era Mail Runners
In 1757, after the defeat of Siraj-ud-Daulah in the Battle of Plassey, ruling power fell into the hands of the East India Company. In their interest, Robert Clive reformed the postal system around 1766, though some sources suggest 1744. A postmaster was appointed in Kolkata, and connections were established with five postal communication centers, the main ones being with Dhaka and Patna. This system was known as Clive Dak.

Following Clive's reforms, Warren Hastings introduced regular postal services within Bengal. For just two annas, he set up a system for sending mail across a distance of 160 kilometers of Bangladesh. To implement this, 417 mail runners, 139 torchbearers, and 139 drummers were appointed across 139 areas.

Early Telegraph and Mail Services
On January 1, 1880, the money order system was introduced in all post offices in India. That year, a regular rail mail service was also initiated, allowing for local mail sorting. In 1905, Bengal was divided, forming a new province with Dhaka as its capital, comprising East Bengal and Assam. In 1907, the East Bengal and Assam postal circle was established, incorporating regions from the previous circle. However, when the partition of Bengal was revoked in 1911, this new circle was merged back with the original East Bengal and Assam postal circle.

On February 18, 1911, the world's first instance of airmail occurred. A French pilot named Henry Pequet flew from Allahabad carrying 15 kilograms of mail (about 6,000 letters) and delivered it across the Ganges to Naini. To expedite postage payments, a meter franking system was introduced on February 23, 1920. The 1930s marked the era of air mail transportation, with air mail services beginning between Dhaka and Kolkata on December 1, 1933. On the same day, the Kolkata-Yangon route via Chittagong was also launched.

In 1939, with the onset of World War II, extensive security measures were implemented for the postal department. During this time, regular mail services were disrupted, and postal workers in various regions assisted through field post offices. After the war ended in 1945, these field post offices were phased out and integrated with more advanced post offices.

Following this, India was partitioned, and modern methods gradually began to be incorporated into the postal system. As a result, mail runners started to fade into obscurity. Nowadays, we hardly write letters at all! Yet, in this twenty-first century, we must remember the runners with heartfelt reverence, for they are part of our history.

Author: Poet and journalist