World Post Day: Pune's old GPO building endures in the age of smartphones

A single click on a mobile phone can send a message to any corner of the world in seconds. In the age of WhatsApp, email and social media, the handwritten letter has almost become history. Yet the historic General Post Office (GPO) building in central Pune still stands as a witness to that change. The building has watched closely the entire journey of the postal system, from the days of the 'dak' to digital services. On World Post Day, it is especially worth remembering.

The history of postal service in Pune goes back to before British rule. In the Peshwa era, messages were carried to important places through the 'dak'. After 1818, the British organised Pune's postal system further. Later, after the Post Office Act of 1854, the postal system across the country saw major changes. An organised postal system expanded in Pune in the 19th century.

Several reminders of that older era can still be seen on the premises of the Pune GPO. Elephants were once used to carry mail. The stones to which their chains or ropes were tied still stand on the premises as testimony to that history. The premises also have an old letterbox bearing the mark of Queen Elizabeth's crown. Letters posted from that letterbox were stamped with a seal of the Pune main post office carrying distinctive pictures.

As times changed, the postal system changed with them. Speed Post, parcels, savings schemes, postal life insurance and Aadhaar-related services are among the many facilities now available at post offices. A post office is therefore no longer only a place to send letters. People come to the Pune GPO and the city's other post offices for a range of financial and civic services.

There was a time when a letter took days or weeks to reach its recipient. Now a digital message arrives in seconds. Even so, the letter written on paper retains its emotional value. Looking at Pune's historic GPO, it seems to be not just a government office complex but living history of the city's changing system of communication.

Some key points in the building's history: the present building of the Pune GPO was expanded in 1928. The stones that testify to mail being carried by elephants are still on the premises. The old letterbox with the mark of Queen Elizabeth's crown is also there. Today's GPO is a centre for many services, including letters, parcels, savings, insurance and Aadhaar.

Looking at Pune's GPO on World Post Day, the entire journey "from letter to digital message" can be felt in a single building.