We understand that telegrams are to be done away with. The dispatch of a telegram in urgent situations was a facility enjoyed mostly by the common people. Public servants, when unable to go to work because of illness or unforeseen circumstances, dispatched a telegram, which also provided documentary proof. You could send a telegram at the nearest post office, sub-post office, or even an agency post office. A telegram was convenient and it cost very little.
We sent condolence and congratulatory telegrams whenever there was a death or a marriage among relatives and friends. This has been a traditional practice for more than a century.
You did not have to go to a post office to send a telegram. You could send your telegram text through a third party, such as a domestic helper, and the post office staff would take care of the rest. I have used this method umpteen times myself.
Why stop the telegram service?
There are many elderly people who would like to make use of the telegram to communicate in a traditional way. Not all of us use the internet to send e-mails or mobile phones to send text messages. There are a lot of old-school citizens in this country who would like the telegram service to continue.
Nanda Nanayakkara,
Matara
