Tuesday, July 30, 2013
MTV rolls out Imam
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Indian Telegram's last hurrah not over yet as 'taar' fails to show up
New Delhi: The 163-year old telegram service may have technically come to an end a week ago but for many who rushed to be a part of history by sending their last telegrams, the journey is not over yet.
Even after a week of booking their cherished telegrams, many - including those who used 'Taar' for the first time in their lives - are still awaiting confirmation that the messages have indeed been delivered to the rightful recipients.
"I booked eight telegrams on Sunday but none of them has reached. I rushed to book telegram, the service that I never used in my life, as it was turning in to history," says Delhi-based businessman Sanjeev Yadav.
"With so much delay in delivery, government has killed the meaning of telegram," Yadav, who stood in the queue at Central Telegraph Office for around two hours, said.
The telegram, once the fastest mode of communication, lost its sheen with advent of telephone and later with widespread of mobile phones.
Still, hundreds crammed into 75 telegram offices in the country to send souvenir messages before the service was shutdown after running for 162 years at a stretch. As a result, over 20,000 telegrams booked on last day of its service compared to daily run of 5,000.
Another individual, M S Seth expressed disappointment at not receiving telegrams till date which were booked for local addresses.
"I drove for 20 kilometres to book telegram, stood in the queue for around three hours and even in rain just because of emotions that this service will no longer exist. But after putting so much effort there has been no result. I just pray that my telegrams get delivered properly," Seth said.
No comments were received from BSNL, which was in charge of telegram service operations.
On July 15, BSNL claimed to have despatched 12,568 out of 20,000 telegrams that were booked on July 14.
On July 16, a BSNL spokesperson said all booked telegrams have been despatched with the help of using company's own staff and India Post.
Karuppiah, a 96-year old resident of Vadamalaipatti village near Trichy, received a telegram from his grandson Anand Sathiyaseelan after four days.
"This time I got telegram by post. It used to get delivered in around 2 hours even when I booked it from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) for my parents in this village. There were many telegram offices earlier but the number is now very less. The nearest telegram office to our village was closed , I think, around 5 to 6 years back," Karuppiah said on phone.
Sathiyaseelan said his grandfather ran a business in Sri Lanka and had sent first telegram in 1934 to his parents.
First 30 words in telegram cost Rs 29 and Re 1 thereafter for every word - umpteen times more expensive than short message service or e-mails used for communications at present.
BSNL decided to discontinue the services following huge gap between the average annual revenue of around Rs 75 lakh compared to cost of over Rs 100 crore.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
India's telegram service goes dark after 163 years
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
After 163 Years, India Sends Its Last Telegram
After 163 years, curtains come down on telegram service
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Indians rush to send final telegram as 163
For 163 years, lives across the vast Indian nation have been changed by the knock of the khaki-clad postal worker armed with a telegram.
One of the final messages sent via telegram. Credit: APTNBut with the reliably of landlines and increasing use of mobile phones and email, telegrams are no longer the most reliable form of communications across the huge country.
Last night the state-run telecommunications company in Mumbai sent its final telegram.
The telegram office was overrun as people tried to send one last message via the antiquated system. Credit: APTNThe last telegram was sent soon after 10 pm local time (1630 GMT) from the Mumbai Central Telegraph Office.
A woman holds her last telegram. Credit: APTNThe telegraph office was packed as Indians rushed to send their last telegram to friends and family.
One of the last messages sent via telegram. Credit: APTN More top news 
The Apprentice finalists Leah Totton and Luisa Zissman will compete to land £250,000 of investment from show boss Lord Sugar.
An ad for Coke Zero has been banned for potentially misleading viewers about the amount of exercise needed to burn off calories.
Miguel Angel Trevino, brutal leader of the Zetas drug cartel, has been captured in Mexico. He is suspected of a string of atrocities.
After 163 years, India's telegraph service shuts its doors
Boy, that was a long time ago. Yeah, like... Yesterday.
No joke. The Indian telegraph service of New Delhi has been bicycling messages across the city for a hundred and 63 years. Until now, that is. Cell phones and email have finally put the telegraph office out of business.
"In villages, people would wait anxiously wondering what news each telegram brings,' explains telegraph messenger R.K Royal, 'happy news sad news, if someone's had a son, if someone has died, the price of vegetables."
Believe it or not, until just recently folks in New Delhi, India have still relied on old-fashioned telegrams to send messages. And it may not be why you think. By most definitions India is not a third-world country, especially in centers like New Delhi. But getting important messages to the out-lying villages has been historically difficult. But as technology has advanced, the telegram has finally gone the way of the telegram. And for all the reasons you might expect.
"The very fact that you have to put each word in a column,' says Rosalyn Dmello, 'that you have to have a sense of economy about the words that you are sending, and obviously because you're paying for each word."
As quaint as it may seem. Stop. There comes a time. Stop. When old technology must simply. Stop.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)