The Postman

The postman is one of the most important persons in modern society. Everybody, young or old, a ruralite or an urbanite, is familiar with his figure. He may be a middle-aged man or an old man-everybody waits for him eagerly. When on occasions he brings no letters for a person, the latter is inclined to feel disappointed.

The postman is not a highly educated man. But he is educated enough to read the addresses on letters and to deliver his dak correctly. He knows by rote almost all the house-holders of his beat. Sometimes, an address given in a letter is wrong, incomplete, or illegible. In such a case, it becomes a tough job for the postman. He tries his best to deliver the dak in the right hands.

Postman's job is very tough. He has a long list of house-holders. With the increase in the number of literate persons and with a progressive increase in commerce and industry, now dak with every postman is very huge. It is an uphill task to carry this heavy load of dak on his bicycle and move from door to door to deliver the dak. The postman is expected to do his duty in the sun and shower. Sometimes, he has to go to far-flung areas, travelling miles together to deliver his dak. For this, he gets just a meager salary and one or two uniforms in a year.

No doubt, sometimes there are complaints against some postmen. As in all professions, there are some black sheep among the postmen. They destroy much of the dak. The people keep bewailing its loss. Some careless postmen deliver dak to wrong persons or throw it in the open. This sometimes causes great into the persons concerned. Sometimes costly cheque and bank drafts and other precious documents are locks The authorities concerned only rarely take any action against erring postmen.

It is, however, heartening to note that errant postmen are not many in number. Most of the postmen are all smiles. They are very lovable and sympathetic. They seem to be members of every household in their beat.

An ideal postman is very conscientious of his duty. He even goes a step further and reads letters to the eager illiterate addressees. He shares their joys and sorrows which he brings as a part of his duty. In case of good news like the birth of a boy or a wedding or on the occasion of some festival, he is offered some money or gift which he does not accept or accepts only hesitatingly. In the case of sorrow, he expresses his condolences to the person concerned. A postman is not permitted by law to accept any money or gift and an ideal postman does not break the law. But the government must do something to ameliorate his lot.