Telegraph Machine.
With the discontinuation of the Dots and Dashes systems based on the codes in which letters and numbers are represented by strings of short and long signals, will be vanished from the history of communication of messages which has done a yeoman’s service – both in war and peace.
I still recollect when in 70s, when two telegrams were delivered by the postal authorities to one of the residents of our colony late night with contents as ‘Father serious, reach immediately’ and ‘Congratulations. Blessed with son’. Earlier, the telegrams were used to be on the same format irrespective of the contents. Later on, to differentiate between the joy and sorrow, the telegram of good news was changed to colourful paper. Both the above telegrams delivered on the same day show the sign of happiness and sad tidings.
Telegram which used to be the main source of quick and urgent communication, the service delivered much happy and sad news as well, to people spread all over the country.
The telegram made the recipient anxious about its contents until he opened and read it. Nevertheless, a sense of urgency was always there. The Department of Telegraphs realised it and transmitted the text with a sense of urgency it deserved.
The BSNL deciding to discontinue the 160-year-old telegraph service from July 15, under orders of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs because its clientele was dwindling as the Smart phones, emails and SMS seem to have pushed the humble telegram service to a quiet corner with.
The service regulated by the Indian Telegraph Act will cease to exist but we can’t say it a sad day or its own sad demise despite the fact that Telegraph Department had been bringing in all types of news, personal and public, good, bad or indifferent as we have to adopt the new system of communications with the passage of time.