How I Miss Those Handwritten Letters?
Letters of my Grandfather
Among the many old files and boxes,
I found a bundle of letters,
written affectionately by my grandfather,
At once, I went into flashback,
The sheer joy and excitement of,
opening those handwritten letters,
cannot compare with the e-letters,
How I checked the wooden letter box,
each day after coming back from school,
And a smile spread on my face,
to find those lovely letters.
I replied the letter Smiling,
In my imperfect cursive writing,
And imagined, how grandpa would smile,
And point out my mistakes in his next.
The tenderness of a handwritten letter
And those lovely letters, sent by my parents,
full of love, affection and preachings,
I have preserved them like treasures,
They were tender to the touch,
And made me feel, their presence around me,
So peaceful, so reassuring.
Letters are sent even now,
But perhaps, they do not carry,
As much warmth and emotion,
as those precious handwritten letters.
Chitrangada Sharan
The First Stamped Letter: Fun facts
The First handwritten letter was by Persian queen, Atossa around 500 B C.
The first stamped letter we know today, came into being, in the reign of Queen Victoria in 1840.
Before this date, letters and envelopes did not have stamps and the receiver had to pay on its receipt.
Letters were folded with wax, hand seal or ring.
Reference: http://handwrittenletters.com/history_of_handwritten_letters.html
Why it’s important to write a handwritten letter, source: YouTube
Do you still have some handwritten letters, sent by your loved ones?
The lost art of writing letters, Source: YouTube
Questions & Answers
© 2017 Chitrangada Sharan
Comments
- Author
Thanks Dianna for reading and commenting on this poem.
Yes those handwritten letters contain the warmth and emotions of our dear ones, which is somehow missing from the e-letters. I find my collection of letters so comforting at times.
Thank you so much for expressing your thoughts.
There is just something about getting a handwritten letter that warms the heart. I still have all of my mother's and read them now and then. It brings back warm memories every time.
- Author
Thank You Anusha for your wonderful comments and appreciation of the hub!
You beautifully described the emotions, involved in writing a letter by hand. I really enjoyed writing and receiving letters. They are my precious possession even now. Especially the letters from my grandfather, my parents and of course my husband.
Many thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts on this subject!
Handwritten letters had their charm undoubtedly. I loved mine and have preserved them. The handwriting somehow had the power to capture and preserve a lot more than just words. The mood & the then temperament of the writer could be felt in the letters. This is just impossible but for the tone of the emails today. The words that were written in hurry were easily separable from those written with a lot of thought and emphasis in multiple sittings. You have created an aura of nostalgia with your hub :)
Have a great Day :)
- Author
Thank You Madan Ji for appreciating the hub!
It’s sad really that we don’t write letters these days. Even I don’t remember, when was the last time, I wrote a letter.
Appreciate your visit and comments!
Thanks, for a lovely hub. I lost the habit of writing letters after I got hooked on the keyboard. Haven't written a letter for last 10 years
- Author
Thanks Sonam for sharing your thoughts on this subject! I agree with you—handwritten letters can’t be replaced.
I would love to receive a handwritten letter from you.
Thanks again:)
Still believe in this concept and write letters ! Nothing can replace the happiness you get when you receive one!
- Author
Thanks Devika for reading and commenting on this article!
Handwritten letters are history now. I have preserved some, written by my loved ones.
That would be interesting to know, what next?
Thanks once again and good day to you!
I do have a few handwritten letters. So much has changed that handwritten letters are rarely seen these days. It makes me wonder what is next?
- Author
Thanks Peggy Woods for reading and commenting!
Glad that you still receive handwritten letters from your friends. This is indeed special, because handwritten letters and cards have a personal touch.
Appreciate your kind visit and thanks for sharing your thoughts on this hub!
My friend from Germany still sends lovely informative handwritten letters and we have a friend from Dallas that does the same. Those are normally the only two we occasionally get in the mail these days other than cards like birthday and Christmas. They are really special!
- Author
Thank you Manatita, for appreciating the hub!
Glad you liked it.
These handwritten letters are my precious possession, and sometimes I read them again and again, for motivation, affection, and reassurance.
We need it anytime, at any age—that is our elders Blessings.
Always a pleasure to read your encouraging comments! Thank You.
- Author
Thank You Ericdierker for sharing your thoughts on this subject.
How nice that you say it with handwritten cards! I love this and I still have preserved those birthday cards, congratulation cards and other cards, sent by my loved ones.
I like writing with pen on paper, but my handwriting is not good. I remember getting remarks from my teacher, ‘improve your writing.’ :)
Appreciate your comments and thanks!
Looks cool, those letters and what a sweet feeling they give! I used to write them but alas! No more. My 76-yr old aunt still writes them. What a joy! I liked the tenderness with which you approached this work. Salaam!
This is lovely. My youngest is 7 and sadly is sick and cannot attend school today. So he wrote his teacher a letter that mom is delivering right now. I am looking at a couple hand written "letters" on my desk.
My family normally does it with cards. It seems more fun that way. About half write in cursive.
I just have never liked to "write". So my letters are "typed", printed and mailed.
And thanks for the reminder I have a few thank you notes to write and get Christmas cards ready to send.
- Author
Thank you Linda for sharing your thoughts about handwritten letters.
Yes you are right- these letters are precious and bring back sweet memories.
Appreciate your positive feedback on this hub! Thank You.
I still have handwritten letters sent to me by family members when I was a child. They are very important to me because the writers have died. Thank you for creating this hub, Chitrangada. It brought back happy memories.
- Author
Thank you MsDora for sharing your thoughts on this article!
I agree with you that many sentiments were involved in handwritten letters. They seem to be missing in the emails or text messages. We read them and forget them, sometimes even delete them.
My grandfather, my parents were very regular in writing letters to me. And I can’t explain, how it encouraged me in everything I did, while away from home. Sometimes it made me smile and at other times it made me cry.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
- Author
Thank you femi for stopping by! Appreciate your thoughts.
- Author
Thanks Catherine for your kind visit and comments!
I agree with you. The handwritten letters were written with affection and feelings, which is lacking in emails or text messages. We read them, forget and even delete them. They are not capable of leaving an impact in the mind or heart.
Appreciate your positive feedback!
- Author
Same here, billybuc! Even I can’t remember the last time, I received those handwritten letters.
I have preserved many of my letters, written by my closed ones. I was also prompt in writing to them. That time is over, never to return—Sad!
Thanks for reading and sharing your views on this article!
I hope you inspire more to put pen to paper.
I love the handwritten letters I still receive from my pen pals in Europe. They are full of warmth, feelings and character that keep you alive and close to your people far across the waters.
If you want to handwrite letters to spread more love and care in the world just go to this lovely website www.moreloveletters.com
Take care (smile)
Chitrangada, so many sentiments in the handwritten letters which we cannot get from any other form of communication. I miss them too.
I miss those days
An Ode to Handwritten Letters. The world needs more poetry and more hand written letters. With an email, you can't even be sure who actually wrote it. And there is no personality. It's a lovely poem.
I really can't remember the last time I received a real handwritten letter. Kind of sad, really. They were always so meaningful.
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