A Postman (Grade 2 essay)

1. A Postman is the person who brings us letters from our friends and relatives.

                                             He also brings us other important documents like our Exam Admit Card returned by the sender with a stamp ”Address Incorrect”; letters which should never reach our parents’ hands, or vice-versa; bank loan rejection letters; mortgaged property attachment notices; court summons and the like. They are also notorious for delivering love-letters to wrong addresses thereby causing widespread turmoil, in an otherwise civil society. Outwardly he seems to be very innocent, but a deeper Freud-like analysis would reveal many other traits, often attributed to some great Marquis and Counts, often coming close to De Sade and Vladimir Dracula.

2. He wears a faded Khaki uniform and carries a mailbag over his shoulder.

                                                           The color originally was darker when our Postman was given this uniform by the department; but ever since it  faded a shade or two, he realized the true potential of the faded khakis, if you know what I mean. If the reader is an Indian, and has been to a Police Station, he would know that the faded dress of a postman is akin to that of the police. Our postman, taking all the advantage of this drawback, had arranged a beret, and with the aid of a toy-pistol, worked overtime at nights to fleece passers-by on the road on the city outskirts, making a fortune, that he dumped in his mail-bag; which, even while posing as a policeman, he carries over his shoulder.

3. He goes home to home, delivering letters on a bicycle.

                                                         Not any more, since our postman has now ventured into shares, stocks and broking; apart from his vocation as a mailman. He is hooked on to intra-day trading and seldom leaves his house and laptop. When the letters accumulate too much, he asks his son to do the needful, who comes every fortnight, on a new bike! He never had a bicycle, as far as I remember, and some inquisitive old folks even found out that the bicycle given by the department was now the proud property of a local pawn-broker, who had loaned him 500 in lieu of that. Further, whenever he is free from trading, he takes a break from his tiring profession as  a postman, and visits the Far-East to get relaxing massages and rest-cures.

4. He often reads out and writes letters for the old and illiterate people.

                                                         I don’t remember him doing that, but all old folks of our locality can vouch for that. His reading the letters was suicidal for many, as he seldom took notice of whom the letter was intended for. Also, he could be easily swayed by the lure of a crisp currency note, and would read out letters meant for someone else. The readers can well imagine what catastrophe this action can bring about. He also wrote letters for many poor souls who couldn’t write, or were too old to see properly. Our city was literate, and nearly everyone could sign his name in his own hand at least. He wrote so zealously for them, that one could literally see those people weeping.. not at that time, come on, later! Because as a postman he also carried little stamps, called revenue stamps, and made everyone sign the letters he wrote, which they all later came to know were deeds, as they say in legal terms, making over all their belongings to our dear postman! Those deeds, were rather his misdeeds, that made him a fortune in no time.

5. He is very hard-working and works in all weathers: summer, rains and winter.

                                                     No weather could stop him doing him his duty; he would neither come in summer, nor winter or rains. But, I still would say that he is hard-working, coz as they say, ”when the going gets tough, the tough get going”. So, when the letters would accumulate and he would not have his son at his disposal, he wouldn’t see what weather it was. He would dutifully carry the load, and dump it in an old well outside the city. After all, what’s the use of old letters anyway, huh?

6. We all feel happy to see the postman and wait for him eagerly.

                              We do feel happy to see him, whenever he’s out on bail or parole. Come on, justice is there in this world. When he’s in jail, we wait for him eagerly to be released, so that people can have him (and justice) in their hands, and avenge themselves.