MiD DAY unites two families separated by time and geography via a yellowed picture postcard lost in transit
MiD DAY unites two families separated by time and geography via a yellowed picture postcard lost in transit
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FROM THE ALBUM: Usha (circled, left) and Rama (circled, right) with their family. |
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Pramila and Gopal Rao, the parents of Usha and Rama, at their home in Rajajinagar, Bangalore |
G Sharada mailed her neigbhours a postcard on October 7, 1973, from Loughborough, describing the life of a recent emigrant to the UK. The postcardu00a0 reached Mumbai on October 15, 1973. Nobody knows what happened between then and now.
Lost in transit for 35 years, it finally reached the Agarwal residence, apartment 95, 1st floor in Sindhi colony, Chembur, on Friday, July 17.
The Raos, who used to live in number 94, moved out in 1975 to a building 25 minutes away, but also in Chembur. From there, they moved to Bangalore in 1991.
"I was amused to see the postcard," said Rajesh Agarwal. In fact, I was born in 1973. My mother looked at it and immediately realised it was for our neighbour, Gopala Rao, who had moved in 1975."
That's when MiD DAY decided to play postman.
Tracked down
We tracked down the parents of Rama and Usha, to whom the postcard had been addressed, to Rajajinagar I Block.
Pramila Rao (75) and Gopala Rao (80) had been Sharada's neighbour in Sindhi Colony, Chembur, 35 years ago. And we discovered that Sharada, who had written the postcard after moving to the UK, is now living in Mysore.
And yesterday, we even got the families talking.
So, when Pramila and Sharada spoke to each other over the phone after 35 years, they were understandably excited. Till then, they didn't know where the other was.
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Usha Balachandra (circled) with her friends. |
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Rama with her family in Chicago |
Pramila said, "I'm surprised that you people managed to trace us. Last night when I got a call from the Mumbai office at 10.30 pm, I was half asleep and couldn't talk properly and forgot all about it. But one of our many friends in Mumbai called today and said my name was in the papers."
While we chatted with Pramila, she received a call from her younger daughter Rama to say that sister Usha had just reached her place in Chicago.
The two would spend many happy hours at Sharada's place when they were neighbours.
Pramila then told her the story and handed over the phone to me. "I am shocked, surprised and overjoyed to know that the two families are reunited after a long, long time. I feel very happy knowing that my mother Pramila and Sharada spoke to each other over phone. Thanks to MiD DAY," she added.
Thrilled to bits
When we spoke to Sharada over the phone, she was just as thrilled at having spoken to her old friend.
"I am surprised that the letter took so long to reach. But at least the postal department delivered it so I don't want to make it a big issue now. But I want to mention something which happened when I was in the UK years ago. I had posted a letter but I think the stamp on the cover had come off. I got a postcard from the postal department saying, 'We have posted your letter by putting a stamp on it. We thought it was an important letter. Please buy stamps for the mentioned amount.' I was touched by the way they operated," said Sharada.
Girls to women: Rama and UshaRama lives in Chicago where she has been running a meditation centre for the last five years.
The elder sibling Usha Balachandra lives in Bangalore, but is visiting her sister in Chicago right now.
She is a Cartouche card-reader and practices and teaches alternative healing.
