The Last Post

Book Review

"The Last Post" is the latest book by noted writer and philatelist of Orissa, Anil Dhir.  I am pleased to publish its review by Shri AB Tripathy, State Convener , INTACH.

This book is priced just at Rs 150/- . For the readers of Rainbow Stamp News, it is at Rs 100/- post free by Regd. Book Post. It will be available with Kashinath Sahoo   email:   kasisahoo123@gmail.com  Phone : 797856967 

"The Last Post" is a book of a different order. I have written twenty stories  on letter boxes,  post offices, mail runners and other postal ephemera tinged with nostalgia. All the stories are first hand experiences. In fact there were so many, that I have a tough time in choosing which to select. It is heavily illustrated with colour plates.Maybe the success of the book will make me write a sequel. - Anil Dhir

The Last Post:  A Swansong for the Post Office and the Letter Box

Book Review  by A.B.Tripathy  IPS (Retd.) State Convener, INTACH

Much of social and cultural history of the world, especially in the last five centuries, can be linked with the development of the postal services. The Post Office has been a trusted friend, it connected governments and royalty, nations and empires,customers and companies, and of course, friends and families. As the world evolved, the postal systems too evolved.

In the late years of the last century, the Indian postal system was seen as one that had been unable to modernize; mounting volume in outdated facilities had resulted in chaos, inefficiency and dysfunction.It seemed that the postal system, which was once at the cutting edge of a communications revolution, was doomed to become a quaint relic of the past. The internet revolution, emails, couriers, cell phones etc. had got about a sea change in the manner in which people connected and communicated.

Postage Stamps, letter boxes, old Post Offices, in fact anything connected to the mail, tell a story.  They speak of multiple stories, ranging from tales of politics, history, technology, biography, genealogy, economics, geography, disaster, and triumph. This book is the work of a postal enthusiast. It is an ode to the romance, valour, adventure and enchantment of the postal system.  The fascinating real life stories, centered on the Postal services are tinged with nostalgia. There are sweeping and entertaining accounts and interesting anecdotes.The human stories of the thousands of people who lived and worked within it, have not have been told.

The Last Post, was released recently at the National Archives of India, Bhubaneswar. Written by Anil Dhir, the book is a collection of 20 stories spread over the last three centuries, related to the post offices, letter boxes and postmen.Dhir, an avid heritage aficionado is a multifaceted personality. He delves into uncharted paths and courses and comes out with scintillating facts which are out of the common. This remarkably adventurous spirit is reflected in the themes of his writings. This book is of that genre that will keep the attention of the readers glued to the contents.

I will end with the note that there is no substitute for the Post Office. Every nation’s Postal System is the heart of the country, circulating its pulses across the borders and within. We should never let it die.