India Post: For Every One and Everywhere

India Post: For Every One and Everywhere

India (भारत) is one of the countries which defies a single definition, a stereotype. Some traditions and customs in India might freak a visitor out while others might fascinate, and the visitor may say: "that's it!"

While visiting this Golden Bird (सोने की चिड़िया) of the past, you might have tried and experienced many things: fresh spicy food, coconut water, street food, yoga and historical places. But have you tried and experienced using India Post (भारतीय डाक), the institution and service which, with the highest number of postal offices in the world, connects Indians in remote villages, small towns, metropolitan cities and to the world with affordable price and reliable care?

India Post's services range from  communication and logistics to domestic and international financial services. Western Union and Money Gram are often hosted by India Post. However, its primary role is to deliver letters, packages and parcels door to door. It is accessible to all and in most personal way: most postmen (डाकिया) know their clientele by face.

The purpose of this post is to make you familiar with the grand India Post and possibly inspire you to experience it on your visit to India.

Post Card: Post Card (पोस्ट कार्ड) is the cheapest method of open communication. You can either buy an India Post Card, which is yellow in color, and write your message on its limited writable space, or you can buy postage of equal value and paste them on a custom (picture) card bought from market. Traditionally, before the coming of email and tele-devices, Post Card was used to send short personal messages and family news to relatives. A Post Card with a trimmed corner meant (and still means) that the card bore news of a death. You can send a Post Card within and outside India.

Inland Letter Card: The green color India Post Inland Letter Card (अंतर्देशीय पत्र कार्ड) appears like a post card when folded but it carries more than two writable pages and thus more space for message in the letter. Also, unlike the message on Post Card which could be seen by anyone, the message in envelop is always private and confidential. Nonetheless, you cannot use a custom paper or send an item in the Envelope (लिफाफा), and you can only send it within India.

Book Post: Book Post is a cost effective method of postal delivery of a printed material, which may be books, magazines, newspapers, and greeting and invitation cards. But you can only send a printed material in an open envelope and cannot write a personal message.

Custom Envelope and Package: You can also send your message on any kind of paper and on any number of pages in a custom envelope or send any article except money or a prohibited item in a custom package. In this case, you would need to use one of the following two delivery types:

Speed Post: This eponymous method of postal delivery is a preferred and probably the only method of timely and responsible post delivery within India. It is a good and trackable service but not something like overnight delivery. You can also use it for international letter or package, but it is costly and delivery time may be more than a week.

Registered Post: This was and is a cheap and reliable method of postal delivery both within and outside India because the post is recorded at every point of entry and is only delivered to the recipient in person. But since the delivery is slow, and the domestic price is almost same to the speed post, it is rarely used within India. However, it appears to be a cost effective and reliable (and personally recommended) method of  international delivery. International delivery may vary from one week to a month.

Parcel/Package Service: These services allow the sender to use custom envelopes and boxes and are similar to Speed Post and Registered Post. However, the posts in this category are cheaper due to the heavy weight of the item.

In addition to the the above services for the public, India Post also serves its rural public financially and contributes to the quality of their lives. With a Post Office (डाक खाना), one can save money, insure life, invest in the market, get a postal order, and send/transfer money within and outside India through its money remittance services. India Post also offers express and business services for small and big businesses.

Whatever service you choose to use, you need to remember a few things:
1. Recipient address is always written on the right hand just a bit down the upper corner of the custom envelope. Preferably write "To" or "सेवा में" before the address.
2. Sender address is a must and is written on the left hand bottom corner.
3.  You should write and underline the applicable category (only if it is speed, registered or book post) at the top in the center.
4. Recipient and Sender addresses must have a valid six digit pin (zip) code. Pin code is usually written on a new line as in the above Post Card image. If your international zip code is fewer than six digits, add required zeros in the beginning to make it six digits.
5. You can only pay in cash; no debit or credit card is accepted at most post offices. You can pay the price to the representative, and the person will do everything for you, or you can buy required postage stamps, glue them to your letter/package and drop it in a post box.
6. Postage are usually called stamps or Tikat (टिकट) in India. You mostly need external glue, which is available somewhere near a window, to affix your stamps.
7. India Post domestic and international letters sometimes get lost. Think whether you can afford a possible loss and to what degree.

Considering the importance of India Post in Indian life and its reach to distant parts of the country, you should try experiencing it in some way when you visit India next time. Your experience of India may never be complete without experiencing India Post!