‘The remotest of areas might not have a bank but there is always a post office’ 

Jagriti Goswami, class 8 student at Apeejay School Faridabad, Sector 15 has won the first position in the event: Let’s celebrate India @75- An International Virtual Video competition organised by The New Indian Express Group. She prepared a video presentation on the topic: Importance of the Indian postal services. In an exclusive interview, the young winner elaborates on the research done behind her presentation, her experience of participating in the event and also mentions about the last time she wrote a letter. Edited excerpts:

 Please tell us about your experience in the competition?

So, a few months back the New Indian Express group had organised a national level inter-school debate competition. I got the information about the same from my school. Mridu Khanna Ma’am informed me about the debate competition and I participated in it.

Two months after that competition, I got an email from The New Indian Express group about the virtual video competition. I mailed them back stating my willingness to participate. They then contacted me and told me that each participant would be given a topic and must prepare a video presentation on the same. The video must be submitted within the next two days.

I was given the topic: Indian postal services. I shot the video and sent it within the deadline. After two days, they streamed the videos of all the participants on YouTube.

They also shared the names of all the students in their newspaper the next day. Then after another two months, I got a call from them and was informed that I had got the first position. They sent me an Amazon voucher worth rupees one thousand and a winner’s certificate as well.

How did you prepare and research for your topic?

I did not know much about the postal services initially. I took one entire day researching the topic. I spoke to my parents as well. They knew a lot about the postal services and explained their importance to me. So, I took the help of my parents and the internet. I gathered all the information, arranged my points, memorised them and presented them in the video format. It took me roughly 2-3 takes to get the perfect video (laughs).

What is the most important thing about the Indian postal services that you learned during your research?

I did not know that the Indian Postal Service system is the largest postal service network in the world. I felt very happy and proud upon knowing this. One generally hears the achievements of the leading nations like the USA, China among others in this field. But knowing this fact made me very proud of our nation.  

Also, in certain remote places there are no banks at times but there is always a post office. In the video, I had to speak for 90 seconds about the past and then again 90 seconds about the future of the Indian Postal Service system. In that I mentioned that the postal service can be used for certain banking facilities such as the people can be made aware about certain loans and cheque payments. The government can take an initiative in the same.

How did the school help you in this achievement?

It was through the school that I got to know about the debate competition organised by The New Indian Express Group. The school teachers, especially Mridu Ma’am, helped me a lot in preparing for it. It is because of my participation in that debate competition that I got to know about this event.

In the age of email, Whatsapp and other social media apps, letters have become just an age-old relic. Do you agree?

Letters are still useful.  While communicating on Whatsapp, email or Instagram, we cannot convey our feelings very easily. The reason is that they are all real time communication apps, where the communication process is extremely rapid.  While in a letter one gathers all the thoughts, thinks what to write, drafts, edits and then posts the letter. This is the reason why it feels extremely good when one receives a letter from someone, since one is aware of the effort and time behind it. One experiences a feeling of satisfaction and joy. 

 Writing a letter is an art. There is a world of difference between receiving a letter and an email. A letter is thus kept more safely than an email or a Whatsapp message.

When was the last time you wrote a letter?

I wrote a letter after the event to my grandparents. They live in Sonamukhi, West Bengal. I am yet to post it.