SRINAGAR: Neither the scorching summer sun nor the biting winter cold can stop Ulfat Jan, a postwoman in Kashmir, from making deliveries. For three decades, she has delivered letters, parcels and money orders to the residents of the remote Hirpora village in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, braving harsh weather and whatnot.
Ask her what challenges she has faced over the years, and pat comes her response: “It was very tough distributing letters and parcels to people before the advent of mobile phones. I had to travel to a village and then go from door to door and shop to shop to find the recipient.” That was, however, far from the only challenge, as the 55-year-old explains, “Making deliveries amid very heavy snowfall was another challenge. It was treacherous.”
The Hirpora native trudges several kilometres every day to deliver letters and parcels. During the winters, Ulfat often has to wade through thick layers of snow to reach her destination.
Once, over eight feet of snow fell over the village, bringing life to a halt. “For five days, the village was cut off. So, I could not distribute mail to the recipients,” Ulfat rues. But as soon as the roads were cleared of snow, she was back to the grindstone.
Since the Hirpora village is not too far away from a wildlife sanctuary, it is only natural to watch out for wild animals.
However, the threat of being attacked by a wild animal does not deter her: “I perform my duty without any fear. The only concern I have is delivering mail on time.”
Thanks to the rapid advancement of technology, she does not find herself on a wild goose chase every time she sets out to deliver something. “Today, we have mobile phones. I call up the recipients of the mails before setting off for their doorstep.”
The embrace of technology has also changed the way we communicate, she points out, explaining, “There was a time when I was mostly delivering letters. But now, it’s usually Aadhaar, PAN or bank cards and medicines being sent via mail.”
Other than loving her work, she also enjoys a blissful family life. “All three of my children are engineers,” a proud Ulfat shares. And her husband Mohammad Shafi Shah, a retired postman, always has her back. Ulfat has one message for women: “Don’t give up on your dreams.”
‘Technology changed the way we communicate’
The embrace of technology has also changed the way we communicate, she points out, explaining, “There was a time when I was mostly delivering letters. But now, it’s usually Aadhaar, PAN or bank cards and medicines being sent via mail.” Other than loving her work, she also enjoys a blissful family life. “All three of my children are engineers,” a proud Ulfat shares. And her husband Mohammad Shafi Shah, a retired postman, always has her back. Ulfat has one message for women: “Don’t give up on your dreams.”