One always imagines a frail postman on a cycle with an old, worn out bag hanging from his shoulders, full of letters.
Seldom, postwomen in the city garner any attention as they have always remained a silent workforce for several years.
There are many postwomen in the city who are rendering this service to the public without any complaints and always with a smile.
City Express sheds some light on the challenges, a postwomen faces, their working conditions and the competition with their male counterparts.
Kalpana, a post woman who has rendered services for over 21 years, took up this profession for two main reasons.
Firstly, in order to support her family financially and secondly, it was in the government sector.
She said, “I have the responsibility of providing good education to my children.
” Everyday, they collect parcels from their post office and deliver it to many offices and houses in different corners of the city.
Many deliver on the cycle while others take the letters and parcels in an auto rickshaw.
Many postwomen said that they always get good co-operation from their colleagues be it a man or woman.
Narrating one such incident in her career, P Sudha, another postwoman explained, “About four years ago, I met with an accident and sustained a nerve injury.
I was advised by doctors n o t t o lift heavy things.
During this crucial period, my colleagues assisted me in lifting the parcels and sending it to different sections.
Later, I managed to deliver those parcels respectively.
” However, postwomen take pride in their profession as it has given them an opportunity to meet many kinds of people including celebrities, officials and the common man at the same time.
“Many a time, we have to hand over confidential letters to the concerned authorities.
At such a time, we are allowed to deliver these letters in person.
This profession has also given us an opportunity to meet the former Chief Ministers of Karnataka, Governors and other officials,” narrated Varalakshmi B, another postwoman with a smile.
Meanwhile, a few postwomen admit the fact that the transaction of letters have come down drastically with the advent of emails and SMS.
“About a decade ago, we got over two lakh letters everyday and our work load was too heavy. But now it has come down to 40-45,000 letters,” added Vijayalakshmi.
There can be nothing happier than getting recognition for the work done.
Citing an example, Sudha said, “Over five years ago, I was delivering letters to the office of the Commissioner of Police.
The entire city had come to a standstill for some reason.
As I went the next day to deliver the letters, policemen in the office highlighted the importance of letters and complimented, ‘It was as good as meeting the CM.
Our work is incomplete without the letters you deliver’. I was overwhelmed with the response I got and this has remained in my mind till today.”