Primary school authorities of a Bengal district use Durga puja to revive letter writing among children

Birbhum primary school council has announced a letter writing contest among the students of class 4 and 5 in more than 2,400 primary schools of the district.

Bengalis followed a tradition of writing letters to elders, especially relatives living far away, conveying ‘pranam’ after Dasami, the last day of Durga puja. It suffered after the advent of computers and email, and perished with the advent of cellphones and social networking platforms.

File picture of founders of The Indian Handwritten Letter Co. Ankit Anubhav (left) and Jaswanth Cheripally. Their business is growing. (HT Photo)

The authorities of Birbhum district in West Bengal have decided to reintroduce the dead art with the district primary school council taking up a letter writing competition among the students of class 4 and 5.

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There are more than 2,400 primary schools in the district, and the number of students in class 4 and 5 will be about a lakh.

“The competition will introduce young minds to the beautiful art. We have already informed every circle in the district,” said Raja Ghosh, chairman of Birbhum district primary school council.

The competition will be held on October 25. The students have to write a letter within only 75 words conveying their ‘pranam’ to elders.

The competition will held in the schools. The letters will be collected by the teachers and would be sent to the district council through the school inspectors. Then they will hold a meeting to select the best ones. Though participation is not mandatory, the authorities wish that everybody takes part.

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The tradition of sending letters conveying “bijoyar pranam’ was alive even in the eighties. Bengalis celebrate ‘bijoya’ which involves embracing each other and touching the feet of elders after the diol is immersed, a ritual on Dasami, the last day of the puja.

“It’s a nice idea. It will introduce the children to a beautiful but dead tradition. It will also prompt their parents to think whether they can encourage their children to start writing letters. The handwritten letter is one of the most charming ways of human expression,” said Subhabrata Mitra , a teacher of Mitrapur Nimno Buniyadi Primary School.

“It immediately took me back to my childhood,” said Sabeya Sultana, a teacher of Kestara Primary School.