Celebrating Tamil literary heritage through postcards

CHENNAI: In the digital age of social networking, where instant messages and emails dominate communication, there exists a dedicated community that cherishes the timeless tradition of sending postcards. Chennai is home to a thriving group of postcrossers who are passionate about the art of sending and receiving postcards. On World Postcard Day (October 1), a collection of 12 postcards each featuring a prominent Tamil writer was launched. This event was organised by The Postcards Originals in collaboration with Madras Postcard Commune, a post-crossing forum aimed at encouraging young enthusiasts to embrace postcard writing.

Jagadeeshwaran, the founder of The Postcards Originals, initiated this venture just six months ago with a mission to foster awareness about the beauty of postcards and ignite a passion for postcard writing among the young generation. “Beyond the launch, we also hosted a gathering of like-minded individuals, including postcard writers, book aficionados, post-crossers, and literary enthusiasts,” Jagadeeshwaran shared. The event served as a platform for sharing ideas, exchanging postcards, and kindling the collective passion for the art of postcard writing.

The collection of 12 postcards pays tribute to some of Tamil Nadu’s most illustrious writers, featuring their portraits alongside quotes from their works. The featured authors include Kira, Jayakanthan, Panpannan, Sura, K. Alagirisamy, Nanjil Nadan, Bhava Chelaturai, A. Muthulingam, S. Ramakrishnan, Poomani, Vela Ramamurthy, and Indran. Jagadeeshwaran shared the purpose behind these postcards, saying, “These postcards are being released to highlight the great writers of Tamil. These are the writers who have enriched our lives with their works. We hope these cards will help promote Tamil literature and culture around the world. While there are already many dedicated postcrossers, we hope to see more people join this community and continue to encourage the art of writing postcards.”