In today’s world of smartphones and social media, it’s easy to forget the ways our parents sent and received their news. Before there were satellite dishes and calling cards, there was the aerogram. A small, light piece of paper purchased from the post office that was both stamped envelope and letter. Inside, our parents wrote their worlds and shared it with their relatives back home.
The Aerogram is a curated take on South Asian art, literature, life and news. Like its compact and foldable namesake, The Aerogram seeks to share personalized news, insights, opinions, and much more. Also like its namesake, this labor of love will take a little while to get to you. We hope you’ll find it worth the wait, and take a look inside when it arrives.
-The Editors
Did you hear that India will be discontinuing the aerogram? Its the same as a telegram, right?
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/06/indias-last-telegram-will-be-sent-in-july/276913/
Have so many memories of my parents sending and receiving telegrams. Amongst the piles and piles of bills we received in the mail everyday, these beautiful, blue makeshift envelope things would always make the whole family happy. Baba would sit around the dinner table and read them to me and ma and share how so-and-so is doing in school in Kolkata & Dhaka or how an older relative’s health is. I know that communication is faster (much faster) these days with email, Facebook, Skype calls and text messages, but telegrams carry so much nostalgia I am just not ready to see them go!
Anyways, I just stumbled upon this site. Its awesome! Keep up the good work.
An aerogramme and a telegram are two different things. An aerogramme (the blue makeshift envelope things you mention) is mailed. A telegram is transmitted via telegraph.