The joy of letter writing
There is no doubt about it. Many readers of The Jakarta Post do indeed stop to read the Your Letters column. Even the "not-so- serious" readers, who just browse through the newspaper every morning, apparently take an interest in this column, if a letter is penned by any of their favorite writers. In any case, isn't it a pleasure, going through someone's letter, though in a newspaper, like peeping into your neighbor's home?
What's unique about Your Letters is that "there is room for all". One can even criticize the Post and such letters will also find a berth in this column.
The letter-writers obviously may not write in a journalistic style but it's evident that they express their feelings and write from experience -- from the way they look at the world. Usually, our thoughts fly off in different directions. Writing is self- improvement. It helps in crystallizing and harnessing our thoughts, along the way enriching our own understanding of life. Writing letters to newspapers is a shared pleasure, a satisfying and productive hobby.
I read somewhere that India holds the distinction of having the second-largest percentage of letter-writers in the world. Interestingly, in Bangalore city, famed as the Silicon Valley of India, the "compulsive" contributors to letter columns have even formed a Karnataka Press Letter Writers Forum! The members of this forum have taken to enlightening themselves about civic problems and services, such as postal delays, bad traffic management, etc. This breed's contribution is unpaid. They offer their opinions and analysis free of charge.
Coming to Mr. Farid Baskoro's letter of Dec. 15, 1998, I'm pleased to note that several contributors to the Post's Your Letters column have their bylines acknowledged in the international media too. It's no surprise though, as I am always amazed at the range of subjects that are dealt with in this column. Many letters are extremely well-written and are clearly thought provoking.
Tom Peters, coauthor of the international bestseller "In search of excellence", started his career in writing after trying his hand in the letters column of newspapers.
Well, the inspiration for my writing came from my late father, who once wrote a beautiful letter in the eveninger The Mail under the title Anguish of villager, describing the grim flood situation around our village.
In the 1970s, I wrote a couple of letters in the Indian Express newspaper, followed by an article in the respected Indian Review magazine. The article was about the secular nature of the temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, the presiding deity of Sabarimala in the Kerala State, where millions of Indians, irrespective of their religious faiths, throng to worship this God, usually around this time every year.
I must admit, however, that my writing improved over the years, only after I started contributing to the Your Letters column of The Jakarta Post. And for this, I owe my deepest thanks to the Post.
D. CHANDRAMOULI
Jakarta