It is a thin sheet of light blue paper for writing the message. This is foldable and ready to stick. It has an impressive postage stamp on it of specific value. This is only issued by the post office for public.
This was the mode of communication within India and was completely handled by India Post.
All formal communications between offices and customers and informal communications between friends and relatives were sent through these letters. Once sent, the letter would take 3-7 days to arrive. It had to be torn open carefully so that no written matter was lost.
In an era when there was no other means of communication, this was a lifeline for many families. Post independence, many of the children in the families in the village would migrate to cities. The link was maintained through these letters. Families would eagerly wait at their doors for the postman to arrive with these letters. The sight of a postman in khakhi uniform, canvas bag on his shoulder, was one of the most familiar sights. He was the bearer of news. A knock on the door could mean job offer, school results or a letter from one of the family members (long awaited).
Today, very few use this mode of communication. However, it was interesting to note that India Post revived the Inland Letter to promote insurance awareness as recently as 3rd June, 2026. They have also introduced barcode-enabled inland letters, which enables the sender to digitally track their letters.
India Post in association with insurance platform ‘Coversure’ launched a nationwide awareness campaign called ‘Chitthi aayi hai’ (letter has come). This was meant to encourage families to discuss insurance preparedness and financial protection.
An interesting turn of events in a digital era.
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