Using Postcards to Tell Old Stories from The Indian Subcontinent

Read Time: 2 minutes

Onaiza Drabu and Prachi Jha’s intitative Daak, uses the old-fashioned icons of letter writing as props to deliver stories, art and ideas of people who have shaped the cultural heritage of India

Before the world started collecting fridge magnets as memorabilia, there were postcards—pieces of rectangle paper, imprinted with images and poetry that served as nostalgic reminders. Almost everyone collected them, just as they collected postage stamps and letter pads. With time, the mode of communication changed and postcards were the first to lose relevance. Although they now serve as novelty features for the niche, they still hold the same charm as they did in their heyday and now Daak, an initiative by Onaiza Drabu and Prachi Jha, is using these old-fashioned icons of letter writing as props to deliver stories, art and ideas of people who have shaped the cultural heritage of India.

On their website, Drabu and Jha say, that Daak is an attempt to curate and revive original artistic creations which are profound, ‘characteristically humourous’ and uniquely Indian. “Our focus on this region and the past stems from the simple reason that our home base houses a vast treasure trove which has not yet been fully explored. We are as much readers as writers, and as much consumers as curators of these works. To us, “daak” evokes the lost art of letter-writing: a patient, deliberate and thoughtful exercise in articulating your most compelling thoughts for your reader. This project is our way of sending out letters to all the people who, like us, are looking for something interesting and meaningful to read.”

Daak, uses old stories of India and literally puts them on post-cards, accentuating them with art and illustrations if the need be. From intimate love poems of A.K.Ramanujan to his to-be wife, to Bhojpuri sayings, to Sikh Art and Amir Khushro’s poetry, Daak has it all. Although the postcards are available offline, Daak also sends a weekly newsletter, you can subscribe to it here.