Who would send letters in the age of smartphones? This question must have come in your mind at one time or another. But even today there are many such places in our country, where in this modern era, the letter is the main means of knowing the well being of loved ones or giving any information. Yes, it's true. While we can reach our family and friends in minutes through a few messages or calls etc., there are still some places where people often wait longer than six months for contact. It is one of the great compulsions. One such post office has been flourishing for decades in the lap of the beautiful mountains of Himachal.
Beyond all the confusion, one thing that makes this post office special is its sole specialty. This quality is not only in the region, but nowhere else in the whole world. Situated in a village called Hikkim in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, this post office is the highest post office in the world. It comprises two separate districts of Lahaul and Spiti. It is on the border of Tibet. Situated at such a difficult place at an altitude of 14567 feet i.e. 4440 meters above sea level, where even breathing has to be faced, this post office has been delivering letters to the remote and inaccessible villages since 1983.
The wonderful feature of this post office has been beautifully depicted by the Minister of State, Ministry of Communications, Devusinh Chauhan, through his handle of Ku App, an indigenous social media platform. Using the beautiful hashtag 'Aapka Dost India Post', he said:
Today about 150 countries are connected by the postal service. The Indian Postal Service is the largest postal service in the world. Its offices are in every city and tehsil in the country. Another record in the name of India Post is that the highest post office in the world is located in India itself, which is a big part of the attraction of the beautiful valleys of Himachal Pradesh.
Opens only for six months
In the villages around Hikkim, letters are the only means of communication. Apart from Hikkim, the responsibility of this sub post office is to deliver letters to Langcha-1, Langcha-2 and Comic villages. The roads to Spiti are open only for a few months in a year. It is possible to come here only from June to October after the snow melts. During the rest of the month, snow remains frozen here. Open every year from June to October, this post office runs in a rented house.
This post office connects the people of many nearby villages with the rest of the world. This is a place where even mobile and internet facility is not accessible, but our Indian post office is the only link connecting this place with the world.
The seal is also unique
This is such a unique post office, where people reach after traveling hundreds of kilometers. Hikkim Post Office in Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, which is the highest in the world, is not only famous for being situated at a high altitude, but the stamps on the letters and postage stamps of this post office are also special for the people. The stamp of this post office bears the inscription 'The world's highest post office, Hikkim'.
Rinchen Tshering has been in command for the last 39 years
This post office was opened in 1983 for the people of Hikkim village and nearby villages Langza, Chichum, Demul and Koumik, situated at 14567 feet of Spiti Valley known as Little Tibet. The Indian Postal Department had opened it to provide the facility of correspondence to the people. Rinchen Tshering is the postmaster of this post office for the last 39 years. They have been running this post office since its foundation stone was laid. But with the passage of time, as tourists from different corners of the world came to know about this post office situated on the highest point of the world, as a result the number of tourists arriving here has started seeing an increase every year.
Those who do not wear masks in this city will be fined, order issued
