Warmth, Reassurance: Soldiers on What Sandesh From Home Means

Soldiers talk to The Quint about what letters from home mean to them.

73rd Independence Day: Soldiers tell The Quint how much letters from home mean to them

(Photo: Shruti Mathur/The Quint)

Video Editor: Kunal Mehra
Reporter: Bilal Jaleel
Cameraperson: Sanjoy Deb

“The feeling of getting a letter was like meeting a loved one after a long time.”

Ravinder Singh, BSF

Ever wondered what a sandesh means to a soldier away from home? If we were to guess, it would be the feelings of warmth, comfort, and reassurance of their loved ones being well.

While most soldiers now keep in touch with their families via phones, they reminisced about the joy of receiving letters written with love, ghar se, to The Quint.

“It used to take a month for the letter to deliver. I’d look at the same letter again till the next one. That feeling was something else.”

Ravinder Singh, BSF

He added that the feeling of getting a letter was like meeting a loved one after a long time.

While communication has certainly become more immediate in the times of mobile phones, soldiers tell us how they used to wait for long periods to receive letters from home.

“The letters used to take 15 to 20 days to deliver. I used to count how many minutes and seconds are left till the next letter.”

Shivaji Rao

But, when the chance arose, what did soldiers say in their letters to their families? And how did their families respond?

“I wrote home three or four times in a week. The letters from home had details about family weddings etc. It was the only way I could be informed.”

Ravinder Singh, BSF

Vikram Singh said,

“I used to send a letter to my family informing them I am fine, and I used to ask if they are okay. After I got married, I used to write letters to my family.”

What would you say to a soldier you may never have met or even seen? On the occasion of Independence Day, The Quint is asking you to write and record your sandesh to a soldier – a tribute and a token of appreciation for the soldiers who stand guard and fight valiantly for us.

(All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses, nor is responsible for the same.)