Clerics opt for E-cards this Christmas

This story was given to me by Father John Neduncheril after he had read an E-card story written by me for the Hindustan Times, Bhopal edition, in 2002 during the Diwali celebrations. So I went to meet him the next day and found the story to interesting of how this year to save cost the sisters of various churches were sending e-cards rather than the traditional cards to their relatives and friends across the globe. After this story was carried in the paper he became a good friend and I got some very good stories later on from him and his fellow friends.

A Global phenomenon has finally caught up with the clerics of the City this Christmas. The Fathers and Sisters of various churches are using e-cards to greet their counterparts and relatives.
Take for example Sister Hakim who was busily penning her message on an e-card and downloading pictures of Santa Claus on the computer to send to other Sisters and relatives down South. Like Sister Hakim hundreds of other sisters all over the City are logging on to famous e-card sites everyday as the Christmas nears, sending out cards by the dozens to their near and dear ones and peer group members throughout the world.
The IT bug has bitten the entire cleric community in the City right from the Archbishop who himself uses a computer, says Father John Neduncherill, who is selecting an e-card to send to his fellow father in Kerala.

Father John of the St Thomas Church says that IT is very good and he has taken a head-start to promote it with in his schools and churches all over the country.
Various e-cards are available with flash mode and it is all very easy to handle, says Sister Hakim. Sister Sukrutha nods in agreement. “Well, I have send at least 35 varieties of cards to various sisters all over the world so far,” adds Sister Hakim with a smile.
Father John says that though he is quite new to the computer (last 6 months), he finds it just great and adds that by just a click of the finger he can get thousands of e-cards to chose from, something that cannot be done in card shops.
Well, e-cards for now have come to stay during the various religious festivals throughout the world over this year’s “Merry X-Mass” would be electronically wished and received.

E-cards spelling ruin for traditional greeting cards

This story you get to read was a chance when during one of my evening walks at the new market area in Bhopal, I noticed that they were no takers for the traditional cards in 2002 and this was for the use of E-cards by the all and sundry to greet their near and dear ones.

The charm of the traditional greeting cards seems to have a serious challenge from cyber-space. Some of the vendors and outlets dealing in theme cards for the season over the counter are being forced to rethink their business model as some have reported sales dip to the tune of a staggering 60 per cent.
New Year, some say, might not bring any cheer for them. Those who offer a complete basket of gifts are better off., but only slightly. Card vendors and stall owners in New Market have cut by half in some cases to push sales and clear the year’s inventory.
Since, season’s greetings occur only once a year, all our New Year cards would turn useless because themes for the next year might change, says Rajeev, stall owner. He adds he hopes to recover at least a part of his investment this way.
The e-cards have hit business so badly that there’s no other way out except sell at heavy discount, says KS Chauhan, a part-time street side vendor in Old Bhopal area who makes some money on the side through this business during festivals and New Year. “E-cards are convenient. Never mind if they are impersonal,” he rues.
So what if there are e-cards says 20 year old Nina and adds that though she sends e-cards to her friends and relatives, she was doubling up the effort by sending traditional greeting cards as well. “I hope my snail-mail cards are more permanent,” she adds.
According to Ravinder, a stall owner in New Market, the sale of cards has been dropping at a rapid pace in the last three to four years by an astonishing rate of 20 to 25 percent annually. He plans to fold up this business if the trend continues.
He has hopes in the likes of Radhika, another net-savvy girl, who shuts down her computer goes hunting for traditional cards which her friends will preserve for life and remember her even when they get old.
Shushank, an internet buff says it’s about time everyone came out with the truth. “Who in the world has time to keep count of the cards and that too for so many years?” he asks rhetorically. So he reckons sending an e-card free of cost is fine.