The Post Office

The Post office is a story of an eight-year-old boy who is terminally ill and is confined inside his house by the family physician. He sees the outside world only through his window. He talks to the passers-by and engages them in eager conversations. Flower seller’s daughter Sudha has made a promise of bringing flowers for him. Watchman tells him that the big building with the flag is the king’s new Post office. He imagines that he will receive a letter from the King and based on that he constructs an imaginary world for himself. He dreams of being the royal postman and awaits the king’s visit.The Post office offers a glimpse into Tagore’s vast understanding of the human spirit that gathers hope even in the hopelessness. It depicts the free spirit and the joy of the open road free from bondage. Also, Tagore’s symbolism pervades throughout the play and explains the current state of India; it helps to produce strong imagery of the past, present and future of the country. It was published by Rupa in 2002 and is available in paperback. Key Features: The Post office was written in 1912. The original name of the play was “Dakghar” and it was written in Bengali. An interesting fact is that it was written in just four days. W.B. Yeats was the first to translate it into English; he also wrote a preface to it. It has also been translated in French, German, Spanish and Polish.