Letter writing has long been used as an advocacy tool to change the state of things and make the planet more liveable. Below is one such letter that has created history. This was sent by an NGO colleague in Lusaka:
*Okhil Babu's letter to the Railway Department in 1909*
This too much bad, if passenger go to make dung that dam guard not wait train five minutes for him. I am therefore pray your honour to make big fine on that guard for public sake. Otherwise I am making big report to papers."
Okhil Chandra Sen wrote this letter to the Sahibganj divisional railway office in 1909.
It is on display at the Railway Museum in NewDelhi.
It was also reproduced under the caption "Travelers' Tales" in the Far Eastern Economic Review.
Any guesses why this letter was of historic
value?
It apparently led to the introduction of toilets on trains in the Indian Railways.
"I am arrive by passenger train Ahmedpur station and my belly is too much swelling with jackfruit. I am therefore went to privy. Just I doing the nuisance that guard making whistle blow for train to go off and I am running with 'lotah' in one hand and 'dhoti' in the next when I am fall over and expose all my shocking to man and female women on plateform. I am got leaved at Ahmedpur station.
This too much bad, if passenger go to make dung that dam guard not wait train five minutes for him. I am therefore pray your honour to make big fine on that guard for public sake. Otherwise I am making big report to papers."
Okhil Chandra Sen wrote this letter to the Sahibganj divisional railway office in 1909.
It is on display at the Railway Museum in NewDelhi.
It was also reproduced under the caption "Travelers' Tales" in the Far Eastern Economic Review.
Any guesses why this letter was of historic
value?
It apparently led to the introduction of toilets on trains in the Indian Railways.
