LETTERS

Letters and mail have become obsolete in today's world of internet and text messages.
However, I do remember a time when we were in Delhi and my grandmother was in Madras (now Chennai) and my mom used to ask me to write letters to her in marathi. I used the Devanagari script and the letter used to read as follows....

आजी ला शुब्हा कर्याचा अनेक नमस्कार ।
तुम्ही कसा आहेंथ ? इथे आम्ही बर आहें ।
लेन्क्र अस्गे बर आहेत । तुम्चा आंग अथ कसा आहें ?
- - - - - - - - body of letter ------------------

नमस्कार
तुम्चा
शुब्हा


English Version:
aaji la shubha karyacha anek namaskar ।
tumhi kasa aahenth ? ithe amhi bara aahen ।
lenkra asge bar aaheth । tumcha aang atha kasa aahen ?
- - - - - - - - body of letter ------------------

namaskar
tumcha
shubha

As can be seen, the letter used to begin with a namaskar and end with a namaskar and signed off as 'yours'. Interesting, especially since the format was derived from the letter my grandmother used to write to my mother!