Lesly Joseph By Express News Service BENGALURU: Cartoonist Paul Fernandes who has been capturing the essence of Bengaluru over the years through his art work, now has his worked stamped on postcards. At the recently-launched Museum of Communication on Museum Road, which showcases the rich history of the Indian Postal Service, the department released a set of special post cards with pictures drawn by Fernandes. Having studied right across the road at St Joseph’s Boys’ High School, Fernandes recalled rushing in and out on cycles to play hockey and football. “I studied just across the road here. Every time we came out, we saw the beautifully-tiled roofs at the Museum post office. Later on, when Bengaluru started changing rapidly, I started coming here to admire this place and look at these graceful lines. This is one of a few buildings in the city which gives us a sense of old Bangalore. I drew them to keep the memory alive,” he said. With Karnataka being hit by natural calamities, Fernandes pointed out that it is important to preserve what we have. “Right now, Karnataka is going through a tough stage. It’s heart-wrenching to hear the news of floods in North Karnataka. My point is very simple: we have to look after everything we have. We have to treat them as priority, and give them all the necessary care. We are here to nurture them, not exploit them. Look around, you can see the change happened to this city,” he said, adding that when he was in school, the area was peaceful. “The place has drastically changed in a few years. And we have already started facing the consequences of the exploitation.” The museum comprises hundreds of installations such as pictorial depictions, stamps, different modes of communication (morse code, mail bomb detector, adding and listing machine and seals) and department uniforms in six rooms. It’s the probably the first museum in the country which covers all aspects of the postal service. “The younger people in particular should know the history of the postal department. I hope the concept of writing letters will start again,” Fernandes said. Dr Charles Lobo, chief postmaster general, Karnataka Circle, Col Arvind Varma, postmaster general, Bengaluru region, and Victor Dhanraj, Meghdoot awardee were also present at the launch of the event.

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