You’ve got mail!

Bright red letterboxes, Airmail envelopes and serrated-edged stamps evoke such a sense of nostalgia. Though electronic communication has virtually (no pun intended) taken over snail mail, there is something about the bygone trend that seems to have stayed with us.  Melissa Nazareth speaks to several Bahrainis and expatriates who have come forward to share their most precious memories of writing letters, coinciding with World Letter Writing Day on September 1. Some have rediscovered the simple joy of putting pen to paper, with unique personal practices and community initiatives, determined to keep the golden era of letter writing alive in the kingdom.

Lara Al Abbasi, Chef and cafe owner

Bahraini chef and café owner Lara Al Abbasi’s oldest letter-writing memory goes back to her writing birthday cards for friends and family.

“I always decorated the envelopes as well to make them personable,” the 30-year-old said.

The Hamad Town resident has been writing letters on her Substack profile, which has hit home with her growing audience on the platform.

“Sometimes it feels like I am leaving letters in mailboxes that have no return address, but out of the blue, I get responses as little notes from my audience,” she added.

Lara also runs a letter exchange at her café, where guests write letters and leave them at the café for those who might need a pick-me-up.

Mahdi Albannai, ceramic artist

Letter writing evokes poignant memories for Bahraini ceramic artist Mahdi Albannai, of his days as a young man of 20, living away from family for the first time.

“My use of letters was mostly during my time in Baghdad, Iraq, in the 80s, when I was studying there,” the 62-year-old creative said.

“This was the time the war was going on, so it was quite a difficult phase to navigate emotionally. But the letters comforted me,” he added.

The Ras Rumman talent even had a mailbox, which he recently closed.

“Unfortunately, I did not care to keep any of the letters. Though I now feel I should have saved at least a few.”

Beth Noble, Psychotherapist

Australian psychotherapist Beth Noble often writes letters to herself and sometimes, her future self.

“I find it therapeutic to pen down words to parts of myself – as a mother or a friend,” the 52-year-old said.

Beth also recalls having pen pals. Growing up in Australia, she felt ‘quite removed from the rest of the world’ and letters offered the much-needed connection.

“The instantaneous nature of emails today has got its benefits, for sure, but somewhere, the mystery is lost,” she added.

According to the Adliya resident, the difference between snail mail and email is the same as travelling aboard a train and a plane. “On the train, you can enjoy the view and hence, explore more,” she remarked.

Irina Averinos, artist

Artist and Russian expatriate Irina Averinos fondly reminisced her days as a young girl when she wrote letters to her neighbour.

“My friend and I lived across the street and exchanged letters as teenagers,” the Bahrain resident of 24 years said.

“I also remember writing to my family and friends in other cities. We had a postwoman in my area at the time and would wait every day to receive answers,” Irina noted.

“In the good old days, we also sent photos, postcards with views of cities and shared culinary recipes. Everything is quick now, but back then, we would have to wait for weeks and that anticipation made the heart grow fonder,” she explained.

Roy Huliganga, architect

Filipino expatriate Roy Huliganga used to write letters to his high school friends back in the day.

“There were no smartphones nor Internet in the early 90s,” the 47-year-old recalled.

While the Juffair resident finds it more convenient to send digital messages or emails, he believes the appeal of writing letters is still very effective.

“I write to my parents through paper cards for special occasions.

“Now that I have a family of my own, my wife and children regularly write letters to me on my birthday and I write to them. All those letters are tucked away in our drawer and whenever we wish to reimagine the moment, we read them.”

Arti Agarwal, author

English language instructor from Juffair Arti Agarwal loved writing letters to her friends during her school and college days.

“We would use different forms of handwriting. One friend wrote the sentences in a circular pattern. I had to keep rotating the paper to read it,” the homemaker recalled. “We used the Shakespearean English and sometimes the Barbara Carland style,” the 61-year-old added.

Another anecdote she recalled was how her neighbour from Bangalore would send letters from her mother-in-law, written in her mother tongue, which she did not know, to her own mother for translation! This took 15 days both ways.

She would then draft a reply in English, send it back to her mum for translation and finally post the letter to her mother-in-law.

Florine Mathias, Philanthropist 

Former Bahrain-resident and social worker Florine Mathias used letter writing to help domestic and other workers in the kingdom stay in touch with their families back home.

The former Housing Ministry administrative manager lived in the kingdom for 64 years and returned to India in 2023.

“I went to the camps and the church (Sacred Heart Church) where I would meet them,” the 80-year-old recalled.

“I could write in Kannada, Tulu, Konkani, Hindi, and English languages.

“Many a time, these workers had angry things to say, but I would, without their knowledge, word the letters in such a way that the other party is not offended,” she candidly revealed, agreeing that she might have unintentionally saved some marriages during her stay in Bahrain!