Socialising in the real world, 2012 style
01.01.70
Often, owing to the vagaries of the postal count on, you would get part three first, then part one, with part two coming a belated last. I wouldn’t come face-to-face with Kevin until three years later. I experienced it first transfer when I sold the proposal of my new book to a publisher four years ago: my agent, Kevin, was in London, the publishers, Rupa, were in Daryaganj, and I was in the foothills of the Himalayas. Initially, I’d care of emails like letters, which meant I wouldn’t answer them instantly. The letters would often be in several installments, each installment lovingly licked and sealed in a discrete envelope. I still remember how astonished I was when I sent off my first email – a click of the button was all it took. the craft of email handwriting – if something like it exists – was still to be learnt, internalised. I’d seen pictures of him and his family on the Internet, and we’d Skype regularly. The foxiness of letter writing was still fresh in my mind. I’d wait for the weekend and then answer them ‘properly’, i. e. as a substitute for of sending short replies I’d write a longish letter.
Source: Hindustan Times