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E-cards just don't click
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Digital greeting cards? No way, say those who prefer the old-fashioned pen `n' paper version
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A picture speaks a thousand words but a greeting card comes with a thousand emotions. There's just one hitch here: When the latter comes popping out of an inbox, it doesn't quite flatter the eye or the heart. Mouse clicks done with, a coloured bar at the bottom of the screen quietly asks you to wait as it fills up, during which time you would probably pick your nose or indulge in other purgatory acts that don't quite jell with the finer emotions to follow. It isn't surprising then to hear that people still prefer to cut out the computer stuff and dash off greeting cards the old-fashioned way - envelope, glue and the works.
"Sending e-cards has become a cool thing to do but I did much rather shop for cards than head for an Internet café," says Ritesh Chauhan, a management student. "The problem with e-cards is that they look so cold. They don't have the emotional depth to stir you."
The obvious defence for cyber greetings would be that they don't get torn or smudged or chomped by dogs. And that's precisely what works against them. "People don't think much of preserving e-cards but it's a different matter with the regular ones. You just can't throw away cards from near and dear ones," says chartered accountant Gouri Sudha adding, "I have built up a collection over the years and it is a pleasure going through them once in a while."
Preserving e-cards, as hard-boiled speed mail users will swear, is an act covertly controlled by mail services. Cough up hard-earned cash and they will be kind enough to let you have a bigger mailbox that will do the trick.
"Sometimes, you are forced to delete mails that have cards as attachments. At other times, there's a deadline for viewing the card. And once it moves off, there's no way to get a card back on the screen," observes Mukesh Kumar, regional sales manager of a national bank.
It's the personal touch, however, that keeps the cardboard versions in circulation. Vouching for this, Dr Fayaz Latif from Basheerbagh says, "It's easy for anyone to push a few buttons and shoot a card. A real card, on the other hand, tells the sender has taken time out to go to a shop, pen a message and mail it." Over the years, ornate cards have made way for more simple designs. Floral cards with mild splashes of colours are in for the season. "There's an increase in sales this time of the year with teenagers making up a majority of our clientele. We also get corporate orders for cards made by human welfare organisations like CRY and Helpage. So the business is good," reveals Amarjeet Barua, manager of Walden bookstore. And what's his take on e-cards? "Digital rubbish!"
K. SACHIDANAND MENON
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