Friday 28 September 2018

Interview: Combining tough work with passion

26.09.2018 - Having dreamt of working in the postal industry since early childhood, Sudhangshu Shekhar Bhadra, Additional Director General at Bangladesh Post Office, tells Union Postale how he has dedicated his life to the Post and started writing books on postal matters.

Union Postale: You have dedicated 30 years of your life to working for the Post. What made you choose this industry?
Sudhangshu Shekhar Bhadra: I started my postal career at the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) in 1988. BCS is a huge employer in our country and provides the most prestigious jobs with good benefits and security, and I was craving to have one.
Moreover, I have always cherished a dream to work for the Post because of its indisputable value. Since the very dawn of civilization, we have been dependent on the Post. Wherever you were born, wherever you live or whoever you are, it is impossible to identify your physical address without a post office.
The Post provides a whole range of products and services through its countrywide network. No other public service has such a vast network. The Post is committed to offering fast, reliable, and affordable services to people with different lifestyles and postal workers are proud of serving them. Not only do they provide services to their community but are also engaged with it.
Why and how did you start writing books about the Post?
Writing books about the Post was one of my childhood dreams. I have always known that writing is hard. Writing books about the Post is even harder. However, I believe everyone should make an effort to do something challenging at some point in his or her life because this shapes our character and makes us appreciate what we have achieved. Writing makes me understand myself better. It also gives me new, deeper respect for other authors and their work. Writing is the best way to share an idea or a story. If it matters to me, maybe it will also matter to others.
I think, most people dream of writing a book but they never do, not because they cannot do this or do not know how, but because they are afraid to even start. An unrealized dream is always safer for them than any action because it could fail.
What postal matters do you write about and which ones are you interested in the most? What inspired you to write Postalpedia 2?
So far, I have written four books, namely Postalpedia 1, World Postal History Postalpedia 2, Dak Bakitto o Dak Sahitto and Chithi Chirantan. The first two books are on postal history, the third one is about distinguished people in the postal sector, and the fourth one is a collection of the most famous letters in the world.
I am predominantly interested in postal history. 
Among all other postal matters, this one attracts and interests me the most. Postal history is a study of postal systems and the ways they operate. While visiting different countries I put a lot of effort into gathering as much information on postal history as possible for writing my books.
Inspired by the exciting, yet challenging, journey of writing Postalpedia 1, I realized one single book could not cover all the important milestones in postal history. Therefore, I started working on Postalpedia 2. I was rigorously studying different sources, even the rarest books. I visited postal and philatelic museums in Washington DC, London, Shanghai, and Kolkata, and took part in several philatelic auctions. As a result, I obtained a rich collection of postal materials for writing Postalpedia 2. My goal was to write a book that would become a true companion for postal employees in their daily life to give them practical knowledge on general postal matters. I would consider my life a worthy one if this book fulfilled anyone’s slightest thirst for knowledge.
This article first appeared in the August 2018 issue of UPU’s Union Postalemagazine. Subscribe now to be the first to receive content like this.
Source : http://news.upu.int

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