The tragicomedy of Mumbai's LAST telegram

The last telegraphic message to be sent from Mumbai's Central Telegraph Office was not a personal message, neither was it a patriotic one.

Nitin Rastogi, a 31-year-old deputy general manager at the advertising agency Mudra Max, became the last person to send the message on behalf of his company to one of their clients -- Birla Sun Life Insurance's boss Ajay Kakar -- thanking him for being a 'great client'.

The message read:

THIS LAST TELEGRAM IN INDIA'S HISTORY IS FOR YOU AJAY THANK YOU FOR BEING A GREAT CLIENT FROM ALL OF US AT DBB MUDRA MAX

Reportage: Abhishek Mande | Photographs: Nadisha Daniel

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The message that went out at 10.13 pm, a little over two hours after the stipulated deadline of 8 pm -- the CTO works from 8 am to 8 pm every day -- cost Rastogi Rs 51.

Earlier in the day, Rastogi had walked in with 4,150 messages to be telegraphically delivered on behalf of Birla Sun Life Insurance.

The message that was sent on the last day of the 163-year-old service read:

THE TELEGRAM RETIRES TODAY. WITH NO PLAN FOR THE FUTURE. DO YOU HAVE A PLAN FOR THE FUTURE?
RETIREMENT SOLUTIONS, BIRLA SUN LIFE INSURANCE

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Vaishali Khadekar, the Public Relations Officer at the CTO, choked up as she announced the closing of the service.

Meanwhile, Rastogi, we are assuming, will hope for a raise, if not a promotion!

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