Bengaluru, 3 April

Bangalore General Post Office (GPO) mourned the passing of its oldest postman, Victor Dhanraj, who died at the age of 90.

Born on 15 October, 1934, in Coimbatore, Dhanraj moved to Bengaluru at the age of 13, initially finding employment as an office assistant and later as a construction worker at Vidhana Soudha. Inspired by the inscription "Government Work is God's Work," Dhanraj landed at Bengaluru GPO in 1957.

Those who knew Dhanraj best described him as a man of unwavering commitment and a pillar of the GPO community. Nagaraju V, a senior clerk at GPO, told Salar News “He always used to say ‘Letters are not just paper and ink. They are the love that one person carries for the other person’, that is why he never used to see the circumstances while carrying out his letter deliveries.”

“He was as reliable as the sunrise,” said Nandkishore Agarwal, a fellow postman. "Rain or shine, he'd be out there, delivering letters and parcels with a smile.” Department of Posts presented Dhanraj with the prestigious Meghdoot Award for being the Best Postman in 1988. He later retired in 1992.

Throughout his 35-year tenure as a postman, Dhanraj's dedication to his uniform set him apart. While many of his colleagues opted for a more casual approach, he meticulously maintained his attire, adding personal touches such as a bandana and polished boots. His commitment did not go unnoticed, as he became the face of the department, even featuring in a newspaper advertisement in 1972.

In a video tribute released by Karnataka Postal Service on Wednesday, Dhanraj was quoted saying, "I used to cycle the length and breadth of Bengaluru whether it was rain or sunshine and deliver letters, especially on Bandh days even when there was violence on the road.” —Salar News