Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Feb 17, Postmaster General of North Gujarat Region, Ahmedabad Krishna Kumar Yadav said today, World’s First Air Mail Service completed 114 Years, started in India during Prayagraj Kumbh.
Shri Yadav said, On February 18, 1911, the First Ever Air Mail Service Took Off from Prayag Kumbh Mela, Carrying 6,500 Letters
Postal services have come a long way all over the world. India has the privilege that the world’s first air mail service started from here. Postmaster General of North Gujarat Region, Ahmedabad Mr. Krishna Kumar Yadav said that this historic event took place 114 years ago on 18th February 1911 in Prayagraj. Incidentally, Kumbh Mela was also held that year. On that day, French pilot Monsieur Henri Pequet created a new history. He took 6,500 letters from Prayagraj to Naini with him in his plane. The aircraft was Heavy land Aircraft and launched a new round of the world’s first official postal carriage.
According to Postmaster General Mr. Krishna Kumar Yadav, about one lakh people gathered at Prayagraj to see the Postal flight that day when a special aircraft took off from the banks of river Yamuna at around 5.30 PM, crossed the river after travelling for 15 kilometers and landed near Naini Junction which was near the Central Jail on the outskirts of Prayagraj. The venue of the event was an agricultural and trade fair which was on the banks of the river and was named ‘UP Exhibition’. Two flying machines were on display at this exhibition. The aircraft was imported by some British officers. It’s parts were unassembled which were assembled at the exhibition site in the presence of common people. The air journey from Prayagraj to Naini Junction was completed 114 years ago in just 13 minutes.
Indian Postal service Officer Mr. Krishna Kumar Yadav said that although this flight was just six miles, there was a historic festive atmosphere in Prayagraj. In January 1911, the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company sent one of its aircraft to India, which incidentally came to Prayagraj when the Kumbh Mela was also going on. It was such a time when people hardly heard about aeroplane. In such situation, it was natural to be overcrowded on this historic occasion. In this journey, Henry created history and for the first time, he also saw the world’s largest Prayag Kumbh from the sky.
According to Postmaster General Mr. Krishna Kumar Yadav, Colonel Y. Wyndham approached the postal authorities for sending some mail bags by air, to which the then Postal head gave his approval. The mail bag had ‘First Air Mail’ and ‘Uttar Pradesh Exhibition, Allahabad’ written on it. A picture of an aircraft was also published on it. Magenta ink was used instead of traditional black ink. The organizers were very concerned about its weight, which could be easily carried in the aircraft. Restrictions were also placed on the weight of each letter and only 6,500 papers were allowed to be carried after careful calculations. It took the aircraft 13 minutes to reach its destination.
Mr. Krishna Kumar Yadav, who has written several articles and a book ‘India Post: 150 Glorious Years’ on postal services in India, said that the special duty of this first air mail service was kept at six ana and the income from this was donated to Oxford and Cambridge hostels, Allahabad. A special arrangement was made for this service in advance. Letters were booked for this till noon on 18 February. The Oxford Cambridge hostel was so crowded for booking of letters that its condition had become like mini GPO. The postal department also deployed three-four employees there. 3000 letters for air service reached the hostel within a few days. Among the letters, a letter was having postage stamp of Rs 25. There were many famous celebrities of Prayagraj, Raja Maharaja and Rajkumar among those who sent letters.
Today, there are numerous means of communication across the world, but the vitality of letters holds a unique place. These letters are living documents of their time. Many of these letters have transformed into pages of literature. While postal services now reach across the world via airplanes, their history is intrinsically linked to the Kumbh and Prayagraj. These letters defined the concept of globalization in an era when traveling abroad was a distant dream. The air mail service not only gave wings to the letters but also provided flight to people’s dreams. The contribution of air mail service in connecting various historical events and aspects from one place to another will always remain unforgettable.
