On 24th October 1851, the Telegraph Service is introduced in India by the British. The first message went from Calcutta to Diamond Harbour.
Within no time the Telegraph Services grew. From a service for official use, it became an essential service for the people to communicate urgent information. It was utilised by the business in a very large way. Telegraph offices were opened in all parts of the country.
The introduction of telephone services, mobile telephones, fax, internet and latest communication systems dealt a serious blow to the telegraph services. From crores and lakhs of telegraph messages in the country, it was reduced in to thousands and hundreds in a day.Still many people were using it. It have continued for years more as the Tram Service in Kolkata.
But NO. The government of India and the Management of BSNL wanted to terminate it, to bury it even before it died. And on 15th July 2013, it was unceremoniously buried for ever.
But lakhs of ordinary people like me still remember the days of telegram with nostalgia. Whether it is news of passing in the examination, whether it is a birthday greetings, or even an intimation of death – telegram brought it to your house intimating good and bad news! That is why, on the last few days before 15th July 2013, people came in thousands to the telegraph office to send their last messages. And lo! Many people could not send the messages due to the huge rush.
The next generation will not be able to understand what telegram was to the common people. I still feel a great loss. I still feel guilty that we could not stop the closure of telegraph services, despite the strong protest of the BSNL employees and their unions.
VAN Namboodiri's Blog 
We the BsnlEU never protested seriously comrade! ..
PL don’t feel guilty.. we knowingly missed it.
Dear Comrade,
I think you have some misunderstanding in the matter. Once the government announced the decision BSNLEU and the Forum has taken up the matter with the management to stop the closure. in fact, I went to Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata CTOs, met our comrades, collected the data including the number of messages, the revenue that will come through the messages, the number of people using telegrams all over India and the necessity of continuing the same. The forum of BSNL Unions/Associations issued press releases and our opposition was focused in the news.But any way our efforts did not succeed, as in the case of stopping VRS, Disinvestment, closure of telecom Factories or Civil Wing.. Because of our propaganda, not only media in India, but even the reporters of BBC broadcasted our opposition. You can say that a serious agitation could not take place; but our staunch opposition was there.
I am talking about the ground reality only..
after 25 and 30 years of service ., the telegraph people , though they opt as per their choice and go to other offices..they have been struggling to establish their strength and knowledge in the day to day office work.. what ever position or seat is heavily loaded or not liked by the officials in that office these people are asked to do it.. they always excel..but the stress? it is the failure of our union to take proper decision at the proper time to merge..We fight among ourselves with ego but failed to against the policy.
tku for your response comrade.
one more service pager came and gone within no time leaving light memory
In fact, almost everybody has forgotten the pager, which was in demand for some time.
Change is the life. Asking pager and telegraph service to keep alive means asking our ancestors dead body to keep with us. The nature is to shed the old and take the new. we can mourn some time for the same and not to live with the dead one.
Nobody can stop the progress of mankind. But the path which humanity has treaded and advanced is a historical and has to be recorded properly for the future generations.