Bhubaneswar: Despite the increasing reliance on digital communication, many girls and women still send Rakhis to their brothers through traditional mail.

Ahead of Raksha Bandhan festival, post offices in Bhubaneswar are witnessing a significant rush while they are usually empty on regular days. Post offices that usually handle only government letters, parcels, speed posts, and insurance mail are now busy processing Rakhi-related posts.

According to information from the General Post Office (GPO), while typically 200 to 300 speed posts are sent daily, during the Raksha Bandhan month, this number jumps to 500 to 600. Last August, 26,768 Rakhis were sent via speed post, and around 20,000 parcels were recorded.

This year, from the beginning of the month, 350 to 400 speed posts and an equal number of parcels are being dispatched daily. To attract customers, the GPO is offering special Rakhi covers with unique designs.

Similarly, the post office in Baramunda has seen an increase in speed posts from 100-150 to 300-400 daily ahead of Raksha Bandhan. Regular parcel dispatches have also increased from 200-300 to 400-500.

Former postmaster Bruhaspati Samal reminisces about the busy days during Raksha Bandhan, "When I joined the postal department in 1988, we prepared special Rakhi boxes for Kolkata, Hyderabad, Delhi, and Mumbai. Rakhi sorting continued from morning till evening. However, the volume has significantly decreased now. Sometimes, due to delays in delivery, people prefer sending Rakhis through courier services instead of the postal department. Despite new measures like special Rakhi covers and independent mail arrangements, the scenario has changed."