KARACHI - The technology of cellular phones and internet has almost ended the tradition of sending greetings of Eid through cards in the country.
During a survey of the city by TheNation, it was revealed that the business of putting decorated Eid greeting cards has almost vanished from the city as shops of floral and gifts ended keeping the cards for sell.
In recent years, the people almost in each area used to go to sell the Eid greeting cards on wooden carts but after arrival of technology, the culture of greeting through Eid cards has been almost died in the city.
According to the businessmen and common people, the common use of cellular phones and internet has promoted E-cards culture, vanishing slowly the history old tradition of Eid cards.
The greetings through SMSs and emails proved a big blow to the tradition of Eid card industry, which almost compelled the people shutting of publishing of Eid cards, commented a businessman Haji Haroon of Bohri Bazaar.
The traditional markets of the Eid greeting cards were Urdu Bazaar, Pakistan Chowk, Bohri Bazaar, super market of Liaquatabad area, but according to the businessmen they have switched their businesses as no customer come to buy the Eid cards.
The shopkeepers were of the opinion that easy and fast way of communication is the major reason of dying culture of tradition of sending Eid cards, which takes time to reach its destination.
The shopkeepers said that the cheapest SMS packages by cellular phone companies as well as price hike and power crisis compelled the people to remain resolving their daily problems because they can’t spare time to buy card and then courier it to their beloved.
The expenses to get publish the eid greeting cards also increased, said another shopkeeper Muhammad Khalid at Pakistan Chowk, who involve in the business of printing press. He estimated that the prices of the eid cards are increased ranging from Rs25 to 500 for each, depending on their decoration and material, so that the people can’t bear buying Eid card in this inflated period.
However, the people who used to extend Eid greetings through cards also remarked that they have no time to go buy and then dispatch it as they don’t know whether it will reach on time or not.
MPA Heer Soho of Sindh Assembly from the MQM, while talking to TheNation said that she missed that time when she sent or received the Eid cards.
She opined that we have become busier as compared to youth life, so we can’t afford time to buy and write the Eid card.
She argued in favour of technology and said that the technology has made easy to send text message in few words to all friends, which save time as well as money also.
Moonis Ahmar, Professor of Karachi University, said that a major reason which has caused marginalization of the culture of Eid cards in Pakistan is the availability of online sources of greetings. These sources are free and do not, unlike the traditional eid cards take long to reach their recipients, he opined and continued that it also started with “the options available in google cards and then got spread with SMS and also through facebook”.
Educationist Seema Zahid also missed the happiest time in her life and said that sending Eid card was a fun. Choosing and buying right type of Eid card for each person, writing some personal comments for each one and finally sending them through post or by hand was a process to engage us and our emotions for our friends and loved ones on Eid.
Now it’s too easy to send one e-card to hundreds of friends by just one click that is making us more social but less emotional for our dear ones, Seema opined.
Environmental journalist Amar Guriro opined that modern technology has brought positive changes to environment, as many people started sending greeting through text messages and on emails, which means less usage of paper.
“In past millions of people were using a lot of paper to send letters, greeting cards and many other paper-based things, but now technology has reduced the use of paper, which means we need less tree cutting to use it for paper,” he said.
He said the purpose of sending letters and greeting cards was to communicate and same purpose was being done through email, text messages and on social media sites.