“Arrey Bhagyawan Dekho Taar Aya Hai!” was the common dialogue once heard in many households in India during the 1950s. Popularly known as ‘Taar, the telegraph service was the backbone of the telecommunication service of India since the 1850s.

Whether it’s a birth, death, wedding, job, unemployment, war, accident, telegram touched every aspect of the lives of Indians. Telegram like several other things was started by the British in the 1850s, and it turned out to be the dawn of communication in India. Today’s day is important because it was April 27, 1854, when the first telegram was sent from Mumbai to Pune.

Here are some interesting facts about the Telegraph service in India.
- A telegraph is a device used to send a message or Telegram.
- The first telegraph line, though only experimental was established between Calcutta and Diamond Harbour.
- In 1854, the telegraph service was opened to the public and the first telegram was sent from Mumbai to Pune on this very day in 1854.
- Since 1850 till 1902, the telegrams were sent through cable lines, but in 1902, the Indian system went wireless.
- Telegraph service was one of the major reasons why the British could quell the 1857 revolt.

Though in the age of smartphones, emails, and the internet, telegram much like postal service had become redundant and that’s why the service was dropped for good in July 2013.

Image Courtesy: https://colnect.com

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