Soon thousands of Indians, both online and offline, will be ePosting their way across the country, or at least part of it, for this service has been launched only in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat, with plans for further expansion.

ePosting works for people who have a computer and Internet connectivity, as well as those who don't. The 'e-haves' log on to India Post's site, create an account and 'buy' credit online, through a credit card or a prepaid card, available at all major post offices. Their message is then transmitted to the appropriate post office, where it is downloaded, printed and delivered to its destination by postmen.

Those who are not connected to the Internet can go to the nearest ePost centre and deliver their message to the post office personnel who send it to the destination station. Every delivery post office in the five states is given an email id based on the pin code of that post office. For example, the General Post Office in Mumbai, with a pin code of 400001, has the email id, epost400001@indianpostoffice.net, while Panjim's email id is epost403001@indianpostoffice.net, based on its pin code 403001.

The concept seemed interesting, so I decided to try it out. To start with, I got a credit limit of Rs 250 through my credit card. After registering myself as a user, I was taken to a page featuring email options, as well as ePost. My account information and balance amount were highlighted in the centre, along with message history and tracking information. It was then 10.30 am and I decided to send ePosts to a friend at Cuffe Parade, my editor at Mahim and myself at Malabar Hill.

I clicked the ePost link and a screen appeared with several fields to be filled, including the name and address of message recipients and a drop-down menu to select the destination state. A problem arose however, when I had to fill in the 'Delivery Post Office' and 'Pin Code' fields. A pop-up window (which takes ages to download) appeared, containing every post office and pin code where you can send an ePost in the five states. I expected a state-wise classification, and was disappointed to be presented with a long list of places (I counted 371 A's itself), which I had to scroll down.

Finding a location proved to be an arduous experience as well. 'Churchgate' was impossible to find, and so were 'Backbay Reclamation' and 'Nariman Point', with the same '400 020' pin code. Finally, the messages were sent and a tracking number appeared, by which I could follow the progress of my ePost to its destination. By 2.30 pm, four hours after I had sent the ePost, the postman dropped off an envelope containing an A4 size sheet of paper with my message to myself.

When compared with Speed Post or registered mail, ePost is considerably faster, and cheaper. "One page of telegram will cost about Rs 400, whereas an A4 size ePost with the same amount of text, costs just Rs 10!" says Mr Patnaik. ePost is almost instantaneous, so messages can be delivered on the same day, within hours, if sent before the scheduled delivery time of the destination post office. "For example if you send a message to Trivandrum at 7 am, it will, in all probability, be printed out and delivered by the postmen going out on their beats by 10.30 am," he explains. "But if the message reaches after the delivery hours, it will be delivered the next day. Also, if the message is meant for some interior areas then one extra day may be needed."

In order to ensure users' privacy and security, messages are encrypted and the server's firewall ensures that spams are kept at bay. They are visible only at the last point, at the time they are printed out, after which they are immediately enclosed in an envelope and dispatched for delivery.

There is however, the issue of transmitting pornographic and other derogatory material, but the ePost team has thought of a solution to that as well. "An individual can send only text-based messages from his PC," says Mr Patnaik. "Scanning is done at post offices and offensive material can be taken care of by our "human fire walls", the post office clerks!"

For those cynical citizens, jaded by government bureaucracy, ePost is an indication of a merger between the archaic workings of a government body and the efficiency of new technology. It is the prefect way to connect India, in all its length, breadth and depth by distributing up-to-date news and messages through age-old human couriers. Above all, it is a reminder that the digital age is not far away.