Meghdoot cards to create awareness on rainwater harvesting

Coimbatore: The city corporation, along with the postal department, released its first meghdoot card, which is themed around rainwater harvesting, on Tuesday evening.
This is also the first meghdoot card to be released by the postal department this year. A meghdoot card doesn’t often come with an educational message for a social cause. They are usually released as promotional tools, ahead of movie releases, product launches, or to mark special occasions. The last time a meghdoot card was released in the district was in September 2019.
While the meghdoot card was introduced some 18 years ago, this is only the sixth one to be released by the Coimbatore postal division.
A meghdoot card is the cheapest philately product and postal stationary available in the country. It costs just 25 paisa, compared to a normal postcard that is priced at 50 paisa.
The card is blank on one side, where one could leave a message, and half the space on the other side is left for address, while the remaining half features the message on how rainwater harvesting could create water supply and sources for ever. It has a Thirukkural couplet the world can not exist without water. The card doesn’t require additional stamps and could either be send to people to simply create awareness on the concept or as a letter.
The card release was timed to coincide with the onset of southwest monsoon in Kerala. The monsoon showers are expected to lash the district in the next few days, rejuvenating the groundwater tables by filling ponds and water tanks in the region.
The city corporation has brought out one lakh meghdoot cards, which have been distributed to select post offices. Sudhir Gopal Jakhere, senior superintendent, Coimbatore postal division, said, “The city corporation has paid Rs 2 lakh plus GST to release the cards. It is the cheapest and easiest way to advertise or create awareness.”