Runners: Postal Footsoldiers From A Bygone Age

hile there are conflicting accounts of exactly when ‘runners’ were first used for the delivery of post in the country, it is believed that their origin dates back to at least the Mughal period, if not earlier. The earliest runners were used to gather intelligence for rulers; later, they were used to convey messages and also began to be used by merchants for trade-related work. Gradually, runners also were used to carry private mail.

It was during British rule that the ‘dawk’ system formalised the designation of ‘runner’ and paid these men according to the distance  travelled and the weight of the letters carried. The relay system was also introduced at this time—a runner would run a stipulated number of miles, and hand over his mailbag to a waiting runner at a designated time and place.

The overriding reason for sending out these footsoldiers of the postal service was the inaccessibility of the regions they served. Postal authorities point out that with the advent and expansion of roads and railways, runners started becoming redundant. That’s why they only exist today in the remotest regions of the country.