Old Kolkata buildings live and breathe history. As Kolkata celebrates December with Old Monk induced nostalgia, let us explore the history of one such building. The building in question stands proud, evoking heritage, and a certain kind of wistfulness you will only notice if you care to stop by and look close.

Have you ever wondered where lost letters go? The Dead Letter Office in the Dalhousie Square, now known as the Old Telegraph Office, has been storing lost mail for almost 150 years.

The Dead Letter Office, with a 120 feet clock tower, portrays splendid colonial-era architecture. It was completed in 1876. All international mail coming to Bengal would be sorted here. When mails failed to reach their destination and could not be returned either, they were stored here.

Imagine the sheer amount of raw emotions these thousands and thousands of letters would have carried, if delivered. Instead, they remain stored- some for centuries, some only for a decade- in this picturesque building in the heart of Kolkata. Who knew that the City of Joy was also capable of harboring such melancholia?