ABSTRACT
The system of the Mail Runner represents one of the earliest and most widespread examples of postal services in the region of South Asia. Mentions of the Postal Runner as part of a messenger system start from very ancient times across India; these Runners would run miles on foot, carrying the sack of mail in one hand and a spear with a bell in the other. These initial steps grew into a complex network of postal services in later years. This chapter explores this earliest system of message delivery men across the SAARC region, including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan.
