Till a few years ago, it was common to send by post or to give by hand something called a "Greeting Card" Be it Christmas or New Year of Diwali or a Birthday of a friend, giving cards was considered a must if you really cared - especially if you were young and could afford the same. But enter Facebook, Whatsapp and other digital platforms and that was sort of an end of the cards - or that's what we thought.

However we did a round of Satyam Gallery in Mumbai and found that many people still considered exchanging cards cool. "Of course the number of cards being sold have come down but we find that not just the old timers but youngsters too buy greeting cards to accompany a gift especially to their college and work friends", says Piyush Shah the owner.

Youngsters were seen going through the messages inside the cards and deciding the best one to suit the occasion. "I think a card gives a personal touch to our wishes," says Aditya Shah who makes it a point to always give a card to his friends on birthdays. "I also know that my friends will treasure my card for a long time unlike a Whatsapp forward or a Facebook message," he adds.

Yes indeed think of a time in the future maybe 15-20 years down the line. Wouldn't it be fun to read the messages on the physical cards from your friends and family members?

Vishal Rai who graduated from college in 2005 still loves to see the cards he received when in college. "It was fun to pick cards then. Of course we did have internet and online cards but I don't remember any of those wishes. It's only these cards that I have now that remind me of how my college mates treated me then!"

Giving a physical printed greeting card also tells the recipient that you spent a lot good of time in selecting a good card for him or her on their special day. Also seeing your hand written name adds to the sentiment of the occasion by personalizing it fully.

Sending a digital card may be easy and you may not accidentally miss someone's special day as you may set reminders for the same. However not everyone, particularly old people have daily access to email. "I always love to see the collection of cards that I send my mom and dad when I visit them during vacations," says Anuradha Pai who works in Dubai and visits India twice every year, "they have the habit of placing them in their room and that reminds me of how much they care for my feelings"