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Happy Birthday,
Mr. Postman

Love, Neighborhood 5

PHOTOS BY JOSH PETERSON

A rain-spattered Haridas “Hari” Karunakaran at the wheel of his mail truck making his appointed rounds which include
Neighborhood 5 as well as other parts of Sun City Texas.

By Josh Peterson The mailman is known to many as Hari. triumphs and their pain.
It’s a nickname derived from his much
OYHUÀYHPLOOLRQSLHFHVRIPDLO longer moniker, Haridas Karunakaran. “I love my job. I believe it is my job to
are delivered daily by the United He’s originally from India, and his serve the community, to go above and
States Postal Service. Most of enthusiasm and warmth are infectious beyond. I am a living Christian. That’s
those epistles arrive unnoticed, appearing and apparent. A husband and father, my mentality that I approach life with.
in mailboxes as if by magic, but the reality Hari has been delivering the mail in If I see someone with problems, I try to
is that it takes an invisible army—over a 6XQ&LW\7H[DVIRUWKHODVW\HDUVÀUVW help. This my community. I know each
half million United States Postal Service DVDVXEVWLWXWHDQGWKHQDVDQRIÀFLDO and every dog in the community and they
employees—to lug our dispatches door-to- neighborhood letter carrier. Not everyone love me,” Hari said.
door. In this fast-paced modern world of on his route has met him or talked to him,
emails and text messaging, we don’t often but those that do are usually a little better Hari delivers mail to Neighborhood 5
interact with our letter carriers like the for it. He’s been noted for his personal primarily but also services parts of other
characters in old sitcoms did. We’re busy, attention, for caring about the people who Sun City Texas neighborhoods. Built in
lost in the hustle and bustle of our lives, live in the homes. If he knows someone the late ’90s, Neighborhood 5 is one of
and the letter carriers are busy, too. They is sick, he’ll bring the mail to the door the oldest neighborhoods here. It’s replete
have quotas, schedules, and families to or put it somewhere that it can be easily with nice, quiet homes each surrounded
get home to, but in a certain part of Sun accessed. He takes the time to learn by a green, well-kept lawn, a bright,
City Texas there is a very special route about the residents, their struggles, their gentle place nestled deep in the heart of
with a very special mailman. the community.

In 2014, Sun City Texas resident Dolly

74 | SUNRAYS AUGUST 2017 ONLINE: SCTEXAS.ORG