TL;DR
66 farewell messages for a colleague, sorted by who's leaving: the work friend you'll actually miss, a manager, a junior you trained, someone you barely knew, plus short lines for the card everyone signs, funny ones for the team channel, and Devanagari and Hinglish. The rule: one specific memory beats "all the best for your future endeavours" every time.
The last day in an Indian office
The last day is usually the end of a long notice period — sixty or ninety days of handover documents, KT sessions and "who's taking over this?" Then there's the farewell mail to the whole floor, the cake in the pantry at 4:30, the group photo, the card that went round the desks in an envelope, and a final "let's stay in touch" that everyone means and almost nobody does.
The card is where the messages go wrong. By the time it reaches you, there are thirty-five signatures saying "all the best!" and "you'll be missed!" in whatever space was left. A message that stands out doesn't need to be long. It needs to be specific to working with them.
If it's a college friend or a best friend moving away rather than a colleague, farewell messages for college friends and farewell messages for a best friend moving away are the better banks.
For the work friend you'll actually miss (10)
For a manager or senior who's leaving (8)
For a junior or teammate you trained (7)
For someone you didn't know well (6)
It's fine not to pretend closeness. A small honest line is better than a big borrowed one.
Short lines for the card everyone signs (10)
Funny — for the team channel (10)
देवनागरी और Hinglish (15)
Devanagari for a colleague who'd value the formal warmth; romanized Hinglish for the team WhatsApp group, where it reads best and nobody switches keyboards.
When the card isn't the size of the goodbye
For most colleagues, the card and a sincere line are exactly right. For the work friend who's moving to Bengaluru, or the teammate everyone will miss, a card signed in the last hour doesn't hold it.
Lovely's Farewell template turns the goodbye into a train leaving platform 3. It opens on a departure board — "06:40 am · so you're really leaving, huh" — with their name as the train ("Riya Express"), the destination city, "from all of us," and status: leaving us :(. Next, the foggy window of coach S3: "one last look. the window's all foggy. wipe it." They rub the glass with a finger to reveal your line. Then the journey, two to five stations along the route, each with a distance and a message — "already miss your terrible jokes · 0 km," "who'll split the auto fare now? · 120 km," "still my person. any distance. · 842 km." Perfect for collecting one line from each teammate. The last scene is a return ticket — "from wherever you are → to home (us), valid forever, no expiry, no refunds" — with a stub they pull down to tear and keep. ₹59 one-time.
"Office farewells are where people say the nicest things they'll ever say to a colleague," says Lovely's founder. "Then it disappears into an envelope. The journey scene keeps it."
For what the team can give alongside — pooled gifts, what costs what — see farewell gifts for a colleague.
Make it yours: the one edit
Name one shared moment. One per message.
- "Thank you for covering for me" → "Thank you for covering the client call when my father was in hospital"
- "Three years of chai" → "Three years of 4 p.m. chai at the Tapri downstairs"
- "Who'll fix the printer" → "Who'll fix the 3rd-floor printer that only obeys you"
What NOT to do: don't ask "kitna hike mila?", don't badmouth the company in the card (it gets passed around), and don't write "we'll definitely stay in touch" unless you mean to — write "lunch in December?" and then book it.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good farewell message for a colleague?
One that names what working with them was actually like. "You were the person I messaged before every client call — the next team is lucky" is better than "all the best for your future endeavours", which is what the other forty messages in the card will say. One specific memory and one warm wish is enough.
What should I write in a farewell card for a colleague I didn't know well?
Something short, honest and kind: "Thank you for always being patient in reviews — good luck at the new place." It is fine not to pretend closeness. A sincere small line reads better than an effusive one everybody can tell is borrowed.
How do I write a farewell message for my manager?
Thank them for one specific decision — backing an idea, defending the team, giving you a stretch project — and wish them well. Keep it respectful and brief in the card; if they mattered a lot, send a longer private message on their last evening.
What is a funny farewell message for a colleague?
Something about the office, not the person: "Who will fix the printer now?" or "The pantry Maggi stock is going to recover for the first time in three years." End with one sincere line so the joke doesn't read as relief that they are leaving.
Can I send something more than a farewell card?
Lovely's Farewell template turns the goodbye into a train journey: a departure board with their name and new city, a foggy window they wipe to reveal your message, stations along the route with a line from the team at each, and a return ticket that never expires. It is ₹59 one-time.