Jul 6, 2010
Not long ago the typewriter used to occupy a proud of place in many offices. Naturally a visitor to any government office was greeted by the typewriting noise that was emanating from these quintessential machines that gave the office sanctity of its own. Today the typewriters have slowly disappearing from the offices. The only places one can find these good old machines are government offices, police stations, courts, etc., which are also hit by the modernization bug and are opting for swanky offices. Computers, the news avatar of the good old typewriters have long ago replaced the typewriters in most offices, as it is the need of the times. Learning typing formed an essential part of young students soon after their SSLC mainly for those who were aspiring for a career those days. The change is quite drastic in the last few years.
Typewriting institutes which once used to bustle with young and aspiring students are today desolate and many of them have either shut the shutters or have converted them as computer institutes.
As a last nail in the coffin, the government has recently announced that hence forth typing tests would be conducted on the computers. Naturally many feel that it is nothing but the death knell for the typewriters which till recently survived the onslaught from the computers. They survived the assault despite writing obituaries and issuing death certificates a couple of years ago. So it looked as though is it the end of the road for the typewriters as far as India is concerned. But it is not to be.
(Old typewriters being kept for sale at Chor Bazaar in Mumbai - Pics: Rons Bantwal)
Despite predicting such a bleak future in India, it is said typewriters will thrive for another five to six years before they go into history books. According to recent reports even in this age of computers about 12,000 typewriters are still produced in India mainly for export purposes and for domestic use also. Godrej, which has an annual turnover of Rs. 8 crores from typewriters, exports the machines to many Asian and African countries even now. The domestic demand for typewriters in India comes mainly from North East, which means that it is not yet curtains down for the manual typewriters.
Typewriters have come a long way in India ever since the 1930’s when Remington made its presence in the country heralding a new wave of communication with emphasize on saving time money and paper. It brought about a new change and was looked upon as a status symbol. The machine revolutionized the work of many writers and journalists and that is why many people have turned nostalgic reminiscing about the bygone era when journalists made it big reporting from the remotest corners of the world or writers striking it rich with their novels having spent sleepless and struggling nights in the company of their typewriters for countless number of days and nights.
Association of women with typewriters has become a part of the folklore and would go down in the annals of history for the simple reason that it was the typewriters which facilitated the entry of women in the offices, a major shift as earlier women were employed in factories and some service industries. So much so it was presumed until recently that a typist is usually a female, a belief still prevalent even among the educated class.
For those who swear by the typewriter and its good virtues there seems to be some good news. Though many claim that the typing is a dying art and that typewriter is in the last leg of its journey taken take heart from the fact that there is a fresh demand to the typewriters to find a place into the collector’s items museums. Museums collect these machines realizing its importance as an inseparable part of the ongoing history of the people’s need to communicate. It stands as the testimony to the great communication revolution, great design, and scientific achievements and also reflects the transformation of the workplace since its advent. Some antique machines, especially the unusual ones are being sold on eBay for a good price, something that is unbelievable even to those who never had a fancy for the clucking machine.
Typewriter, which once formed an essential part of our communication evolution and was a symbol of the social change, will continue to be talked about as it also the precursor to the modern day computer. As an ancient saying goes as long as a dead persons name is spoken about or remembered he/she will live for ever. Similarly if the typewriter is being talked about, collected, eulogized and makes way for the collector’s item then it has come a long way. It is time to restore the machine from collecting dust or getting rusted among other waste. Long live typewriter !!