Silence Runs Over Typewriters

Not too long ago, millions of "quick brown foxes jumped over the little lazy dogs" as millions of deft fingers, and not so deft too, went "clickty clock" on good old typewriters, in an effort to master the keys to the printed word.

Not anymore, however. The keys have all fallen silent. With the all-pervading computers catching up with individuals and businesses in the twin cities, like world over, the once adored typewriters are typing their way into history books, museums and antique exhibitions.

The fires of digital revolution have swept across and engulfed manufacturers, dealers and training institutes alike.

Most of the manufacturers have "locked out," while dealers and typing institutes have either shut shop or diversified into related businesses. "There used to be around 400 training institutes in the twin cities alone, about five years ago. Now there are hardly 200. Gradually, most of them are closing down because there is no demand," says Vasant Raj Lokhanday, proprietor of the Oriental Typewriting Institute in Narayanguda, which offers four to six months typing courses for Rs 100 a month.

"Whatever little demand we have is due to the summer holidays. School and college students come here for some fun or time pass. There are just no job prospects for typing, and I have hardly 30 candidates for the bi-annual typing exam conducted by the state Board of Technical Education and Training. There is also an association -- AP Typewriting and Computer Institutions Association, but it's almost non-functional now, he says.

Parents and students alike are disinterested in typing thanks to the lack of prospects, Lokhanday says, adding: "Even I wouldn't send my son to this institute."

Agrees S Bhaskar, proprieter of New Rajadhani Typewriting Institute in Punjagutta. "The business is very dull, and 75 per cent of it has suffered since the past two three years."

Bhaskar claims he had at least 25 to 30 typewriters, some of which he sold. "Now I have just 15, of which 5-6 are lying idle," he claims. His institute currently has 20 to 25 students, but revenue is still not assured as they may discontinue anytime without completing the course, priced at Rs 75 a month, he says.

While some institutes are upgrading to additional services such as DTP centres, faxing, STD/ISD booths, and computer training, others like Oriental say the can't afford the huge investments.

Even those into servicing and maintenance of typewriters are facing a bleak future. "I had to resign from the Hyderabad office of Calcutta-based Remington when it closed down, and set up my own servicing. Initially, I didn't even have time to finish all the orders from companies such as BHEL, NMDC, Bakelite Hylem, but now I am idling away most of my time," says the proprietor of Annapurna Typewriting Works servicing.

Yet, some institutes refuse to shut shop. "I am not happy, but I don't want to close. I am a practicing advocate. The institute also earns through job works, some of which are also done on computers," says Bhaskar.

And institutes like his, claim the situation is not all that serious. There is some work still being done on typewriters such as legal works, documentation, case studies in courts, rental deeds, agreements of sale, and affidavits etc.

There is some demand even for second hand typewriters, says a mechanic at Bharat Type Writers Mart, which is into resale of second hand typewriters from Godrej, Facit, Remington and Alda. "The situation is changing, not pathetic. We are all changing with the times and coping with the changes," says R Pratap, partner in Fact Office Automation, dealing in office systems.

"We faced huge setbacks as we were very strong in the typewriters business. We were one of the few dealers in the city for typewriters. The margins were good. But, there are no sales now. Earlier, we used to sell around 40-60 electronic typewriters a month, and 5-6 manual ones. This was just 2-3 years ago. Now we are selling 2 to 3 at most, he says.

A new manual typewriter costs between Rs 9,000 to 13,000, while electronic ones cost between Rs 8,000 to 15,000. "The typewriter business was once so good that we sold electronic ones for as much as Rs 40,000 to 45,000," Pratap claims.

With slackening demand, the company has moved into computer peripherals such as scanners and printers. However, it still has a service base for typewriters. Two years ago, 100 per cent of their business used to be from typewriters, but now sales are hardly 5 per cent of the total, and servicing revenues contribute to 10 to 15 per cent of the company turnover of Rs 25 to 30 lakhs.

Dealers say no company in India is manufacturing typewriters. Network, Facit and Remington have shut shop. Electronic typewriters such as Panasonic are being imported. But, there are still two categories of people who buy typewriters, they say.

The first are the ones who are price conscious and will even go for a second hand for Rs 3,000 to 4,000. The other category consists of people hesitant to adapt to latest technologies, afraid to handle printers and computers etc. A lot of professors come into this category.

Like Alexander Cockburn, a 19th century English lawyer said on his preference for typewriters over word processors: "There is never finality in the display terminal's screen, but an irresponsible whimsicality, as words, sentences, and paragraphs are negated at the touch of a key."