Handwriting

Handwriting - not only a way to  communicate but also an art. Various forms, types, styles and variations of it. It was also an important aspect of education. Now, this was the era when education and educators had a significant importance in society. A time when understanding prevailed. Even in a simple thing like handwriting too, it was expected that it must be written in a way where people can understand and interpret your writing. Good handwriting was something emphasized by everyone. 

But times have changed. Being in the education sector, I have seen the graph - and unfortunately it has gone downwards. Handwriting is now something where no one wishes to put efforts. If you have a good one, fine but if not, nothing much will be done about it. It wasn't so in our school days. Efforts were taken and ensured that the handwriting must be good. If you travel a generation still backwards, the handwriting would surprise you. Ask your grandparents or some septuagenarian to write a few lines, and I can bet you will be amazed. It's not just the handwriting, it's like an architecture, where each stroke is measured, each dot is carefully placed and each strike appropriately cuts the alphabet. Even the distance between words is measured and heights of alphabets scaled. The slant of words is fixed at a degree that will be maintained without any changes.

We cannot blame this generation completely for education has become easy. In a bid to destress the young folks, burden is being reduced in all possible forms and on this altar the handwriting also sacrificed. In the new norms, you cannot force a student to write in a particular writing. Forget reinforcing good one. To top it, we have gadgets and technology, where one doesn't even have to type, then where is the scope for handwriting.

Just as many things that have vanished in the fog of development, I guess this art will also disappear over time.  Records maintained on computers and devices, communication through technology, where is even the scope of writing left?

Some time back I happened to go to my lawyer for some property related work. In his office, there was a gentleman might be in late 70s who assists this lawyer. Though all work will be done on computer, there is still a record book to be filled by hand and signed. The gentleman made the entry in his big book, and I was awestruck by the handwriting. So neat. So uniform. So beautiful. The way he held the pen, and the ease with which alphabets flowed out from the tip of his pen and turned to words and words transformed into sentences was a sight to watch! So my theory wasn't wrong.

These days when I see youngsters writing, I get confused. Handwriting always had scope for improvement, but I get confused and wonder seeing the way they hold a pen to write. The way to hold a pen or pencil itself is so weird that I feel bad handwriting must not be a surprise.

There are still people who give importance to it. There are some who predict characters and personalities by handwriting. There are few who predict future and tell past by handwriting. Whatever it is, it definitely is an art and must get its due importance and respect.

Till then, keep writing and writing beautifully.

Take care

SRN