Handwriting Blues

One of my oldest friends is on the blogosphere, and I didn't really know it. व्यक्तिगत - मनोगत - स्वगत, is Salil Divekar's blog. I should have guessed that he would be blogging. Astrologically, we are about as close at it can possibly get. Born in the same city, a day apart. (I know, I know.. closest is the same hospital on the same day in the next door delivery room, 1 second apart, but guys.. Bloggers factor of exaggeration!!!)

Anyway, what caught my main attention was his last post, which by the way, should not be the last one. (Note to SD, please write more often.) Ms. Doctor was, by far, the best teacher we had. Ask Vincentian, who graduated in the 90's and was there from the first standard, chances are he would agree with me. Those who graduated before that would probably have had teachers other than I did. Her insistence of good handwriting was legendary, and that's something I'd like to address here.

Of all the souls in the work force today, I think without any doubt that I am the luckiest one. If computerisation had not occured by the time I hit payroll age, I would have been in deepest of deep shit. The very fact that I am even remotely successful in what I do, has completely to do with computers. I guess I must have lost at least 5% marks in school due to my handwriting. If you're counting a 5% differential in my HSC marks, you're talking the difference between COEP and Bharati Vidyapeeth. You're talking the difference between an ATKT in SOM and an all-clear.

The very fact that you're reading this, is a miracle, because if you were reading my handwriting, you probably would be banging your head on the wall. Anyone who says that emotional crap about how computers have taken away the romance of writing, has obviously not read my handwriting. In almost every letter, I have to put an apology for my handwriting. It is different from line to line, let alone from page to page. Just thinking how my life would be without computers, makes me shudder. Especially my previous job, which involved a lot of documentation work. (On second thoughts, maybe the FDA would have approved the devices a lot quicker, and I would have risen through the corporate charts)

Ms. Doctor lived in a different world. A world, where rich people had Godrej typerwriters, and normal parents would write a letter to the teacher explaining the previous day's absence of the student. A world, that required ink pens and kids to learn the art of writing cursively and neatly. Most people of my dad's age have beautiful handwriting. They have it, because they needed to. I know I probably won't need it for writing letters to the teacher. They have parents login ids for St. Vincents now. (No kidding, you email the teacher)

I know they don't make teachers like Ms. Doctor any more. I guess they don't need to!