I remember visiting my maternal cousins, who were older than my sister and I. But the memories of those early summer break, my mother would pack us off to Sachi Periamma’s house. My mother’s elder sister was a strict mother, but a forgiving and kind aunt for us.
We, at home liked all my maternal cousins. They were bright and intelligent. My cousins attended typewriting classes in the summer. My cousins were already in college, when we (my sister and I) were just in primary level classes. The summer break was always split into three parts, one visit to Sachi periamma home, two to spend time in Srivatsam with paternal cousins who were around our age, three completing the summer reading list of Amar Chitra Katha books.
Mysterious Typing Institute Revealed
My cousins went to typing institute early in the morning every day without any breaks. I was surprised, that we were left to sleep-in during our holidays, while my cousins worked hard learning. When I was in my 9th Summer break, I also joined a typing institute, but couldn’t complete my course.
But, I did learn the basic fingering which meant except for the numbers I can type all the alphabets on the ‘qwerty keyboard.’ By the time I finished college, I was proficient enough, without a proper certification. But my cousins were far strong will powered and determined than me.
Old typewriter Godrej brand was used for learning when home office hours got over. There were not many moments when I used the manual typewriter and self taught electronic typewriter. I did not like them since you could not remove the typos without the thick whitener. It meant sticky whitener all over the finished paper looked messy.
Computer Typing a Boon
When the first computer arrived in my father’s home office, I was in my secondary school. Home office was no entry zone as per home rule. After I started helping with the typing for the office correspondence, I would use the partially learnt typing skills and improve it incrementally.
Now the printed copy was no longer messy, when they are neatly slotted into the Printer. Woes with the printer is another story for another time. Half the time, I was guilty of wasting papers and my thoughts of the sound of trees falling, kept making me feel restless wasting papers. Of course, it felt more comforting to use a desktop publisher instead of typing on hard copy using a manual printer.
Laptop and Another View
For the major part, I had been using the Desktop and the laptop happened in 2009 and not before. It required readjusting to the laptop but the key board was still the same. Later, in the year 2010, I got my first experience of using an Apple Computer at my post-graduate school. The keyboard commands took me a while to master, though.
A new laptop for my father always meant I will be called to help him with his typing, only for official mails. There was a lot to learn and little time to completely comprehend. Now the typos were of higher level full correct words with errors usages, more grammar and similar spelling errors! That even Spellcheck could not identify.
My Love for Typewriters
These past few years have been a little difficult for me. During that time, when I wished the entire technology would disappear magically. I wished that we would revert to the good old days before the Internet maybe. It was a sad reaction to some SocMed rants and ravings.
Especially the time before I had access to Whatsapp! In the spur of sadness and anger, I felt it would be best to enjoy some rest from social out casting. Not to have a living nightmarish hell played out every single day. I wished upon my digital isolation, and I felt something was not right with the obsession that I bore for drawing out a response for my messages.
Being ignored and muted seems a sure way to get into clinical depression. Among the various social skills being taught in school, coping skill should include digital well-being, navigating the social media hypes and hyperboles, common internet considerate humane behaviour, and much more.
Nurture a Healthy Online Community
The lessons that were learnt at home must be strong enough to bear the pangs of pain from emotional bashing that the digital world gives the users. The fact, that the growing younger generation hopping on to the platform, while still learning the basics of social skills; I feel, it is a sure-fire way of self-harm to mental well-being.
Earlier my parents were taught at home and at school. Though they might not have got the equal attention from their parents, yet, the core values were instilled with firmness and authority. These days open-ended parenting allows for a loose grip on manners and in inculcating them. This would mean that it is okay to question authority.
Learning lessons of life by making mistakes are a given. But the internet records and keeps track of the slips in behaviours and attitudes. Every human being is a growing person and age no bar. What we understood in our primary classes seemed different in our secondary classes. So, where is the truth.
Truth the Ultimate Weapon Is Weakened
On the online community channels that we face, it makes us wonder if the reports that are showcased based on crowd-pulling and crowd-gathering. Often the attraction of lies over the true facts seems to give space to more yellow journalism growing worse.
In this process, the worst hit would be the truth. Given the short attention span and short memory span give rise to untruth. The advancing society believe that it is an acceptable for haphazard reporting than to contribute after proper search for truth. Half-baked information is also a kind of untruth. The expression of such thoughts and principles makes for the made-up truth which is Communication online.
Emotional Troll and Toll on Emotions!
Often in pun it is said if a seedling were to be magically seated beside Social Medium, then the seedling might not sprout based on the troll of its growth progress. Everyone grows at different pace and the best way to grow would be to find moments away from the online activities.
The growing negativity that surrounds the internet communities means that a growing child would be far more addicted to social online approval than a self-validation of their life’s progress and growth, as they gain self-perception of their achieved goals or mini-victories. So, growing up with right kind of positivity is the present-day challenge.
Itinerant Storyteller 