Wireless keyboard from another era

Typewriters might have faded into oblivion a while ago, but they still possess an inescapable old-world charm for some users

A couple of weeks ago, after my sister had got done with her Class XII exams, among a long list of things that she wanted from my father was one peculiar demand that left him a little perplexed: a typewriter. "Do they even make them now?" was his response. Typewriters became obsolete long before my sister was even born. Godrej and Boyce, the country's last known manufacturer of the machine that Jawaharlal Nehru once described as "a symbol of India's emerging independence and industrialisation", stopped making these machines four years ago.

But to my father's amazement, and mine as well, typewriters - mostly vintage - are still available online. My sister showed me an old, sparkling orange-coloured 1950s Remington typewriter on an Instagram account that sells a variety of antique collectibles, which include typewriters and cameras. Further searching and we stumbled upon an 89-year-old typewriter from Royal - the one that featured prominently in Stephen King's 1987 wondrous psychological-horror novel, Misery. Later, I realised that my sister - like many in her age group - has an unexplained penchant for anything retro. She even owns a Fujifilm Polaroid camera, films for which are hard to find.

After spending a good half-an-hour gawking at these beautiful machines on my computer screen, it left me thinking whether there are people who still use typewriters, and if there still exist shops that repair them. Typewriters became extinct in the West a generation ago, but people in parts of India and Latin America used them not so long back.

A visit to Delhi's Kotla Mubarakpur market led me to a typewriter repair shop that has been in existence for more than 40 years. Situated in a cramped alley, 31-year-old Rajesh Kumar's tiny shop, amazingly, is still operational. He is working on a Imperial model 65 manufactured by the erstwhile British typewriter maker when I sit down to talk to him.

The shop, which was earlier run by his uncle, has him in charge now. In the age of tablets and laptops, there are few who come to him with their typewriters. "Business is almost negligible. Only collectors and some old-schoolers visit the shop," he says. Basic repairs cost somewhere between Rs 400-500. In the case of some old typewriters that require skilled restoration, the costs can go as high as Rs 3,000.

"Since typewriters are a thing of the past now, even the tools that are required to fix them are sometimes not easily available," says Kumar. Repairmen - much like the machines they once took great pride in fixing - are slowly fading into oblivion. "There are very few shops - mainly in Karol Bagh and Chawri Bazaar - which look after typewriters," says Kumar.

Anand Iyer, a typewriter user I talked to through a Facebook group, says that even though times have changed, writing on a typewriter once in a while gives him the kind of joy that computers can never do. "It's like going back in time. Typewriters have their own inescapable old-world charm," he says. Iyer's prized possessions include a Royal Sabre 1972 portable model and a Godrej Prima, which was gifted to him by a friend. "You do not get new machines in the market now, but some old models are available at second-hand shops," he says. He wishes to add a Smith Corona to his collection.

For those who are still captivated by the antiquated world of typewriters, websites such as Olx and Quikr are offering some for as little as Rs 2,000. Listed products include an AEG Olympia, complete with its original case, a Dutch-made Remington 1968 model, designed by Carl Sundberg - one of America's leading industrial designers of the 20th century - and a 1934 Royal Model A Quiet Deluxe. A couple of thousand bucks can actually take you back a few decades. After all, a typewriter may just be the thing we all need in order to escape the endless hours we spend staring at our digital screens.
AEG OLYMPIA TRAVELLER DE LUXE
Price: Rs 5,500
Where: www.quikr.com

REMINGTON TEN FORTY 1968
Price: Rs 3,500
Where: www.olx.in