It’s dying – that lovely practice of writing by hand. Though it may not be cool or even easy to write in the age of touchscreens, experts nudge us to get back at it. It will make you smarter for sure, and may even detect Parkinson’s!
Loves journaling: Akanksha Maheshwari. Pic/Satej Shinde; (right) Finds writing impractical: Khushi Mundhada. Pic/Dhiraj Bhoir
Most of us can remember this pivotal point in life: at some point in school, we all switched from writing with pencils to a pen. Before you were allowed to write with pens, doing so was almost an act of rebellion. Concerned teachers and parents would warn you: “If you start writing with a pen, you will spoil your handwriting.” Your handwriting was more than just the meaning of the words. The slant of the Y, the neat curl of an F, the way margins bloomed with doodles — all of it carried fragments of who you were.
Handwriting was once an intimate signature of self, celebrated in gold stars from teachers and the carefully folded notes passed between friends. Today, though, our fingers are more at home on glass screens than on paper, and the once-cherished art of forming letters risks fading into quaint nostalgia. Sunday mid-day
investigates the power of the mighty written word, and how it holds just as much importance today, if not more.
A 2020 study by the University of Stavanger in Norway reveals that 40 per cent of Gen Z students have lost the ability to write legibly by hand. Largely, this effect has been credited to students are becoming digital natives, submitting assignments online. This effect has been especially magnified by the pandemic. Once students got used to online schools, there was no going back. Screens are faster, better, and unerring.
For Akanksha Maheshwari, the pen has to meet paper for her thoughts to make sense to her, as if the act of writing untangles the knots in her mind and gives her feelings a shape she can finally hold. Pic/Satej Shinde
But here at home, where exams remain predominantly written, children are still expected to write by hand at schools. So, are Indian kids truly losing their grip on handwriting? We ask Sandra D’Costa, who’s been an educator for over four decades. Currently, she is a teacher for first graders at Lilavatibai Podar High School. She says, “Even sixth graders have the legibility of a first grader. When asked to write essays, their hands ache because they are not in the habit of writing long paragraphs.”
She says, “Their grammar has suffered the most. Children are so dependent on auto-correct, they misspell a lot. I find them using WhatsApp abbreviations, I have to circle them and ask them to rewrite it. They don’t understand why they can’t use abbreviations. They struggle with remembering spellings.”
While D’Costa is an ICSE teacher, she tells us that it’s much worse for IB kids. The curriculum requires there to be no written exams till the fourth grade. Exams, till date, remain the biggest motivator to improve handwriting. With no written exams, students struggle to write. Apsara pencils famously had the tagline, “Extra marks for good handwriting”. When asked if the statement is true, D’Costa laughs, “Not really, but it’s a great incentive.”
Khushi Mundhada believes that writing by hand may sound romantic, but it’s simply impractical. Pic/Dhiraj Bhoir
If not for extra marks, then why should we even care to write by hands? For 30-year-old Akanksha Maheshwari, nothing beats the feeling of pen on paper. All her life she’s been praised for her handwriting. In her family, as the new school year would start, all her younger brothers and sisters would bring her freshly covered notebooks, asking her to write their name in her elegant cursive. “I used to have a separate notebook for my notes in school, written with my best handwriting, just so I could pass it around,” she says.
Maheshwari avidly believes in journalling. The pen has to meet paper for her thoughts to make sense to her, as if the act of writing untangles the knots in her mind and gives her feelings a shape she can finally hold. Beyond just her thoughts, all her planning and organisation happens on page. As any type A person would be, her notebooks are filled with lists, mind maps, and long drawn-out plans to achieve her dreams.
For Maheshwari, her handwriting is a reflection of her own self. Just like her, her handwriting too has evolved with time. “After college I almost fully stopped writing. You get busy with work and then you don’t get the time. One day I was in a hotel, and saw a notepad. I just wrote a note saying thanks for the stay. It reminded me of a very special childhood memory.” Maheshwari was fond of frequenting stationery shops. “They have those notepads where you can try a pen out. I would never leave those unwritten. It was like leaving a mark of myself in the store. A stranger could come in next, look at my handwriting. There’s just something intimate about it.”
Neha Phatak Rakshas, graphologist; Rakhi Chandra, handwriting teacher; Sandra D’Costa, educator
Her love affair with handwriting doesn’t stop there. Maheshwari went as far as “inventing” her own type for the letter A. “Since I would sign my name with an A, it should stand out, right? It’s my signature. It quite literally represents me.”
D’Costa echoes a similar sentiment. “Even if handwriting could go obsolete, you need to sign your name. Some 40-50 years ago, parents would come and say, ‘Just teach my kid how to sign their name’.” Handwriting teacher, Rakhi Chandra, says, “Your writing is a reflection of your personality.”
Nineties kids will remember being sent to handwriting classes. In schools, your handwriting could tell teachers whether you were diligent or a delinquent. Parents aspired for their kids to have an almost lyrical quality to their handwriting. The better your cursive, the more sincere you were. Rakhi tells us, “Forget cursive, kids these days struggle even with block writing.”
When asked why handwriting is important, Rakhi says, “It gives you self-confidence. Enhancing your handwriting is easier , especially in early years and it boosts confidence when you go to higher classes. Good handwriting really earns you a lot of praise and can boost your confidence.”
For Rakhi, another reason to practise your handwriting is the discipline it inculcates. Just like any other skill, handwriting too has its rules and needs practice to develop. “You have to learn how to space the letters, that they have to be of the same size, or that your Y has to be curved in a certain way. All these rules are an easy way to teach diligence at that age.”
Handwriting analyst, or graphologist as it is formally called, Neha Phatak Rakshas tells us, “Your handwriting could tell me the thoughts of your subconscious mind.” Through graphology, Rakshas could tell you whether you are suffering from financial, professional, or relationship issues.
Although graphology has been dubbed a pseudoscience, for Rakshas, it helps her even in forensic analysis, where she can go beyond just checking hygiene. “In one of my cases, a woman came to me with a notebook that was left at her work desk. It was just filled with ‘I love you’ front to back.” Rakshas’ client gave her two handwriting samples from suspects. “Along with checking the forensic parameters, it could be seen that one of the suspects was very patient, theoretical and went by the book. Whereas such traits were not seen in the other suspect. Combining all the parameters a higher percentage match was given to the first suspect which came out to be true after further inquiry and investigation.”
But what about those who argue writing is redundant? The future is digital, then what is the need to write? In fact, isn’t typing far more efficient? You even get to save a lot of paper, never mind all the money you save by not buying a million notebooks. For Khushi Mundhada, a 25-year-old copywriter, writing isn’t a hobby, it’s her bread and butter. “I write at least 1500 to 2000 words a day. Hand writing sounds romantic, but it just isn’t practical.”
In her final year of college, Mundhada switched to online college because of the pandemic. Before that, she was used to writing everything by hand. “After that, I just lost practice. Now I find, I think so much better when I type. I find that my brain moves from thought to thought very quickly, a pace that my hands simply can’t keep up with. When I type, my creativity flows better.”
The romance of writing by hand isn’t lost on Mundhada though. “Nothing beats the feeling of handwritten notes. But even so, I would rather type first and then have someone else write it for me. You can’t erase your mistakes — I hate the feeling of my mistakes being recorded,” she says with a shy smile on her face.
But Maheshwari likes the mistakes. “People get to see those little errors you make — which are so beautiful. I would always choose beautiful in the end,” she signs off.
40%
Of Gen Z students have lost the ability to write legibly by hand
Source: A 2020 study by the University of Stavanger in Norway
‘Handwriting can help with diagnosis’
Dr Kaustubh Mahajan, neurologist, Raheja Hospital
“There are already too many studies which show that when you type, a certain part of the brain activates, and when you write by hand, different parts are involved. Handwriting definitely wins here. It activates much broader networks in the brain: the motor cortex, which helps you write; the visual cortex, which helps you see; the cerebellum, which helps you coordinate.
“Cursive writing activates a much broader network than block writing. Because cursive demands more continuous, fluid motion compared to block letters, it engages more of the brain. This enhances fine motor coordination and visual-motor integration better than block writing or typing.
Dr Kaustubh Mahajan, neurologist
“Once, a standard nine student’s parents once came to me worried that he wasn’t writing properly. They thought something was wrong with his hand. But when we asked him, he was very clear — he thought writing wouldn’t be needed in the future because typing and voice-to-text would replace it. So he never even tried to improve. But what teachers, schools, and students must know is that writing plays an important role in developing neural pathways for fine motor skills.
“From a medical point of view, handwriting can sometimes reveal neurological diseases. In Parkinson’s, handwriting may start normal but gradually become smaller. In essential tremor (a movement disorder characterised by involuntary shaking), patients press harder on the paper to avoid shaking. If the stroke affects the language area, they may not be able to write their own name, even though they can write other things. In dementia, they may struggle to draw a clock.”
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
