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"Each typewriter has a unique serial number embossed on the body of the machine, like the engine number of a vehicle. Palta also issues an age certificate for every machine he sells, though this can often involve some degree of sleuthing. Often, a single missing component can cost 10 times its original price to manufacture and replace. "If the typewriter's parts aren't properly fitted, it won't work," he says. In these cases, Palta specialises in outsourcing the production of any spares that clients may require to repair their machines. Sometimes, spare parts for specific models are unavailable because manufacturing has ceased.
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"A refrigerator is huge in comparison but has only one-tenth of the parts of the manual typewriter," he says. Like vintage cars, a typewriter's value skyrockets only when it is fully functional, he says, but restoration often involves great attention to detail, and it can be tricky. Palta has painstakingly restored century-old typewriters for people from across the country. And that demand comes from professionals as well as from nostalgia-driven collectors for whom the typewriter represents a magical piece of the past. "While the mainstream use of typewriters in India is already dead, there is a very specific demand that dealers are catering to now," says Palta. His family business was even featured in a book that chronicled the journey of the typewriter in India: With Great Truth and Regard: A Story of the Typewriter in India. "As a family, we've been in the business of typewriters for more than a hundred years," he says. He has been refurbishing and selling typewriters from his store in New Delhi's Kamla market since 1954. Rajesh Palta is the owner of Universal Typewriters Co. At the time, many predicted that the manual typewriter, which once held pride of place in India's homes and offices, would finally grow obsolete – a dinosaur consumed by digital technology.Īnd yet, a decade later, in the winding alleyways of India's small towns and even in the heart of its larger cities, the manual typewriter still thrives. In 2009, Godrej & Boyce, one of the last Indian companies to manufacture typewriters, decided to stop production. After lockdown restrictions eased, students could socially distance as they typed, something that may not have been possible had they been instructing people on larger computer systems, says Bhaskaran. A typewriter's portability is practical and prized, too. And it's easy to transfer those skills to the computer," she says. "Once you've trained on this machine, you can really improve your typing speed and avoid mistakes.

The mysterious disappearance of the world's longest shrubberyįor job seekers who don't have access to laptops or personal computers at home, learning typing on a manual typewriter can be a lifeline, says Bhaskaran.The unexpected way that Bollywood could help millions.
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