Why some millennials are trading laptops for typewriters

Typewriter dealers in the country say there is a resurgence of interest as young people turn to the vintage contraption to disconnect from social media chatter and clear their minds
When a man in his twenties walked into Universal Typewriter in Delhi’s Kamala Market recently, store owner Rajesh Palta thought he was just another youngster intrigued by the charm of the many vintage machines in his collection.When the man asked him how to go about selecting a typewriter to buy, Palta wanted to know why. ‘I worked on some scripts, but they were all rejected. When I discussed this with my professor, he suggested that I shift from writing on a laptop to a typewriter as it would help me focus before I type,’ the young media student told Palta.
It was an eye-opener for Palta, who has been dealing in Godrej typewriters for more than three decades. “I did some reading and found that many writers in the West prefer typewriters so that they are not distracted by pop-up windows,” said the dealer, adding that he gets more than five enquiries a day from across the country for purchase of typewriters, with nearly 50% of them coming from youngsters.
A desire to detach from social media chatter is what led Bistriti Poddar to try out a typewriter that her best friend had gifted her. Poddar, founder of Paperless Postcards, an online platform of non-fiction conversations, considers it to be a ‘digital detox’. “In an age when we cannot take our eyes off our phones, I like to escape to my Olivetti typewriter and write my heart out,” said Poddar.
She also credits the typewriter for helping her focus better. “Writing on a typewriter means you cannot delete mistakes. I spend time framing a vision map in my mind and then get down to writing. It’s helped me have clarity about my goals and objectives,” she said.
Typing gives Avinash Prakash, founder of Shutter Blinks, a production company in Chennai, a sense of accomplishment. “I type my ideas, big or small, on my Godrej typewriter. Holding the hard copy in my hands gives them importance,” Prakash said. “When I need more copies, I use the Hanx Writer app though it can never match the feel of using a typewriter,” Prakash said. Hanx Writer is an app developed by actor Tom Hanks, who owns more than 250 typewriters.
Naresh Soni, who runs a typewriter shop in Jaipur, says job aspirants buy machines from him to increase their typing speed. “Many can’t afford computers. So, to prepare for computer typing tests for recruitment, they practise on manual typewriters,” he said.
Soni, who also stocks vintage typewriters, also gets daily enquiries from buyers. “There are typewriters for sale on websites like OLX. But one can’t be assured of the quality of the machine or service afterwards,” he said.
Palta said some young people walk in with requests for specific models. “One writer told me he wanted a Royal Safari typewriter. He had read online that his favourite author used it. Sometimes they ask me to get it painted in their favourite colours,” he said. Not all typewriter enthusiasts know how to use the machines. “One night, I got a call from a teenager who bought a typewriter from me earlier in the day,” he said. “She said there was a problem with it as it had ‘no enter button’.”