Handwriting And The English Language.

For quite sometime, I have not written anything lengthy on paper. Though my handwriting is not as beautiful, as straight, and as legible as my father’s handwriting is, many of my relatives remarked that it is as good when compared. My habit of handwriting was mostly centered on writing letters to my father, siblings, nephews, relatives and friends, who were all good at correspondence and whose handwritings were legible and good as well. I really enjoyed then. I maintain copies of letters written by me in a personal correspondence file. With the death of my father, eight years ago, sadly this habit has been on the wane. I do exchange letters now and then with an Australian friend, whose handwriting continues to be beautiful at his present age of 78 years.!
Being a Cost Accountant by profession, preparation of forms and statements took precedence than lengthy reports writing in a manufacturing company where I worked. With Computers coming in, the writing habit has declined. On the office tables the monitors, keyboards and the mouse have replaced the pen, pencil and an eraser, which are rested in the trouser/shirt pockets! This more than often restricted the writing habit. The ball pen in preference to ink pen also distorted the handwriting to a certain extant.
Communication through e-mails, though instant and excellent has totally eliminated the pleasure of seeing a postman deliver a personal hand written letter. Alas, the pleasure derived in opening a letter on its receipt from one’s fiancé, after anxiously waiting for it, is on the decline! May be you lose some, may be you gain some, when technology progresses.
Be all that as they may! I want to regain my writing habit. I felt nothing could be more helpful than writing lessons, often copying notes lesson by lesson, from”Grenville Kleiser’s New Correspondence Course in Practical English and Mental efficiency”. My father took this course during August 1939 and April 1940, and later he made us work on these lessons while we were in school in the 50’s. My father is no more, but the books are with me. They are elder to me, well preserved and priceless in content. Funk & Wagnalls Company then published them. They form part of my personal library.
Redoing these lessons, although better books and methods would have come in the market, I shall be remembering my father always, who has been, like all fathers, a great influence on me. This way I shall be obeying him once more and also improve my knowledge of English language further. I hasten to add that my vocabulary is not rich, neither I am greatly proficient in its usage nor in its power of expression, as some journalists possess them. The English language is not my native tongue, but acquired through medium of instructions followed in my education, like all fellow Indians. Nevertheless I am able to communicate with others in written and in colloquial form at ease.
I therefore began once again reading and writing these lessons in right earnestness at my present age of 61 years, which is no barrier for learning. Yes, I do not have to write exams on this score, and that makes me very happy.!!!

Any valuable suggestions?

NOTE: “ The delight of opening a new pursuit, or a new course of reading, imparts the vivacity and novelty of youth even to old age.” – Disraeli.

The Way I learnt Computers.

July 2n^d 2006.

During my career life, there was lot of interaction with the computer division, which had mainframes. Though I was familiar with computers and their potential, I did not get to sit on it to be aware of its intricate functions. My inquisitiveness to know more about it from the staff was not fruitful, or the interactions with the software professionals outside my company could make me understand either. They were too technical. At that time, joining an institute was expensive, and to own a personal desktop PC (Personal Computer) was a luxury. My eldest daughter (I have three) who switched to IT (Information Technology) after graduating in Natural Sciences in 1997 (She felt IT would dominate the future) did explain the rudiments in simple terms for me to grasp, but I felt not to disturb her too often. In later years she was my guru and was a dictionary to me in the field. My other daughters too cleared my doubts, but were too fast. At times, I felt frustrated, annoyed. The desire to learn was strong.

For most of the complex problems, passage of time seems to provide solutions. They said time is a great healer. How true it turned out to be!

I joined an institute nearer to my house that offered a package deal to teach me from C to Java at an affordable price. The first class I attended, there were only 10 students, all in their early 20’s – 6 boys and 4 girls – they mistook me as their teacher and treated me with great respect as I looked like their daddy! – I was in my late 50’s. Well the actual teacher, who was around 28yrs or so, felt a little nervous to teach me, I put him at ease. In fact he told the other students that they should take inspiration from me! Alas, his lectures were technical and theoretical for me to understand. Although he took pains to teach, it was beyond the comprehension of a layman. Many times, I doubted my own IQ! Yet, I slowly got familiar with all those acronyms, the software professionals flaunt with pride, through reading newspapers and magazines. As I was in the learning process, the institute went into loss and closed suddenly.

One of my nephews, who was associated with this field, helped me buy a desktop PC on Instalment basis. Yes. It was quite a fortune in the year 2000. It was a pity I could not buy it earlier as it would have been useful to my eldest daughter during her studies.

The day the desktop was installed, I felt elated. I thought I could do lot of things- Computing, browsing, E-mails and what not! It came with only Operating System. No software applications, No connection to the Internet, etc., I resorted to interactions again. “You have to install the softwares; you need to be connected either through dial-up or through bandwidth to the websites and so on. -You should know this dumb head”-they all told me!

Why not the IT professionals come with all these inbuilt in the system? I thought.

Well, in course of time I went by adding all this-softwares and hardwares. In the meantime another Nephew presented a book – Computers Simplified. It was great.

Besides, I also bought books/magazines and with their help interacted with the desktop. It was enjoyable all the while. Though not an IT person, I do not feel out of place in their company!!

In retired life, PC is a great companion, faithful, straightforward, honest and a veritable knowledge hub- only if you are connected to the web, that is if you are online. Yes, in India, it continues to be an expensive hobby.

How I wish, you could get a system inbuilt with minimum softwares and hardwares for regular use. Just plug it and get hooked. I do not mind paying charges (Reasonable) for surfing. It should be like a TV, Phone connection. The customers should not be made to run to these different providers, whose lack of coordination makes the PC an irritable ornament.

For the beginners, I would recommend introductory books from maranGraphics, (http://www.maran.com/computer_books.htm) whose 3-D visual books are excellent.

Happy Computing.