Madras Day 2026: the humble typewriter keeps clacking despite the digital takeover

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Chetpet Typewriting Institute at Jaganathapuram First Street in Chetpet. Running the Institute from a space that is part of his house helps P. Padmanabhan keep overheads within manageable limits.

A chorus of clickety-clacks from manual typewriters drowns the bustle on Jaganathapuram First Street, which sits in a tract of Chetpet where every house leans into the next somewhat like books in a library shelf. Inside, as young fingers dance over ageing manual typewriters , kept sprightly by consistent maintenance, teacher-plus-owner of Chetpet Typewriting Institute (est. 1975) P. Padmanabhan is supervising yet another class, spelling out instructions to students.

Typing proficiency, whioh includes speed, opening doors to certain clerical positions in government and private settings, being an essential component in certain competitive government exams including TNPSC Group IV, some categories of Staff Selection Commission, institutes of this nature still thrive. Padmanabhan points out every class includes students who view the acquisition of typing skill as an end in itself; just being able to type fast and error-free is good enough. Therefore, also expect those training for careers in law, the corporate world and so on to walk in through those doors, says Padmanabhan, adding that he receives students from near and far and the institute's current strength is 50.

And these multiple needs keep these instruments going, refurbished from time to time. Chetpet Typewriting Institute is not the oldest, but is symbolic of typewriting institutes, continuing with unflagging enthusiasm despite challenges from technology.

Padmanabhan belabours manual typewriter-based institutes’ continuing relevance, citing numbers and benefits. “There are 4,500 government-approved typewriting institutes across Tamil Nadu,” he states. “Typewriting equips a person to type faster and more efficiently. Once you master it, operating a computer becomes effortless.”

This belief has had Padmanabhan, now aged 75, wearing a new hat post his retirement as medical photo officer (also known as ‘medical photographer’) from Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital in 2006, taking the mantle from his father and running Chetpet Typewriting Institute. The institute operating from a space, quite an expansive space, in Padmanabhan’s house, makes the overheads of running it manageable. Without a soupcon of regret, he points out he whittled down the number of institutes he ran from seven to one. “Unable to find teachers of the calibre I sought, I shut down the institutes.”

He notes with quiet pride, “I am a certified high-speed typewriting expert and an official government examiner,” recognised by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Technical Education (DOTE). Padmanabhan personally teaches both Tamil and English typewriting; shorthand classes are also offered. His voice resonating with justifiable pride, he says: “Search my name online, you will find it.”

Decades ago, every street probably sported a typewriting institute.