About the editor
The book has been edited by Sidharth Bhatia, a Mumbai-based journalist and author and the Founder Editor of The Wire, writing on politics, society, and culture. He began his career when newsrooms had typewriters but gradually, they got replaced by computers. But the fond nostalgia for typewriters and his old portable that sits proudly in his home, remains.
About the photographer
The story of the typewriter is complemented by the captivating photography of Chirodeep Chaudhari, a renowned photographer who lives and works out of Mumbai. He has published two books - "A Village in Bengal: Photographs and an Essay" and "The Commuters" a quirky look at the city through portraits of his co-travelers in the local trains of Mumbai. Before typewriters, he was obsessing about the entrepreneurial spirit behind coin-operated payphones in Mumbai and the reasons behind clocks on public buildings in the city.
About the contributors
This book is a compilation of several essays written by some of India’s notable researchers, journalists, historians, and designers making it a one-of-a-kind resource on typewriters today. Contributors include ad professional Anvar Alikhan, columnists and writers Ranjona Banerjee, Santosh Desai, Jug Suraiya, Madhulika Liddle, journalists Behram Contractor, Bachi Karkaria, Mithila Phadke, Naresh Fernandes, Vikram Doctor and Rama Lakshmi, and historians and researchers David Arnold and Indira Chowdhury. Through their stories of fond remembrances, reportages, and personal accounts of the typewriter’s life in government offices, streets, newsrooms, and even on the silver screen, they weave the life story of the humble machine that transformed many lives.
About the designers
Designers Sarita Sundar of Hanno and Shreyas Krishnan have brought alive the world of typewriters through rhythmic and playful interludes of text, archival material, photographs and illustrations in the book.
The story of the typewriter in India is a story of change and empowerment. It became a symbol of modernity in the workplace and, unwittingly, the typewriter also became an instrument of official power, with the typist standing between citizens and high-ranking government officials. Until the 1960s, this story was shaped by manufacturers who used foreign technology and ruled the Indian market – until Godrej decided to persevere against all odds with the design and manufacture of the all-Indian typewriter that would eventually go on to become a market leader. When the last manual typewriter rolled out of the Godrej factory in 2009, there was much reminiscing about the era of typewriters that had come to an end. To bring to life the history of that era, Godrej Archives decided to pay a tribute to the machine and everything it meant to Indian society. With the help of a vast in-house archival collection, as well as anecdotes and stories gathered from across India, Godrej Archives presents to you With Great Truth and Regard, the story of the typewriter in India.
This book - the first ever attempt to chronicle the history of typewriter in India, has a wonderful collection of photographs documenting the typewriter world in India by Chirodeep Chaudhuri clubbed with lovely archival images from Godrej Archives, Asiatic Society of Mumbai, National Film Archives of India, Mario Gallery etc.
Published by: Godrej
2016
- Hardcover
- 304 pages, 20.3 x 25.4 x 4.7 cm
- Single copy weight: 950 g