Sir Isaac Pitman introduced his system of shorthand over 180 years ago and the Shorthand Association of Karnataka began training people in it a 100 years ago.
As the association prepares for its centennial year in 2019, members argue that shorthand remains relevant even today, despite the advent of computers, tablets and smartphones.
There’s no denying, however, that the association, which once saw hundreds of students queueing up for classes, has seen a drop in enrolment with each passing year.
“But the art is far from dead. There has been a lull and many institutes have shut shop. But it still remains a sure-shot way of landing a government job even today,” says association secretary A.M. Muralinath.
Where there were 1,800 institutes across the State offering shorthand classes, there are just a few hundred today. For towns around Bengaluru, the association’s office at Kandaya Bhavan is the only centre.
Still relevant
According to Jagadish Rao, a retired stenographer and tutor at the association, expertise in shorthand can ensure jobs for people not only in government, but courts, law firms, and even big companies. “People who can take notes in a short time are required in all fields. In courts and law firms especially, they are in demand. The courts have judgements running into hundreds of pages and stenographers are sought after. Also, there is good career progression. People who started as stenographers have retired as deputy secretary in various government departments. In law firms, the starting salary for a stenographer is over ₹25,000. The art can help journalists too, who need to take notes as a person speaks,” he says.
The association has also had sub-inspectors as students. “However, we don’t have enough teachers to help out. We have been asking our members to popularise shorthand in their area,” Mr. Muralinath says, adding that the association currently has 75 students, some of them come from as far as Channapatna, Chikkaballapur, and Kolar. Most of the students are women.
2 years to be an expert
Sisters Nivedita Acharya and Divya Acharya travel by train to Bengaluru daily from Tumakuru to attend the classes. The former, a second year correspondence student of LLB and latter, a B.A. student, have a singular aim — to land a government job.
Shewtha H.C., who, after finishing her B.Com, is working under an advocate, said that her employer wanted her to learn shorthand to take notes. “I have completed proficiency level in English (writing 150 words per minute) and preparing for Kannada exams,” she says. It takes a student three years to become proficient in shorthand and the association has flexible timings. As the association looks to complete 100 years, members are planning ways to revive shorthand in a big way again.
“We want to start more centres and bring in more students,” Mr. Muralinath adds.
The genesis
The Shorthand Association of Karnataka was started on September 20, 1919, by T.N. Raghavachar, D.K. Ramachandraiah, and S.G. Narasimaiah. The three, who were experts in shorthand, called for a meeting of shorthand teachers and commerce institutes and together they decided to start the association to impart the knowledge of the art to students.
The first classes were held at Fort High School. After the popularity grew, the association bought a parcel of land and constructed a building at the site where Kandaya Bhavan stands today.
The association moved out to Cubbonpet briefly during the construction of Kandaya Bhavan and in 2015 they moved into the new building. The association, which today has over 1,500 members across the State, will be entering its centenary year in 2019 and preparations for the grand event have already started.
The Shorthand Association of Karnataka is looking to revive the form of writing.
