At Vagaikudi in RS Mangalam block, R Chinna Perumal was known as ‘Oomai’ (dumb - speech-impaired) as he could neither speak nor write till the age of 8 years. As years rolled on, he not only developed passion for handwriting but coming out with his unique calligraphy.
Mr. Perumal, 49-year-old LIC agent, has come a long way crossing hurdles and overcoming humiliations to master the art of handwriting. He has so far produced about 600 handwritten letters in unique styles and forms, resembling typography. Most of his letters were about the society and an array of social issues, which appeared on newspapers with a tinge of his remarks.
He would send the letters to the officials for perusal. He uses three types of pens and six colours to decorate the letters. He proposed to complete 1000 handwritten letters by April 14, 2019, the Tamil New Year and 2,000 letters by September 1, observed as World Letter Writing Day, to focus on handwritten letters and draw the attention of the United Nations.
Mr. Perumal has also drawn up an ambitious plan to motivate school students to take to handwriting at a time when the art of letter writing facing slow death. He has resolved to teach and motivate at least one million students to take to handwritten letter writing in the year 2019, he says.
It was a matter of concern that the increasing practice and attitude of ‘texting’ in social media has rendered pen, considered the sixth finger of a person, redundant.
“I want to persuade the students to use the sixth finger and this is my mission,” he said. Impressed with his style of writing, a private school has invited him to teach the art of handwriting in the school, he said displaying his letters to reporters at the Collectorate here on Monday.
He remained ‘dumb’ while studying class III and almost dropped out from school when he said ‘dum dum’ after hearing the sound of drum beating in a temple festival. When ‘Amma’ is the first word of most of the babies, he said ‘dum dum’, he recalls. After identifying his talent in writing, Mr Sivanu Pandiyan, headmaster of Sanaveli Government High School, encouraged him a lot and owed his success to him, he said.
