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By:

Kishor Kulkarni

14 January 2026 at 3:29:38 pm

The Script of the Soul: Why Handwriting Still Matters in a Digital Age

Even as the digital age diminishes penmanship, handwriting remains a symphony of manual dexterity, emotional depth, and cognitive harmony, where the hand, the heart, and the mind create together. In an era defined by the rapid-fire cadence of keyboards and the constant glow of digital screens, the intimate habit of writing by hand is quietly receding into the shadows of daily life. Yet, handwriting is far more than a mere record of words; it is a profound, creative, psychological, and...

The Script of the Soul: Why Handwriting Still Matters in a Digital Age

Even as the digital age diminishes penmanship, handwriting remains a symphony of manual dexterity, emotional depth, and cognitive harmony, where the hand, the heart, and the mind create together. In an era defined by the rapid-fire cadence of keyboards and the constant glow of digital screens, the intimate habit of writing by hand is quietly receding into the shadows of daily life. Yet, handwriting is far more than a mere record of words; it is a profound, creative, psychological, and spiritual odyssey that connects the mind, the heart, and the human touch in a way no digital medium ever can. True penmanship represents the sacred trinity of the three ‘H’s: Hand, Heart, and Head. It is a symphony where manual dexterity, emotional depth, and cognitive focus converge in perfect harmony to sculpt, express, and reveal the very essence of human personality. Penmanship is, in essence, a form of Sadhana—a disciplined and mindful practice that nurtures both inner calm and outer expression. It is a source of joy, a conduit for tranquillity, and a gentle bridge to self-dialogue and self-awareness. This “Aksar-Sadhana” (The Discipline of Letters) must be cultivated with conscious intent, patience, and respect for the written form. Driven by this conviction, a dedicated movement to preserve and promote handwriting has flourished for the past 27 years, inspiring individuals across age groups and backgrounds. At its core lies a simple yet profound plea: everyone must write by hand, not occasionally, but regularly and with purpose. It was this powerful vision that pioneered the tradition of celebrating January 23rd as World Handwriting Day, reminding society of the timeless value of pen and paper in an increasingly digital world. Beyond Aesthetics From the vibrant corridors of schools and colleges to the sombre confines of prisons, the journey of teaching penmanship has been deeply revelatory and profoundly transformative. It has shown how a simple act like writing can become a tool for personal reform and inner discipline. Guided by the traditional wisdom—“Brahmane Balbodh Akshar, Ghadisuni Karave Sundar” (One must strive to craft letters as clear and beautiful as the Balbodh script)—this service continues tirelessly, rooted in both cultural heritage and educational purpose. Improving one’s handwriting does not merely enhance visual beauty or aesthetic appeal; it instills cognitive discipline, nurtures patience, sharpens concentration, and steadily bolsters self-confidence. The Mirror of the Mind The nexus between handwriting and personality remains a vital and fascinating field of study, offering deep insights into the human psyche. A definitive example of this was the initiative conducted across Maharashtra’s prisons during the tenure of the then Director General of Police (Prisons), Meera Borwankar. While collecting and analysing the scripts of inmates involved in serious offences such as theft and homicide, the visceral connection between their inner state of mind and their written strokes became strikingly evident. This research not only highlighted the psychological depth embedded in handwriting but also reinforced a powerful and enduring maxim: “Shape a Beautiful Script to Shape a Beautiful Mind.” A Call to Action Today, leveraging the reach of social media, millions of calligraphy and handwriting enthusiasts have been brought together. On the occasion of World Handwriting Day, a simple yet transformative mission has been launched: "Write at least ten lines by hand every day." The need of the hour is to return to the paper and the pen. Let us pledge today to embrace the act of writing—to empower an initiative that is silent, positive, and deeply transformative. (The writer is a resident of Jalgaon. Views personal.)

Unrest within Mahayuti

Updated: Jan 21, 2025

Mahayuti

Mumbai: The state administration on Sunday stalled the appointments of guardian ministers in Raigad and Nashik districts. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had cleared the appointments before he left for Davos in Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum on Saturday. They are believed to have been stalled on behest of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the state in absence of the Chief Minister.


NCP’s Aditi Tatkare and BJP’s Girish Mahajan were entrusted with responsibilities of guardian minister for the Raigad and Nashik districts respectively, where Shiv Sena’s Bharat Gogawale and Dada Bhuse had staked claims. Gogawale is a first-time minister while, Bhuse had been the guardian minister of the district during previous government under Eknath Shinde.


Shiv Sena, NCP and BJP all the three constituents of Mahayuti have strong roots in both the districts. However, the Shiv Sena and the NCP had been particularly on loggerheads there. The Shiv Sena, which had been demanding the guardian minister’s post in Nashik district has managed to win only two assembly seats in the district where the NCP has Six and the BJP has Five MLAs. On the contrary, in Raigad the NCP has won only one seat while the Shiv Sena and the BJP both have Three MLAs each in the district.


Sunil Tatkare, MP from Raigad Lok Sabha constituency and the stat unit president of the NCP and father of Aditi Tatkare, had been the guardian minister of Raigad between 2004 and 2014. Gogawale had always been his political opponent before Tatkare joined the Mahayuti government under Ajit Pawar’s leadership in 2023. Gogawale claimed that all the Six Shiv Sena-BJP MLAs in the district had opined in his favour to be the guardian minister of the district and after the decision to appoint Aditi Tatkare was announced, his supporters resorted to violent protests. They burnt tyres in bid to stall traffic on highway in the district. Reacting to the developments, Tatkare said that the issue should be pondered over after CM Fadnavis returns from Davos on Saturday and settled amicably.


In Nashik Girish Mahajan had been the guardian minister of the district between 2014 and 2019 when Fadnavis was the Chief Minister.


The post of guardian minister doesn’t have any constitutional mandate and is considered to be a political appointment. Guardian ministers head the district planning and development councils (DPDC) that control the funds for development works being carried out in the particular district. This control wields much of political power to the minister in that district whereby spreading the party in the district becomes much easier. This is the reason why the grass root politicians seem to be very sensitive to such appointments.


While Gogawale and Bhuse are unhappy about not being appointed as guardian ministers, some others like NCP’s Hasan Mushrif and BJP’s Pankaja Munde are unhappy about not being appointed as guardian district in their home districts of Kolhapur and Beed respectively. DCM Shinde is learnt to have gone to his ancestral village Dare in Satara district after the decision and BJP’s firefighters Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Girish Mahajan are expected to meet him there to try finding a way out of the issue.

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