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Throwback: How my quest for a typewriter in Karachi revived a love for all things retro

Throwback: How my quest for a typewriter in Karachi revived a love for all things retro

Tucked away in a busy market is a tiny shop which sells and services typewriters
Updated 05 Feb, 2016

When I was reading Ernest Hemingway, I came across his famous quote: ''There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.'' I resolved to follow in his footsteps, to get myself a typewriter and see whether putting one to the test would help me reawaken a muse enjoying a deep slumber.

But it turned out that earnestly following Ernest can be quite challenging, as I searched high and low for a decent typewriter with barely any leads. I soon realised that my yearning for a typewriter exposed me for the retro-kitsch loving collector that I truly am.

It was hard for me not to fall in love with these gorgeous babies
It was hard for me not to fall in love with these gorgeous babies

While people around me would save money to buy better phones, I'd do the same to buy a Polaroid or vinyl records. My friends shook their heads but eventually surprised me by actually getting me one on my birthday.

Wannabe typist? That's me

For those who've never used a typewriter before, be warned: it's not like typing on a laptop. A typewriter demands force. Unlike a computer keyboard or a smartphone, where you tap gently to produce a word, a typewriter's keys are meant to be hit with full force.

Typing on a typewriter takes some doing
Typing on a typewriter takes some doing

But once I was a pro, I would be typing those oh-so-deep quotes about life as well as ghazals and couplets for anyone whose eyes sparkled when I told them I owned one. I tried to type in the dead of night to empathise with Jack Torrance in The Shining except instead of hearing ''Here's Johnny'' I would often hear ''Here's Ammi'' (it's quite noisy, as I'm sure you've gleaned by now).

But two years in, I realised that I was quite neglectful of my machine and that's when I tried to locate the shop from where it was bought.

The hunt for a typewriter seller begins

Following the address on a card, I along with an equally excited friend went to find the shop where my machine could be repaired - a shop called Fine Office Machine.

It was located in Karachi's bustling Frere Market on Akbar Road, an area which once used to be a hub for writers and journalists. A nearby building had once served as an office for a journalists' union. Printing presses also used to be located here.

Fine Office Machine is tucked away on Akbar Road, which was once a writer's hub
Fine Office Machine is tucked away on Akbar Road, which was once a writer's hub

It's advisable to park the car a little ways away and walk to the market. Once in it wasn't very difficult to spot the tiny shop with a broken wooden board affirming that the shop definitely dealt with typewriters.

The man who had guided us through, Javaid, ushered us in and we sat inside the shop careful not to step on the dried pool of black and red ribbon and broken typewriters.

Javaid, who was intrigued by my knowledge of typewriters, was quite restless to find out how I was able to hear about his shop and so I narrated my tale, glossing over how I'd neglected to service my machine because his father who owned the shop is known to get upset when he finds a machine ignored.

A typewriter has lots of little bobs and bits that can conk out, which is why they must be handled with care
A typewriter has lots of little bobs and bits that can conk out, which is why they must be handled with care

Javaid on the other hand is more flexible, perhaps because he too belongs to the age which saw vast technological evolution.

Type-volution

Speaking about the fate of typewriters now, Javaid admitted that the near ubiquity of laptops, tablets and smart phones will soon make even PCs obsolete, so it's a blessing to see an antique typewriter in a mint condition:

"In a city like Karachi, personal computers are readily available but there are still many institutes in Sindh where children are taught to type via typewriters, and these places buy around five to six machines. Apart from that once in a blue moon, enthusiasts buy an antique piece if it catches their eye," he tells me.

The shop Fine Office Machine was opened in 1992 by Javaid's father Bahroze Khan and Javaid himself has only been associated with it for the last eight years.

Fine Office Machine has been in business for over two decades
Fine Office Machine has been in business for over two decades

"We have been running the shop for the past two decades and even today there are a few offices which keep a typewriter handy because in a way it is instant. Sometimes lawyers also buy machines from us because courtrooms also have typists," he elaborates.

"But I get amused by those who say that they want a typewriter just to show the younger lot that they existed and functioned like laptops do," he laughs.

Exploring the few machines on display, Javaid points out to us that the price of a typewriter varies with its condition and age. Generally, the older the typewriter, the higher its price. However if an antique piece is in a shabby state it might not be too costly.

A typewriter made in Japan, considerably modern, can be purchased for Rs2000 whereas a metallic green one (which also goes ting) can be bought for Rs6000. Another one sans cover can go as low as Rs1200 but then without cover, a typewriter is exposed to more dust which slashes its longevity.

Without its casing, a typewriter's life is cut short
Without its casing, a typewriter's life is cut short

While these ones are for A4 papers or sizes a little bigger, machines with huge headers were typically designed for users who had to type many letters so many papers can be attached simultaneously.

Gauging the age of a typewriter can be a bit difficult but a detail-oriented eye can catch a clue or two.

For instance, my typewriter has a 'Made In East Germany' label so it clearly means it's from the time when Germany wasn't one unit.

Handle with care — looking after your typewriter

Javaid reveals the best way to take care of a typewriter:

"You need to clean it with kerosene and make sure that the keys are well oiled. Apart from that, it can always be brought in for maintenance every two to six months. I teach people how to fix minute things as well like changing the ribbon," explains Javaid.

A typewriter is full of little bits and bobs that can conk out - which is why they need to be handled with care
A typewriter is full of little bits and bobs that can conk out - which is why they need to be handled with care

As he says this, he shows me how a tiny spring can halt the entire machine because without that spring the ribbon cannot budge. The ribbon, which is available in red or black, functions as ink: the key hits the ribbon to print the letters onto the page.

"Red ink is seldom seen now as it is outdated but it can be ordered from abroad. It's better to use nylon ribbon in lieu of cotton because cotton is weaker," he says.

According to Javaid, there are two to three shops in Karachi dealing with typewriters and all happen to be in Saddar near Alpha Corporation. One popular shop in the main Saddar market also attracts many potential buyers but Javaid feels they sell the machines at a higher cost and rightly so because of the exterior and interior of their shop: "They have a fancy shop. When you deal in a shop worth crores you're bound to buy the machine at twice its rate. People don't know of Frere Market anymore because it is hidden in the corner of the city."

Availability of the machine today

Although not extinct, brand-new typewriters are not easy to find because they are not being made in many countries, shares Javaid.

"In foreign countries, they don’t have a high regard for these machines and they actually throw them away in their garbage after using them — those machines then make their way to us. At Shershah, the famous scrap market in Karachi, the items will be sold at dirt cheap rates; they would sell the piece for Rs500-1000," he says.

Typewriters often come with labels that reveal its origins - this one was made in China
Typewriters often come with labels that reveal its origins - this one was made in China

"We are not getting new pieces as of now but Mexico is producing new typewriters. Those who have their connections, they quote us a price after which we can buy the machine in bulk," he adds.

When typewriters were not mere showpieces

"There was a time when the sales wouldn’t halt, for at least a decade this was the situation," reminisces Javaid who heard of these tales from his father.

Now the situation is drastically different.

"My father has been in this profession for the last 30-40 years so many come through his name and we sell one or two typewriters each month," he shares.

But Javaid sheepishly tells that his shop still turns a profit by repairing broken printers and scanners, two devices which are a necessity in our times.

As we exit the shop promising to return with my ailing typewriter, we being millennials ask if there is any room for bargaining but Javaid laughs and tells us the machine available today might be gone tomorrow. So much for being retrosexual, I vow to save up and buy the gleaming metallic green one because here today, gone tomorrow.

Comments

Jalbani Baloch Feb 04, 2016 05:27pm
Very nice article. I am a professional in the field of typography and know the worth and value of these type writers. I learnt myself on Olivetti machine, which was one of the oldest machine manufactured by Camillo Olivetti in 1908 in Ivrea, Italy. Out of my passion, I practiced a lot and got perfection in typing skills to an extent my rhythm of typing would compel passerby to have a look on me. I worked on this machine and some other machines for number of years and later joined teaching profession by imparting shorthand and typing skills. Now, the technological innovations in the field of office automation has taken us beyond this typewriter to a more advanced laptops and computers, which work more faster and accurate on the tip of our fingers. But I still love these manual typewriters.
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khanm Feb 04, 2016 05:42pm
''There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.'' in my case I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit cos a typewriter is a means of transcribing thought, not expressing it.
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naji Feb 04, 2016 07:00pm
Very interesting and loving article, I have had a typewriter long ago and finally gave someone. Now I miss it very much. No idea where Frere market located?, I am willing to visit this place and may purchase one.
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Ruqaiya Lokhand Feb 04, 2016 08:24pm
Hi Zoya, it's a mere co-incidence or what , about 2 years back I wanted to buy a typewriter but my father told me it's obsolete and no one uses it , except those who make english copies of the indentity card for Indian Visa. I had forgotten about it until today when I read your article, I found someone (you) with the same thought, I'm definitely buying one ASAP! :D
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James_Blonde Feb 04, 2016 08:38pm
@naji Near Akbar Road that is sandwiched between Zanzibar Street and Shahrah-e-Liaquat
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munsif Feb 04, 2016 09:02pm
nice article, but let me tell you about the lazyness of government offices typists, who never bothered to clean the keys, resulting in bad looking english narrations, it happened every where even the typists of the courts never bothered to clean the keys.
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Zeeshan Feb 04, 2016 11:23pm
These devices are a usability nightmare compared to PCs.
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a Feb 05, 2016 12:00am
@Ruqaiya Lokhand I think that's a harmless little hobby to collect retro stuff. But theres a reason these things go out off vogue... , the world and technology has travelled. Today, I can type a thousand English words in 15 mins flat, and print them out in no time, in a font of my own choosing. The typewriter was good for its time, but it is far too much hassle to use it today. Its similar to the old music records. Btw, try finding an Urdu typewriter, Even harder. To top that, try finding an Urdu typist who can operate that machine. Impossible today. My simple MS Office software can type English, Hindi, Urdu ,Gurmukhi and 15 other Indian languages. So collection is fine, but old isn't always useful.
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Hassan Feb 05, 2016 04:18am
Nice article. Reminds me of New York's legendary type writer repairmen Martin Tyler.
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Sammy Feb 05, 2016 06:16am
A very nice type of article regarding common people of Pakistan. Please write more such article, and interview common people of Pakistan, the car mechanics, the barber, the office clerk, various vendors. This brings back some good old memories of Pakistan while living Abroad for such a long time.
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DEREK Feb 05, 2016 10:26am
Excellent article, it was very comforting to see the old machines which were of high value in the past, I have one antique piece REMINGTON an old model popularly used during the WW2 era. it is in perfect working condition, anyone wants to see the photos I can send by E-Mail, write to me at --derekqta@gmail.com, thanks,
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Qaiser Feb 05, 2016 12:03pm
Very interesting article.I brought back my memories of late 60s when as a student I as editor of my Adamjee College newsletter,Tidings,used to sit along with the typists on Empress a Market footpath and get my typing done.For any errors they had rubber erasers and special white fluids.All the typing work was fast,accurate and smooth. Having a type writer of my own was a far dream those days which finally realized when I joined NED Engg College and was the only one to submit his Industrial Engineering assignment papers in typed form.want to visit those places again to check if those typists and their type writer still exist !
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Anonymous Feb 05, 2016 12:05pm
I wanna know where I can get my typewriterrepaired?
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Lotus Feb 05, 2016 12:11pm
When ex President Jimmy Carter in the prevailing days of type writers got his Word Processer he was so excited by its performance that he exclaimed to the Press that 'any mistake can be rectified right away,before it is printed' and so on!It seemed to be a great discovery like the Caxton Printing press which revolutionized education world over.
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Sarfraz Feb 06, 2016 12:43am
That reminded me of old days and the brands and that I used like Remington, Underwood, Olympia, Smith Corona. My father had Remington and I still have it in good working condition!
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Arthur Feb 07, 2016 10:30pm
Thank you. What a fun article. Grateful that the typewriter revival is going on world-wide. I have enjoyed using typewriters for a dozen years or so now at thetypebar.com. I write letters for people and create typewriter art. I find that the typewriter creates a sense of nostalgia for most people. It allows them to get thoughts down that they normally would not be able to share. I have typed letters for people all over. Some are light and casual, while others have been deeply moving. Maybe, now that your machine is fixed you can write me a letter! :-)
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S.W Feb 08, 2016 03:35pm
This article makes me want to buy one for myself too.
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KHURRUM FIAZUDDIN Feb 08, 2016 09:21pm
I have a typewriter named "Underwood" made in the U.S.A. Its about 55 year old. I am going to have it serviced at Fine Office Machine. Thank you Zoya.
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