Most of us can remember this pivotal point in life: at some point in school, we all switched from writing with pencils to a pen. Before you were allowed to write with pens, doing so was almost an act of rebellion. Concerned teachers and parents would warn you: “If you start writing with a pen, you will spoil your handwriting.” Your handwriting was more than just the meaning of the words. The slant of the Y, the neat curl of an F, the way margins bloomed with doodles — all of it carried fragments of who you were.

Handwriting was once an intimate signature of self, celebrated in gold stars from teachers and the carefully folded notes passed between friends. Today, though, our fingers are more at home on glass screens than on paper, and the once-cherished art of forming letters risks fading into quaint nostalgia. Sunday mid-day 
investigates the power of the mighty written word, and how it holds just as much importance today, if not more.

A 2020 study by the University of Stavanger in Norway reveals that 40 per cent of Gen Z students have lost the ability to write legibly by hand. Largely, this effect has been credited to students are becoming digital natives, submitting assignments online. This effect has been especially magnified by the pandemic. Once students got used to online schools, there was no going back. Screens are faster, better, and unerring.