Key to past: Indore man collects 570 typewriters from across the world

Indore: In the age where the latest versions of laptops and smartphones are all the rage, Indore resident Rajesh Sharma has found comfort in the good old typewriter and has collected 570 magnificent machines over the years.

The 68-year-old, who runs an advertising agency in the city, has set up a museum of sorts at his house, with typewriters on display.

Sharma’s collection includes machines with keyboards in Hindi, other regional languages, and foreign languages such as Japanese, Russian and Arabic.

Talking to PTI on Tuesday, Sharma said, “I have collected around 570 typewriters from India and abroad in the last 12 years. I bought many of these machines from junkyards. People who got to know about me in India and abroad gifted me 125 typewriters.”

The sexagenarian said he developed a special bond with typewriters as his father was a typist near the Indore district court complex, and he grew up listening to the sound of the machine.

“The oldest typewriter in my collection was made in the US in 1905. My father gave me this machine, which weighs around 25 kg. So, I have emotional memories attached to this typewriter,” he said.

Sharma said he wants to organise his collection in a bigger space so that future generations become aware of the legacy of this machine.

He said, “I am trying to procure typewriters used by some of the most renowned Hindi writers for my collection.”