‘Manuscript magazines’ a hit among statisticians: 

‘Manuscript magazines’ a hit among statisticians: 

Context

Government staff rediscovering their creative side through Malayalam calligraphy

What has happened?

Employees of the Economics and Statistics (E&S) Department in Kerala have launched manuscript magazines (Kaiyezhuthu Masika), with the aim of promoting Malayalam and giving a creative break to the staff from the drab world of statistics, surveys and computations

Lost art

Manuscript magazines with elegant calligraphy were once a popular and low-cost means of communication and channelling creativity

Why the format started losing steam?

The format started losing popularity with the advance in printing technology

Revival via Niravu

But it is seeing a revival after a handful of employees at the Economics and Statistics Department in Ernakulam district decided to launch their first manuscript magazine, titled Niravu. Soon, their colleagues in Kottayamand Wayanad came up with their own magazines Kaiyoppu (Signature) and Kathir (Paddy Ears) respectively

Inspiration for others

The popularity of these initiatives is now inspiring employees in other districts and departments to bring out their own magazines. The 90-page Niravu is into its second issue, three months after the first came out

Not an easy task

Publishing a manuscript magazine is not easy. Contributions of the employees are rewritten by those with good handwriting skills. Pencil drawings and colour sketches are included in the magazine

Digital format

Despite their fascination for the written format, the editors are not indifferent to technology. They are using the digital platform to popularise the magazine by circulating it in PDF format