By R Swaminathan
There are a few newspaper readers who are very much keen on getting their views and comments published in the "Letters to the column." This they do for a variety of reasons, some academic and some psychological. The tribe of those who assume that they are competent to write about any subject under the sun keeps growing day by day. Some can write only long articles packing their views on the subject while there are a few who rehash something appearing in print just to get their name into the column. A very small number write clearly and powerfully, to the point of course. Many never keep the length in mind and assume whatever they write will appear in print.
The itch to write in most cases appears to be irresistible and strong opinions are expressed in such letters to get the establishment correct itself and the powers-that-be to act in better ways. If the view or idea given is genuine, practical and sensible, it ought to be published and there cannot be two opinions about that. Opinion givers influence decision makers and this has been proved in many cases, though seldom acknowledged. In good old days, this breed of writers emerged when papers had a lot of free space to accommodate their feelings, observations and punditry. The writers with great linguistic felicity used to wake up every morning with great anxiety to see their letters in print. Encouraged by the appearance of one piece, they will sit down and write another very soon and despatch it by post, or hand it over in person to the newspaper office so that nothing went wrong in communicating their views to the editor. Thus, many became professional letter writers who honed their skill of journalism by hard work and sheer practice. Their ascribed status would expand in leaps and bounds and they come to be known in friends' circles and even wider associations. A habitual /frequent writer would assume he had a halo of learning over his head with which he could easily please persons he talked to. Some would write in their wife's name either to immensely please her, or to avoid embarrassment for self that might arise from the contents of the letter.
When typewriter was the only available machine to churn out their views with good speed, the letter writers started using carbon paper (they would not easily discard even the faded carbon papers) and addressed their mega pieces to various newspapers, far and near. Thus a writer in Madras could get his letter published in a Bombay paper, and his friends and relatives would call him up on phone to say that they have seen his writing in such and such a paper. In the days of snail mail, however, newspaper offices received the letters after days and due to surfeit of mails, kept the letters pending. The writer could never know if it had been accepted or when it would appear in the paper.
Those with several letters to their credit on a variety of “burning topics and current affairs” go to the extent of getting their published letters brought out in a book form. I know a specific instance in which a member of the united writers forum, (such a forum could easily come up to bring together like-minded individuals in those days), organised a function to get the book released by a VIP.
A letter writer's power and influence cannot be underestimated in those days because armed with their published piece he would go to the authorities and demand corrective action. The authorities also feared the readers' mail column because their acts of omission and commission would be directly seen by the higher-ups and they have to face the music. The local authories even started writing their reaction for a feedback slot when complaints were raised and the grievances were redressed.
One cannot omit a reference to those who go to any length to chase their letters and see at least a small portion of it, even if the piece is badly mauled, just to see their name in print. There are those who argue when the sense is totally changed. The subtle and gross pressure comes through friends' references, repeated phone calls addressing any official in the newspaper office, and multiple emails in the internet age. The severity is amply clear in case of those with an obsessive and compulsive disorder to think and write something for the paper they love much.
Then there are those who use pseudonyms or amend their initials or write in the names of family members, taking numerous avatars as it were. They alter the spelling of their names for numerological or other reasons and this makes the editor's job more difficult _ He dare not correct and incur their wrath later. Their despatches are tailored to suit the columns they are writing for, like the editorial page, citizens' voice or neighbourhood papers. Their handwriting or e-mail ids reveal their identity to those who process the material. But they don't seem to be bothered by all that. Their aim is to write, stop not till the matter is published in the paper. The papers too cannot brush aside the mail from such valuable readers as they get informed comment and considered views through this feedback, and so give space for the loyal and regular fans. When readers develop hate for certain columnists, they don't hide their anger and spew venom in their immediate despatches.
The papers conduct contests for the best and most frequent letter writers to boost their morale and their own circulation! The best ones are given mementoes at functions organised as an image-building exercise. Rarely, we do see the letter writing habit continue over generations in certain families. Enterprising ones conduct classes for the aspiring letter writers. The pupils flock to them to develop contacts and their language, two birds in one stone.
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