Yogi Adityanath’s fascination for the typewriter

The rhythmic sound ‘tac…tac…tac’ emanated from the corner of a hall where Yogi Adityanath would sit and give audience to people who sought his help. The sound was that of an old, Remington typewriter. Oblivious to the bustle around him, Birendra Singh was typing letters. Once finished, he took out the typed paper with a flourish and handed it over to Yogi Adityanath—called 'Chotte Maharaj’.

Yogi Adityanath glanced at the letter and signed at the designated place and handed it over to the lady. “Yeh chithi de do (Give this letter.) Tell me what that officer says,” he told the lady.

In an age when computers are everywhere, it was a surprise to find Yogi’s office in Gorakhpur relying on typewriters.

Birendra Singh, the typist who is working with Yogi since 1990, takes pride in working with Remington. “This is an old machine from the 1950s. But it is better and more reliable than your computers,”he boasts. “The time you take to adjust margins on computers will be enough for me to type a letter,” Singh told this reporter.

Singh, who types around 200-250 letters per day claims Yogi Adityanath likes typewriters. Likes? “He likes the font of the typewriter,” says Singh. “Yogi ji once told me that the sound of the key hitting the cylinder created a working environment. The sound would remind him that he was working in office,’ Singh said. “Every place has its own sound. In temple you hear the chime of bells while in office it is the typewriter,” he said.

Is the Yogi then against using modern gadgets?

Durgesh Singh, another aide of Yogi concedes, “Maharaj ji’s use of modern contraptions in his office is bare minimum. Yogiji does have a mobile phone but he rarely uses it. I can vouch that only a handful of people would have his mobile number,” he claimed.