The Letter Writer

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About 50% of India's women are illiterate. What that means is that for everyday tasks like filling forms, operating bank accounts, and even communicating with loved ones through letters they need to take help from someone. The traditional letter-writer hence continues to be a fixture on the Indian landscape. Almost all letter-writers are men, and they generally sit with their type-writers and letter pads in front of post-offices and type forms or write the personal correspondence for people who are illiterate. Here a woman is explaining what she wants written in her letter which the letter-writer writes out by hand.

This photo is in the Getty Images gallery. To license please contact them here

kushtandon, dees-image, photoram, and 78 other people added this photo to their favorites.

View 20 more comments

  1. Frizztext 42 months ago | reply

    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called admin's choice [frizztext], and we'd love to have this added to the group!

  2. Frizztext 41 months ago | reply

    please join our contest 3 at
    www.flickr.com/groups/240x240/discuss/72157622595462578/
    admin's choice [frizztext]

  3. Frizztext 40 months ago | reply

    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called ABC-visualized, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

    L = letter writer

  4. pavangupta 38 months ago | reply

    Very interesting.

  5. MatthewRad 37 months ago | reply

    Hello,

    I am admin on a website for Japanese people learning English called Poligo. We used this image as inspiration for a creative writing assignment. Thanks for making it available. If you like, please add your picture to our group of featured images: As Seen On Poligo. If you would not like us to use your image, please let me know.

    Thanks once again,
    Matthew

  6. Frizztext 37 months ago | reply

    thank you for supporting my abc project with your contribution!
    so I've featured your artwork now in the L-thread mosaic
    www.flickr.com/photos/frizztext/4655471532/
    I hope, you'll like it and it helps to make you more famous...

  7. biancolupo 37 months ago | reply

    We show this picture in our blog (it's an italian readers' group) and we linked you: gruppo_lettura.blog.tiscali.it/2010/06/11/dodici-motivi-p...
    Thanks :-)

  8. biancolupo 37 months ago | reply

    ...it is creative commons..?
    We found this pictures from "creative commons search"...

  9. Frizztext 37 months ago | reply

    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called existentialism, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

  10. lcy 36 months ago | reply

    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Vanishing Trades, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

  11. 50MM Administrator 24 months ago | reply

    Thank you for posting in the 50 Million Missing group!

    Read our latest post on our blog GENDER BYTES: Why Education and Economics Are Not the Solution To India's Femicide

    Follow our Networked Blog on Facebook By Clicking Here

  12. Nivi Ars [deleted] 19 months ago | reply

  13. Martin Prest 17 months ago | reply

    Hi, I really like this shot. I've just used it in a post about working from home.

    www.openalc.com/2012/01/26/the-one-golden-rule-for-workin...

    Cheers,

    Martin Prest

  14. rita banerji 17 months ago | reply

    -- thank you for acknowledging and letting me know Martin! As a writer I too work from home -- only that, people think "Oh Rita's home, so I'll leave my keys with her so my children can collect it from her when they get home," etc. etc. and I'm learning to tell them that I'm home for my work, not theirs :-)

  15. Frizztext 17 months ago | reply

    I hope you will win the 500$ at
    www.flickr.com/groups/wacc2012/
    your frizz, Germany!

  16. Frizztext 16 months ago | reply

    "RESIST VIA WRITING"
    flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/resist-via-writing/
    I hope, that helps to support your work, Rita!

  17. byrdcrose47 16 months ago | reply

    Rita, I learned about you through frizztext, who has a wordpress blog highlighting the best of Flickr photo sites. I have reblogged about you at granbee.wordpress.com, signed the petition, and posted this photo and write-up on my Facebook timeline. My daughter and son-in-law worked and lived in Bangalore for almost three years about three years ago. She now teaches many in NYC with such stories in their family backgrounds!

  18. Frizztext 15 months ago | reply

    thank you for sending your photo to my group BLOG IT!
    so I could introduce your picture at
    flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/suffering-under-o...
    I hope, that will support your work!

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