Alphabet is a miracle.

Handwriting, calligraphy and fonts influenced multiple generations.

Alphabet is a miracle. It is a marvel for any kid. Each letter is magical for them. Now I see that experience in my grandkids — their curiosity to ape letters in their own way.

When I see my grandchildren’s efforts to scribble at that tender age, I feel grateful to witness their curiosity and joy, like generations before me.

For the majority of kids today, there is only one alphabet. I learned two, Sinhala and English. Sinhala, the main language in Sri Lanka, was widely spoken in the family, extended family, and the community. It was my native language. Bilingual skills and diversity came early for me before I turned five.

Both my father and mother had beautiful handwriting. As a kid, I wanted to imitate their handwriting. Early on, my father helped me with the intricacies of the Sinhala alphabet, in simple shapes, in byte sizes for a little kid to comprehend. Sinhala is a complex alphabet that is hard to get your head around for any non-Sri Lankan. See below:- Writing Sinhala characters is a calligraphy lesson.

Sinhala alphabet

Having mastered Sinhala script, by the time I was about eight, I could write scripted English letters, my second language, way ahead of my peers.

My English handwriting at age 8

The more I dig into my handwriting, I see a massive influence from my family before me, my father, mother and grandfather. In my spare time as a kid, I dug into their books and journals. I found beautifully crafted writing that guided them in their heyday. In my grandfather’s journals, there was plenty of writing in English and native Sinhala. He was a scholar with a career in education.

This is a photo illustration of the scripts of my parents and grandparents. It is a tribute to their beloved craft from the last century. A generation that took their handwriting seriously before the advent of digital mediums. This story carries their handwriting, up to four generations past.

Penmanship bordering on calligraphy is a great power to have in life.

My father’s writing — Don Thomas Jayasinghe

My father’s handwriting. Sinhala, English, Numbers capturing his learnings, and family records, His father’s Sinhala handwriting is on the top left page. His attempts to calligraphy and fonts, including his work to craft his fiancee, my mother’s name above.

My mother’s writing — Mary Susan Jayawardane

Top middle in a medical journal kept by both parents, on the left is my father’s writing and on the right is my mothers righting, The rest are my mother’s writing, cooking instructions, and healthcare notes. The bottom right is her name in Sinhala from one of her school books in grade 10.

Grandfather’s writing — Don Lewis Jayawardane

My maternal grandfather’s handwriting, from his journals, study notes, teaching notes, family records, proverbs and learnings.

My great grandmother’s writing — Anna Ranasinghe

I am fortunate to have a record of my great-grandmother, my mother’s maternal grandmother’s writing. She was Anna Ranasinghe, in a period in the mid-1800s for a woman to be able to sign her name was considered an achievement. I am fortunate to come from a family of learners and writers of their time.

My handwriting from school days

My Handwriting in grade 10. attempts to create my own font, My writing at grade 3 on the top right.

My font — English

Now, my handwriting will outlive me.

Recently, I created my personal font using my handwriting using font creation software. I have a TTF file that I can use to personalise my messages.

My Sinhala handwriting

My handwriting in Sinhala in 2022, The names are Denzil Jayasinghe, Natasha, Roshin, Durand, Roanna, Amelia, Darcy and Theo — three generations in Australia in 2022, a century after this story started.

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