Touch typing record at 400 words per minute

Typing master set on world record
By Resmi Jaimon

Bangalore based Arun Kumar, renowned propagator of good typing techniques and a multiple Limca Book Record holder, is now attempting to enter the Guinness Book of World Record for sitting behind the computer screen and typing at a speed of 400 words per minute. Arun is a master of typing, and has worked out techniques that require only four hours of time to learn the basics.

Techgoss spoke to this typing master who has started the Computer Injury Awareness and Prevention Society aimed at promoting proper posture and preventive tips for computer users.

Techgoss (TG): Tell us about your educational and professional background.
Arun Kumar (AK): I have done  B.Sc., in microbiology, and I also did a course in computers P.G.D.C.A. Later, I learnt graphic designing and became a graphic designer and was doing designing job for printers and publishers.

Currently, I am doing research in safe typing techniques and computer related injuries and trying to get a doctorate in this.

TG: Share with us how your journey of mastering typing skill techniques.
AK: I found many people struggling to work on computers as many had not learnt touch typing skills and were typing with just one or two fingers. They were taking a lot of time to type and were losing interest to learn computers too. I attended typewriting course after my 10th standard and it took me one year to learn.

People do not have patience to learn typing for a long time to help make their jobs easier. In the long term, they also tend to lose interest and eventually, don’t learn the art.

This got me thinking of a place where people can learn typing in a week’s time. I began researching the technique with my wife. Within two weeks, she was able to type a paragraph.  I then tried to teach my graphic design students to type quickly.

Slowly, I reduced the duration from two weeks to four  hours, as people began to ask if they could learn in a day’s time. Accordingly, I worked and made the world’s shortest and instant touch typing course to master the complete art of typing.  I have had students from places like Mysore, Davangere, Tumkur, Chennai, Hyderabad and other places.

In the year 2000, I was awarded my first “Limca Book of Records” record for training the art of typing in 4 hours for normal and blind people. After my interview came in televisions and in newspapers, several top government officials like Judges, Commissioners, Police Officers, Scientists, Doctors called me and were very happy to know that one can learn the art of typing just in 4 hours of time and came to me to learn.

At this time I thought of concentrating on only typing training and help users in mastering this special art of typing and so closed my graphic designing training.

I also altered the computer table and chair as I was experiencing little discomfort while working on PC. I made a cushion bar to rest the hands, took out the revolving chair and tried using a fixed chair and so on.

I also have designed different methods for training hearing impaired and visually impaired, and for those who have lost one finger or two fingers in accident. Even these people can learn the art of touch typing and work efficiently.

TG: Could you tell us about the awards / recognitions / World records you have in your name?
AK: The first Limca Book of  Record was awarded in the year 2000 for teaching typing just in 4 hours for normal, and the blind.

The second record was in 2002 for teaching Kannada and Hindi typing, again just in 4 hours.

The third record was awarded in 2008 for typing in a cross-hand style at a speed of 250 to 300 characters per minute and in a free-hand style typing at a speed of 600 characters per minute.

The fourth record I am trying for is typing by sitting behind the screen at a speed of 400 characters per minute. This I am trying for a Guinness World Record.

I was honoured by Air-India and Deccan Herald for my achievement too.

All the above are recognized  by the Limca Book of  Records. Unfortunately there is no record for teaching in Guinness Book of World Records, I am still trying to get it, as there is nobody in the world to train the art of typing just in 4 hours and to type in various styles too.

I am also happy to say that I am the only one in the world to type at various styles, usually every finger is assigned to type just three letters e.g. Left hand little finger will be typing just a, q and z, and the index finger types 6 letters i.e. f, r, v, t, g, and b.

When I start to type by cross-hand style, my fingers will be typing different characters and it adds up to six letters in every finger, and when I change the keyboard in a reverse order, my fingers will now do an additional  three letters, thus adding up to nine letters in every finger. Thus, my hand has ‘memorized’ around nine letters in every finger.

TG:  Do you have passion for typing? Is it because of this keen interest or other reasons that prompted you to attempt at making world records related to typing?
AK:  Yes, I love typing, I enjoy typing. I see my students happy after learning typing. I like to show the world that people need not get injured and complain that working on computers is a stressful job. It is not “Long working hours on computers is injurious to health”, it should be changed to “Wrong way of working on computers is injurious to health”.

It is the easiest work on earth like driving. If one knows the proper way of driving they need not get into accident. If one knows swimming, one need not drown.

TG: How did the idea of making such attempts occur to you? How long did it then to make the feat possible?
AK:  The first record in framing the teaching techniques was because of my wife as she did not know typing. This gave me a chance to train her in just in a week’s time.

I happened to visit a blind school “Sri Ramanashree school for the Blind” in J.P. Nagar and found out how those children work on computers and saw them typing through the counting method. Then, I trained them also in typing in just four hours.

Once I got a hearing-impaired student to learn typing, I got an idea of training them by using rubber band technique, as I cannot speak to them. The rubber band tied to their fingers will guide them.

Also, when I have students who have lost one or two fingers in an accident, I change methods accordingly and see that they learn the art of typing.

I picked up the style of cross-hand from an orchestra drummer who used to shift his hands while playing on drums. This way of cross hand typing took me nearly two years.

The reverse idea style was given to me by my children. Once when they were in my office for typing, they left my office by changing the keyboard in reverse position.

When I sat to practice typing, I was shocked by this style and immediately without any delay tried to master that style too. This style took me around one and a half years to master.

TG: Tell us about the support of your family, friends and others in achieving this feat?
AK: I have not had much support from my family. It is all because of our students, who gave positive feedback on their performance in their companies and their hike in the salary. Moreover, they don’t feel it is a stressful job.

Even computer-injured people started to come for the training and began to work without any pains and aches.

TG: Our readers would like to hear about Computer Injury Awareness and Prevention Society as well as how you spread awareness on the ill-effects of wrong postures while working on a computer?
AK: Computer Injury Awareness and Prevention Society., was started in 2010, after I happened to listen to a radio interview on AIDS by the Karnataka AIDS Prevention Society. Like KAPS, there are many societies to raise awareness for other diseases like cancer.  Since I am a record holder in computers, I thought I should do something to raise awareness about preventive techniques.  This is done via the media and conducting seminars at schools and companies. My students are the main medium through which we are spreading awareness.

I have given safety guidelines on Doordarshan, TV9, Amrita TV, and in schools as well. Still there is lack of computer injury awareness. Many don’t take it seriously. Prevention is better than cure.  In U.S and U.K, there are several organizations that hold meetups every month

February 28th is marked as International RSI Day. On this day, people worldwide bring in their research and meet together and share their experiences on injury and prevention.

My main motive is to reduce computer injuries drastically and show the right way of working on them. Now, I am looking for international collaboration with some organization wherein they can take my research work on computer touch typing and  my unique furniture designs.