Four members of the Shorthand Writers’ Association of Karnataka were honoured with fellowships for rendering yeomen service in the field of stenography on Monday.

The event organised by the association saw T Challanna, M Shivakumar, T Cheluvaraj and S Nagaraj, all from the City, being felicitated with a memento, shawl and certificate. They beamed with pride as they were honoured in the presence of hundreds of association members. While  Challanna served in the field of shorthand for more than 40 years and is now retired, M Shivakumar is serving as a stenographer in the Bescom office.

The fellowship programme was held to mark the 203rd birth anniversary of Isaac Pitman, the inventor of the shorthand system — an abbreviated symbolic writing that increases speed and saves time.

Secretary of the association, A M Murali Nath said that though the demand for shorthand has dipped in the last 10 years, the art is getting revived again steadily.

He said: “The advantage of finishing the shorthand course successfully is that it can fetch one a job immediately and there is demand for stenographers in public sector undertakings, courts and government offices. Also, the salary is good, with the minimum in the range of Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000.”

H B S Aradhya, president, said that the technological advancement with the increase in the use of computers has led to the decline in the number of people using shorthand.

According to the association, presently there are about 80 to 100 institutions teaching shorthand, although the number was more than 200 a decade ago.