Lent 2026
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A few years ago, a photo of an ordinary school assignment appeared online. It was an essay in English, written in neat, almost perfect handwriting. The comments on the post were full of disbelief: “This can't be handwritten,” “It looks like a printout.” The author was Prakriti Malla, a teenager from Nepal who was a student at a military boarding school.
Although Prakriti Malla does not have a personal media presence, her story returns from time to time in official contexts. After receiving school honors in Nepal, she received gestures of recognition from state and diplomatic institutions.
The most notable of these was an invitation to prepare a handwritten letter on the occasion of the Spirit of the Union Day of the United Arab Emirates, where she was honored as the author of “the most beautiful handwriting in the world.”
In 2025, her name reappeared in the media on the occasion of an international award for her “near-perfect calligraphy,” presented as an example of the living art of writing in the digital age. And that’s what is interesting. Although not much is known about her, her talent is still recognized and continues to capture the world’s imagination.
Why does beautiful calligraphy move us so much?
Prakriti’s writing is simply beautiful, but it’s about more than just aesthetics. It reflects the time, focus, and perseverance put into practicing the skill. It’s the exact opposite of how we usually write our thoughts today: quickly, fragmentarily, on a keyboard or on a screen. Not even writing, but increasingly dictating.
Handwriting engages the body and mind simultaneously. The movement of the hand, the pressure of the pen, the control of space on the page – all of this activates the brain in a way that cannot be replaced by tapping on a keyboard or swiping a finger across a screen. That’s why it’s increasingly referred to as a kind of “gym” for the brain.
Digital convenience, real loss
More and more children and young people only write by hand when absolutely necessary. They take notes on laptops, record their thoughts on phones, and even dictate ideas chaotically to an artificial intelligence app, which organizes them. It's convenient. But the cost of this convenience is beginning to show.
The concept of “digital dementia” appears today in the works of scientists (e.g., Prof. Manfred Spitzer) for a reason. It describes the phenomenon of intellectual degeneration when we entrust too many cognitive processes to devices. Handwriting acts as a counterbalance here–it forces us to slow down, select content, and process it more deeply.
Generation Z rediscovers “analog”
Paradoxically, it’s precisely among young people that the fashion for “vintage” things is growing today. Handwritten letters, scrapbooking, journaling, calligraphy, paper planners. They even talk about it as an attempt to regain something that gives a sense of reality and rootedness.
This trend deserves support. Even if it doesn’t lead to exquisite calligraphy, it’s of great value. It’s the gesture itself that counts: taking a piece of paper, a pen, and spending a few minutes writing consciously.
One sentence a day changes more than you think
Not everyone has to write like that Nepalese teenager. A simple ritual is enough. One sentence a day. Even one verse from the Holy Scriptures, copied calmly, without haste. It’s a moment of prayer, focus, and care for one's own mind all in one.
If we were to think of one small thing that is worth introducing into our lives right away to take care of our mental health and development, it would be handwriting.
