THE FILE COVER Dear friends,
Today I was looking for a fewpapers from my files to confirm certain details. I thought the FILE COVER canbe today’s topic with some nostalgic memories. Sincerely, Gopala krishnan 25-1-2011. Reposted on 2-3-2021 after editingand updating . R.Gopala Krishnan 1. Kaipetti. I have never seen my father usingany file. He was having a kaipatti ( Wooden box) appeared similar to brief case in wood. All his papers would be in the box. Thiskaipatti had some frames inside top portion to keep immediately requiring items. This kaipatti was kept inside a room andlocked. Some papers he used to keep in Kalpetti, some others inside the valanga petti(Half circular box) in Ara, which also had frame works inside . He used to keep themneatly in order and safely. Probably file was not an item in home on thosedays!! However both mybrothers were keeping all their papers in later days in a single file sothat only search is required, missing of paper was not be there. They had lesser important papers intheir view. 2. Files I had seen the temporary files while in middle school, myfather used to pierce papers to keep in files using tag provided in the files.After the papers have become bulky in the file, he used to stitch them safely in book formwith a binding and detailing in the top. This contained school admissionforms, important orders received and replied etc. This type of filing is the most common even todayin offices. These file coverswere made from the light blue colour packing paper of white papers or lightbrown colour thick paper supplied by government for files on those days!!. I mean these files were locallymade. Now such files areprepared in Government or privatepresses. 3. Appointment order. While I was keeping theappointment order , probation order , other correspondences simply in a fewcovers in my box in 1965, my friend Ali Akabar asked me why don’t I file thepapers and showed me a cockbrand file cover he was using and keptsafely in the bottom of his trunk box. He was very nicely up keepingthe papers in the files with his name address of native and local etc. Update- Later he joined the Reserve bankas officer and retired from a high position from Reserve bank, Trivandrumoffice. Recently when I went to xxxx Nationalisedbank, the manger came and took me to his chamber. He asked all my well-beingand finally asked whether I recollected him still. I admitted I could not recognise him. Then he mentionedPudukkotttai and my staff there. Still Iwas at large. I was in Pudukkottai in1980’s. Then he mentioned his name, I could immediately recollect. He had changed a lot.He said after my transfer fromthere he got selected as probationaryofficer in Nationalised bank. In such detail mentioning of him- He was in charge of cash in my officeand was very specific to keep his table and side racks so neat, and with goodhand writing and keeping all files very neat . 4. Early file covers in officers On those days file covers weremore thicker than today, coarse and no clip or tag in the middle. Holes wouldbe there in the top corner at 1’x1’’away from the ends and a metallic press was there. A big tag with metallic ends wasused to pierce the papers at proper place. The metallic ends were insertedthrough the folder ends and tied. It was common the metallic piece get off fromtag with continued use and addition of more papers. The quality of tags werepoor on those days comparing today. 5. File covers with clip The next appearance of filecovers was the one where a clip was provided to press the papers. These clip padwas used to keep the papers temporarily. This type of clip pad is still in usein government offices to keep daily daks. Some people started using it for tagged papers too since it were verythick , but in the metallic portion, iron oxide (Thurumbu) used to form afterone or two years. Such file covers is still with me. 6. File covers with provision of a metal fixture to hold papers in tactafter piercing in the middle . Then by about 75’s these types offiles, with less thick paper cover started appearing. With a puncher we could pierce correctly two holes in the paper , and insert in the metal strip andhold firm with another flat strip and two fixtures in it. It was very good for business people with quality metal strips, ironoxide forming get rid of with tinning or galvanising. But it was not suitable for offices, but suitable for companies andprivate use. 7. Polythene File covers with provision of a plastic fixture to hold papers in tact afterpiercing in the middle. This looked very neat and tidy,no question of iron oxide, but the fixture use to become loose or break. Itcould not hold more papers. These covers later appeared with metal fixtures.Most hospitals provide this type of files to patients to keep hospital papers. 8. Office file covers. The quality of office file covershas changed with quality cover but end tagging is mostconvenient in office.Now the quality of tags have very much improved. 9. Binding system. Office papers binding system isfollowed now too to a register form and kept in Almirahs safely for laterreference. Quick reference is made with numbering and note pad system indicating the number, subject etc. Thoughcomputer and soft copy is there, for important papers hard copy is kept evennow. Specimen signature, applicationform for opening bank account etc are still kept as hard copy. Update- Now the papers are scanned and stored in Pen drives and they aresafely kept in addition of hard copy. CD storing has almost gone. Now most computers come without CDdrive. 10. Every thing cannot be pierced and filed. There are certain documents likeproperty deeds on stamp paper, which we cannot keep piercing, and filing. Hencefile cover in the form of pressing and closing has appeared. Earlier it was incoarse thick paper, it has more the appearance of a packet. After keeping thedocument, two sides are closed and the third and fourth sides are pressed toit. Now in polythene such pressingfiles have appeared in very beautiful form and colours, though costly. It hasthe added advantage, neednot fear about white ants. 11. The lengthy tagged files Now file covers medium thick, invarious colours, with good wax finish on sides, with neat printings and withgood fixtures, to file papers with long tags with metal pressing at length wiseis available. One file cover wouldappear better than other making us to purchase three instead of one. (Recollectsunlight washing powder advertisement?) These file covers are best to use specially in homes for important paperfiling. Four or five files for differentitems. Update- Now files have come withfacility of inserting papers in thin polythene folders binded together. Lot ofpatience is required to keep papers with in them and takeout without damage tocover. For people with hurrying nature it is most inconvenient. But by keeping papers inside, can be seen through transparent film,necessary one can be taken with patience. My son in law and son brought suchfiles from foreign countries and I am keeping important papers in them. 12. Chukappu nada ( read tape) Important files are presented toofficer in a file pad which has a red band printed URGENT . Important files would be kept inthis and after putting the RED band and tying together is made with a cotton stripattached to it and presented to officer. Less important files are alsosimilarly put in pads with green band. Even daily daks important arekept in a light red file or brown file. Normal papers are kept on a green fileor light green file. 13. Filing with puncher After slightly folding the paperto filed in the centre and puncher is applied after opening and seeing thecentre of paper with centre of punch, the holes would be in the exactcentre of the paper and filing will beneat. 14. Demarking We can keep separate files withdemarking. For example electricity, municipality, water tax, colony payments,etc. general important can be in differentfiles. Official correspondences can bein one file. Telephone, purchases, bank correspondences etc. can be suitably filed in different files sothat searching for apaper is more easy. Update- All these can be done incomputer in separate files and keeping a second copy in memory device. However whereoriginal is required computer cannot help, like fixed deposit receipts etc. Thehard copy has to be safely kept. 15. Printed note I will conclude this posting witha special note. If youmake out a printed list of all important things like, promotion date, importantloan date, pay fixation date etc in fouror five printed sheets and kept any where in any file, it would enable to select the paper we want from thefile with some ease. Today I was looking for BSNL absorption dateand another promotion date, since I had kept printed sheets in Tabulation in afile, and arranged the papers somewhat chronically in five files it could get in about 15 minutes. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1656108233.251241.1614788108189%40mail.yahoo.com.
