Everything was first written on draft paper initially in pen...

Everything was first written on draft paper initially in pen, corrected or edited and proofread using pencil and red ink pens, the paper from which the article was usually typed out, looked like off white paper that had confetti scratches all over it. I could have never deciphered it.

The rhythmical clicking of type writer keys and the bell depicting the end of the line were a very regular sounds at home, in those days it was still a manual typewriter, not the fancy electrical ones, and by the time computers came in, my grandfather had stopped writing. Growing up with the sounds of keys hitting the paper and the times where he would ask me to roll back the red and black ribbon, always made me a part of the process, and the request made me happy that I could help.

By: Sameer Kermalli The process I remember vividly was the one where, the typesetter, Mr. Mohamed Namwanga used to come home and painstakingly took letters and words that were needed for the next issue, cut and pasted them on a marked paper, cut to the end books size. This was a tedious job using the old magazines that were then printed by Jamana, located near the corner of Uhuru Street and now Indira Gandhi street then. Lots of man hours went into that.

The dedication of Fidahusein Hameer, who till today plays an active role in The Light magazine, can only be deemed as very commendable work, cause I remember him since those days. There are things that are embedded in our brains, and amongst them for me, is the experience to see, learn and partially understand the process of printing.

Today I work for a printing company, DTP and I am grateful to The Light magazine for the printing process knowledge it imparted to me, a past that is fruitful to date.…