Starmark, with its enviable presence in the major shopping malls in Kolkata (five in the last count: City Centre Salt Lake & New Town, Mani Square, Quest, and South City), is the go-to destination for book lovers. The store formats are extremely user-friendly, the collections are thought-provoking, and the staff are knowledgeable and helpful. One can spend hours at the end browsing through the books, or simply wiling the time away. Trust me, I have, on multiple occasions.
However, it will be wrong to state that books alone are the major crowd puller. For, the stores also have on offer a variety of things aimed at turning the solitary reaper’s browsing experience into a family outing. The children’s section, from craft implements to toys, and a carefully curated home décor segment have also carved out distinct niches in the collective consciousness of the city’s hoi polloi.
But I have my own reason for visiting – many in fact – fountain pens, inks, notebooks, and accessories. And when Starmark organises its annual Pen Fest in the South City Mall around the end of June each year? I would not miss it for a hand and a foot. The reasons that lead me to such a decision are compelling, to say the least.
For one, the spread of fountain pens and inks is eclectic. From Sailor and Sheaffer to Lamy and Pilot. From Sulekha and Click to Monte Verde and Twsbi, most major brands are featured to the delight of pen lovers. Besides, the people behind the counters are extremely knowledgeable, goading one towards the right buy, without being overbearing.
Secondly, because of the huge areas taken up by these stores, even at peak hours when footfalls are known to zoom, the counters are seldom unapproachable. This is the one area where the Starmark Pen Festival scores over the average Pen Shows, even if one were to discount the sheer ambience of the place completely. Sceptics are quick to point out that the rarefied atmosphere of the upmarket malls keeps the gawking crowd that normally throngs at the pen shows at bay, but I have my reservations about that, though I am not complaining.
Another unique feature of the Starmark Pen Fest is the exclusive Ink Counter where visitors are encouraged to sample the various inks that are on display – to test them for the sheer joy of it, if nothing else.
Minu and Gautam Jatia, the husband-wife duo looking after the chain of Starmark stores, are connoisseurs themselves and therefore, go out of their way to ensure that the average visitor’s experience is an extraordinary one. The attention that goes into every detail about the Pen Fest in particular, and the shopping process in Starmark in general, is remarkable, which only adds to the pleasure.
What is more, instead of focusing exclusively on the sales, Starmark is initiating several steps to expand the very base, the width, of the market. Last year, for example, they had flown in “the Maestro,” Prof K C Janardhan to give a talk on Calligraphy as part of the Pen Fest, which was very well received. This year Dr Shovan Roy, author of definitive works on the domain was invited to talk on the “history of fountain pens and inks in India,” which too was lapped up by the audience. “We are interested in using the Starmark platform to spread the cult of fountain pens and inks” said Gautam Jatia, “we want more people, especially the youngsters, to not only collect, but also actively use fountain pens and inks.”
The very fact that the handwriting competition organised as a part of the Pen Fest (in association with Lamy) attracted a record number of participants this year is a testimonial of the popularity of not only the event, but also of the fact that the thought beyond the organisation is being appreciated and is gaining currency among the aficionados. The quality of the submissions too, was mind blowing – trust me, I did the judging.
Another area where Starmark is clearly the winner is in its collection of notebooks. From notebooks that feature fountain pen-friendly papers to imported ones that are a sheer blast and everything in between, the collection is enough to make any stationery freak drool with desire. As for pencils, and erasers, and washi tapes, the less I talk, the better, an incorrigible hoarder that I am.