In June 2025, US and Israeli forces targeted Iran’s military (read alleged nuclear facilities) before a unilateral cessation of hostilities, after the declaration of mission accomplished. Then, the exchange rate of the INR to the US Dollar averaged around 85.92. Brent crude oil prices had averaged approximately in the range
Satikanta Guha (1st June, 1910 to January 8th 1991) founded a school that went on to become the largest in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records. But that is hardly enough of a measure of the greatness of the man. For he was a true polymath,
It was never easy being a scribe. Imagine carrying your quill (and a penknife to sharpen it at regular intervals) along with a pot of ink to work. Dank. It was only a little better when the holders with their metal nibs were introduced. Well, it did do away with
It was one of the defining moments in history. Chinese Tang and Abbasid forces were ranged against each other on a sweltering day in July 751 in what is known as the Battle of Talas. The actual outcome of the battle is immaterial, for what matters is that the Abbasid
This was in 2016. I was going to Bangkok to teach and he was going there with his distributors for what is known as an off-site. If you have travelled the Kolkata-Bangkok route you would know what carriers mean. They are a lot who travel regularly to Bangkok for buying
Checkmate from Nisha Singhi’s Vazir Pens wows the fountain pen connoisseurs with its craftsmanship and writing abilities. The Indian army has never crossed its borders in a military campaign to conquer, pillage or subjugate. Yet, paradoxical as it is, a strategy game that originated in India, whose ultimate aim is
I am Muhammad Ilyas Khan. I belong to Southern part of Khyber Pakhtoon Khwa province (Distt. Lakki Marwat). I am a retired bureaucrat and am now settled in Pak Capital – Islamabad. I speak, read and write in more than seven languages including English, Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Punjabi, Dari and
Dhar Brothers and the story of Calcutta’s brush with fountain pen making excellence – fact, fiction or folklore? Imagine that you are so well known for your skills that the Commissioner of Calcutta Police sends his prized fountain pen to you for some repair work. Mind you, this is a
Urushi. When the Portuguese sailors had first introduced Europe to the treasures of Japanese lacquer art in the 16th century, the result was one of stunned disbelief. As a matter of fact, such was the obsession of European nobility with this intricate art form of Japan, with its subtle luminance,
Duofold a “reference in fountain pens”, continues to wow writers even after a hundred long years at, or at least very near the top Imagine Arthur Conan Doyle writing. Imagine Sherlock Holmes coming to life on the paper. Imagine the twists and turns of the mystery – one that has
Inks have not only written the history of the world, but were often the key ingredient that helped shape the events that history is made of. Ink. The Lifeforce that flows through the veins of our pens. The liquid that transfers our thoughts on to the writing surface, transforming itself,
The year was 1978. Kapil Dev Nikhanj was making his debut against Pakistan. Virender Sehwag was seeing the first lights of the day. The Government led by Morarji Desai, the then Prime Minister, was demonetising high denomination bank notes. Indira Gandhi was on the comeback trail. Kishore Kumar’s soulful rendition
