The story of fountain pen making in India was one that begged to be told. Not because there is today a thriving community of fountain pen users in the country, a substantial portion of which will be interested in such a tale. Not because it is a legacy that very
Like most fountain pen lovers in India, my first hand turned, India made ebonite pen was a Nauka from ASA pens in Chennai. I had stumbled on to their website and placed an order, which was in due course of time, fulfilled. One order had followed many others and it
Onoto, everything good that the Empire stood for, ever, in a fountain pen that defies time and continues to evoke glories past! The year 1905 was an interesting one. Arthur Conan Doyle, bowing to public sentiment, was scripting the Return of Sherlock Holmes. Mata Hari was giving her first dance
Arun Singhi of Lotus Pens is an institution. Literally a giant, among the mortal penmakers of India and I say this without in anyway belittling the others, and confident, that they will wholeheartedly (okay, reluctantly, if you may), vouch for what I say. And there are reasons that compel me
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
William Penn stores are a paradise for every fountain pen lover. The company stocks fountain pens from leading brands of not only India but also around the world. William Penn has put a stop to every FP fanatic’s search for a Sailor or a Mont Blanc by filling the shelves
John Culmer has been repairing and restoring fountain pens for over thirty years, having acquired the skill from his father Charlie. John’s skill is such that his services are recommended by Parker and Waterman. Today, although the Peel Pen Shop (London) retail store location has now closed, John still repairs
Croxley Pens from Dickinson – as pucca as a sahib can be, stiff upper lip, understated elegance et all. British fountainpens do not, in general, stir the kind of excitement in stylophiles that German, Italian or even Japanese pens do. A pity, actually, considering the glorious legacy that British pens
It is, at first look, liable to be mistaken as a defender guarding the galaxies with its bold Art Deco silhouette, a comfortable balanced weight and a military styled clip inspired by the vintage Sheaffer Balance. It goes without saying that not every pen has in it the inner power
Dakshina Kali – a tribute fountain pen to the Mother of all living beings; the master of death, time and change, from Constellations88 The fountain pen has long been used as a canvas, to depict religious motifs, especially in India. Ganesha (the Lord of removing obstacles), Lakshmi (the Goddess of
Galen. Claudius Galenus, was such a prolific writer and such vast was his contribution in the field of medicine, that for centuries at an end, the philosophy of medicine was termed Galenism. Born in Pergamum, an old Greek city on the Aegean coast of Asia Minor, or present-day Turkey, in
Fountain pen industry and the effect of the pandemic thereon – are things really as hunky-dory as they are being made out to be? I am often accosted with the question, “How has the pandemic affected the fountain pen industry in India?”. Honestly, there isn’t a ready answer that I
