Autographs of icons – faded ink on paper that reaches out across space and time, across generations, to create wabi sabi moments of ecstasy On a Sunday morning a few years ago, when the world was a better place, my father, Partha Roy and I, paid a visit to my uncle,
Sulekha has always tread on the road less travelled, off the beaten track as it were. Thus, when Sulekha invited a few dedicated fountain pen and ink lovers – young men and women – from around Kolkata to launch its latest line of inks aptly called “Swadhin” (free, as in
Karishma Siddique Roy. Loreto. Jadavpur University. RJ in All India Radio. Curator of Rock Notes. Manager of Musical Bands. Marriage to a Mandolin player. Ownership of a Sustainable Clothing and Accessories Brand. Designer of own line (or should it be destiny?). I guess, life doesn’t get any more exciting than
Nib Manufacturing in India – the past Knowing of my interest in fountain pens, several acquaintances have drawn my attention to a recent story done by BBC, on how India’s artisanal fountain pens are making a mark. It is a natural Indian proclivity to recognize something only when the West
Fountain Pen Mart is here to address the needs of the fraternity, conceived and run by one of us. Sourav Roy is a journalist working in North Bengal’s leading publication. Hailing from Coochbehar, he is now based in Siliguri and is a keen fountain pen lover and user. Bitten by
Swadeshi, Swaraj and Swadhin – three new lines of ink from Sulekha are now ready. During the peak of Corona-infused-lockdown, fountain pen lovers from different parts of India had contacted me to help them organise a “group buy” of Sulekha Inks. To cut a long story short, despite my best
Luxmi Stylo Pen Works, Varanasi, was the first to make the “Swadeshi” pen in India. Legend has it that the first “Swadeshi” Fountain pen in India was made by Kosuri Venkata Ratnam to honour the desire expressed by none other than the Mahatma – who wanted an inexpensive pen, made
Sulekha starts producing Hand Sanitizers and Liquid Soap, joins the fight against Covid-19 In response to the call of the Government of India and Government of West Bengal, Sulekha has taken up the manufacturing of Hand Sanitizer and Liquid Soap. Necessary Drug License for Sanitizer production has already been obtained from
Wars and famines. The fountain pen has witnessed pestilence in the past, just the way it has seen – from the trenches, the two World Wars. An estimated 20,00,000 people died in Leningrad – a direct fallout of the nine-hundred-day blockade by the Nazis between 1941 and 1944. The Bengal
3 Oysters – an inky 3 cheers (with a thank you to Pen Specials) When I was a kid and writing with fountain pens was de rigueur (mainstream, as opposed to being restricted to a passionate lunatic fringe), ink options were pretty limited – Royal Blue or Blue Black for
A song well sung, Wing Sung I remember the year distinctly – 1982, for it was the year that Michel Jackson’s Thriller was released. It was also the year when I had got my first Wing Sung fountain pen. Mind you, there was nothing great about Wing Sung pens even
