254 Hub cities in 47 countries had hosted the Pelikan Hub in 2024. And this year, conventional logic says, it would have surpassed the number. Even on conservative estimates, it is huge, considering the facts that they are fountain pen, ink, and paper aficionado “meets” that are mostly organised by
First, it was the deluge of use-and-throw ballpoint pens. Then came the digital devices that shook the very foundations of handwriting. And now with AI, the world of fountain pens, inks, and writing is facing a threat that is nothing short of existential. This, when the industry was just about
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
Backgrounder The 6th Inked Happiness Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Dr Bibek Debroy on July 27th 2024 in a ceremony befitting the occasion in the Vivekananda Hall of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark. Swami Suviranandaji Maharaj handed over the Award in the presence of Swami Suparnanandaji Maharaj,
Starmark is undoubtedly a “go-to” destination for bibliophiles, stationery lovers, and increasingly, fountain pen and ink aficionados in Kolkata. Naturally, when Starmark celebrates its 25th year, the city sits up to take note. As someone who has spent half my life browsing and buying from the different Starmark outlets, I
Those were simple, yet exciting times. Especially if you were a youngster going to school. No, we did not have even a fraction of the toys that young children possess these days, but we were content having the few possessions that we had. Fountain pens, among them. Mind you, in
We are just back from the 1st Chennai Pen Show which was organised by Aditya Bhansali and his team of super-efficient achievers. Well, the platitudes are deliberate – for here was a show that like a pack of trump cards, excelled on all counts. For the habitual nitpickers among us,
The 5th Inked Happiness Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred upon Dr. Sovan Roy in a glittering ceremony at the Calcutta Rowing Club on July 29th, 2023. The trophy was handed over to Dr. Roy by Prof. Manoshi Roychowdhury, co-chairperson of the Techno India Group. Kaushik Maitra, Managing Director of Sulekha
At one point in time, I used to visit the Pen Hospital with almost religious regularity – spending my Saturday afternoons there in the company of Md Riaz and so often the other pen lovers who would walk in. I have acquired innumerable fountain pens from the establishment just like
India-made pens. They fascinate me, for they are my reigning passion, the one end that justifies all means. I have spent so many decades of my life in their search – seeking them out, collecting them, getting the old dilapidated ones restored, compiling their stories, learning about their legacies, and
There are broadly four kinds of people who buy fountain pens. I know that I am about to commit an unpardonable sin by writing what I have set out to write in this piece, for I will be generalising things to a point where it will be rankling at the
Nandish Shah is a little-known name in the fountain pen community, but read my lips, he is destined for greater glories. He is destined for greater glories – not because he is as dedicated a fountain-pen lover as you and me, but because he has already unveiled India’s first commercially
