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
Yellow. It is the colour of happiness, and optimism, of enlightenment and creativity, sunshine and spring. Yellow roses are supposed to symbolise friendship and are often given to loved ones as a way to bring joy and cheer. Religious iconography from around the world are full of yellow hued symbolism and I
Meet Anil Thaman, the 64-year-old-youngster who has stunned the disbelievers by clinching the second space in the World handwriting Contest of 2021 organised by the reigning diva of dancing letters Kate Gladstone. As he puts it himself: “to be apart from home and family and move to a different country
Indian Fountain Pen design challenge – Prof Y Pitkar sounds the bugle. But are we ready to pick up the gauntlet? Here is a question. When was the last time you saw an Indian fountain pen manufacturer come to the market with a new fountain pen, designed and created
Inked Happiness turns four today. Like all birthdays, ours is a special one too, for it is on this day that we give away the Inked Happiness Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding contribution to the world of writing, writing instruments and the writers who wield them. The 1st Award had
