Beena Pens. Naam to suna hi hoga! This is a remarkable story – of yesterday, today and tomorrow – of growth, decay and renewal that typifies the Indian fountain pen in the larger context, hopefully. It began more than five decades back in 1965 when Satramdas Motwani went into
Sanjeev Narula, R P Traders and the elusive “Kalkatta” Fountain Pens! The local trains, that ferry daily passengers to and from their workplaces in Kolkata have always fascinated me, among many things for the vendors – who carry trinkets of every conceivable variety, ware, that they peddle with some of
Liliana Bühlow of the Secret Montblanc Society in an intimate tête-à-tête: Inked Happiness: A “Secret” Montblanc Society with 3.7 thousand members in Facebook – as the lady who made that possible, your enigma defies definitions. What is next, a book by Dan Brown? Kindly tell us about the group, its
Soon it will be upon us. The day of whispered, passionate promises, a dark, crisp evening of gasped breaths and pouted lips. A night for candlelight, for shadows – for love. It will be a day when all romance is unhinged and goes rolling through the dark streets like a
The international handwriting day, sponsored by WIMA (the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association), is celebrated every 23 January and represents an opportunity to honour a passion that unites more and more people who consider the act of writing as a way to express their innermost thoughts and feelings. Aurora, an industry-leading
Flex or the Stub, which came first? Well, I can’t say for sure. Point is, cutting the quill at an angle to meet the specific requirement for writing and even making a slit in the tip to spread the tines, was relatively easy. From then on, to the steel nibs
Maestro’s Indelible Ink Marks! Calling a Sitar virtuoso, a “maestro” we can understand. A cricketer, perhaps more so. But a professional calligrapher? Can someone, who has spent most of his adult life single-mindedly pursuing the art of writing with his hand and in the process has undoubtedly become one of
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
Maanjitender Sethi setting up a precedent for others to follow. It all began with a mail: Good Morning Mr Ganguly, I have a few fountain pens which I don’t use and want to give them away. They are very low-cost pens. Honestly, I have not been able to find out
How the pen box has brought together my two passions in life – writing and woodworking. A few months ago, I rediscovered an old fountain pen, a long-forgotten companion from my college days. It was a cheap Parker with a plastic body, hidden in the midst of a drawer full
Nandini Ramchandran on being a woman collector of fountain pens in a man’s world! As a fountain pen collector and user, who happens to be a woman, I am often asked why there are relatively fewer women pursuing the hobby in India. While I cannot presume to speak for
