Arun Singhi. Lotus pens. I don’t remember how many stories I have done about the brand, about the man, or the fantastic pens that he turns. Suffice it to say, you guys never tire of asking me to do another, and I don’t tire of doing them either. The fact
An Urushi tree takes about 12 to 15 years to mature for commercial purposes. For only a few months during the year, the sap can be gathered, with every tree producing at best, only about a cupful of sap (about 150 grams), from which the celebrated Urushi lacquer is made.
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
Well, let me begin this one with a confession – I am not an expert. I do not have any academic qualification to make such claims, nor do I have the inclination of being a self-styled one, someone who acts like a know-it-all, foot firmly in the mouth. Collecting fountain
Dilip Basak. Some love him, recalling with happiness how he has brought pens – often that belonged to ancestors – back to life. While on the other end of the spectrum are the ones who hate him and their argument is also compelling, to say the least. “The man is
Mizanur Rahman bhai is a well-known name in the fountain pen and ink user groups in Bangladesh. He runs a very successful shop in Dhaka and can easily be considered among the handful of opinion-makers in the country. As a fountain pen and ink importer, his knowledge about the quality,
Handwriting is an art that is slowly being lost to keyboards, and we must do our bit to preserve it. Handwriting and note-taking is said to have many benefits, especially for students, like activating the brain, reinforcing literary development, and improving memory among many others. There is arguably no better
Indian Fountain pens are my dope. The never cease to give me a high. Especially if they are of a certain vintage, hand turned, eye-dropper fillers, made of ebonite and sport pure, “desi” nibs. The ones that give me mind-altering experiences are naturally the type that immediately transport me to
This was in 2016. I was going to Bangkok to teach and he was going there with his distributors for what is known as an off-site. If you have travelled the Kolkata-Bangkok route you would know what carriers mean. They are a lot who travel regularly to Bangkok for buying
Monday, 30 May 2022. Today, Sergio Mattarella The President of the Italian Republic signed the decrees appointing 25 new Cavalieri del Lavoro (Knights of Labour). Prominent among the nominations is Cesare Verona, Chairman of Aurora Pens, representing, as indicated by the Presidency, artisan craftsmanship and particularly the production of Fountain
August Eberstein and Alfred Nehemias are names that are well known to fountain pen fanatics. The names Kyugoro Sakata and Walter A Sheaffer are also recognized instantly. And they should be, for they are the founders of Montblanc, Sailor and Sheaffer pens respectively, people who have created brands that have
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
