Click is routinely referred to as one of India’s top fountain pen manufacturers by the experts – and there are solid reasons behind the same. The legacy of the brand is beyond question, as is the commitment of Harsh Gagwani, the third generation from the family heading Click. The Aristocrat range of pens from Click are without doubt, the best entry level fountain pens in India, and can alone justify Click being crowned India’s premier pen maker. Similarly, in terms of sheer manufacturing facility and production prowess, Click is way ahead of its competitors, having continuously invested in honing its edge, even when the others had virtually given up on the industry. And yes, I must also mention in the same breath, that this religiously dedicated investment programme provides Click with the kind of OEM orders that it receives from the major pen manufacturers overseas, names that Click does not wish to divulge for obvious reasons. Quality products at reasonable prices, in numbers that are mindboggling, that too backed by a brand that enjoys top of the mind recall, pan India: the Click mantra behind its success, one can easily surmise, is enough to sign, seal and deliver the top slot to Click.
But the above points, pertinent as they are, are not what makes Click the winner that it is. What makes Click the winner is the attitude. The refusal to rest on its laurels. The urge to continuously keep moving towards success, to keep working through the night even while the others take a well-deserved rest.
Take the Click Renaissance as an example. When the pen was launched bang in the middle of the pandemic, it confounded everyone and created a storm. The visually appealing pen was sold-out even before one could say “Click”, and the reviews were genuinely flattering. Since its launch, the Renaissance has moved from strength to strength and it is a matter of great pride for us as Indians, that it has also created for itself a distinct fan following overseas. Any company would have been justifiably happy with the launch of the Renaissance and would have paused to pat itself on the back. Not Click, for as I was saying, Click is made of sterner stuff.
If you recall, the Renaissance launch was followed up, in quick succession, by the launch of the Click President, a concept-to-communication in-house product. That the President, priced as it is at an unbelievably attractive point, will do well was a foregone conclusion. It will not be an exaggeration to say that even the think tank at Click did not expect it to fly off the shelves as they have been doing.
And now Click has pulled out another ace from its sleeve – the ebonite Renaissance. Not that Click didn’t have an ebonite pen on offer, it had. It is just that this time around, the ebonite is mottled, following the typical Indian pens from the past. But the question that naturally comes to mind, is what is so special about this pen? Why am I making such a big hu-ha about it? The answer too, is simple.
Such pens are made my many manufacturers in India, especially in the south and continue to be known as “Indian Ebonite” by the global fountain pen aficionados. Without belittling anyone, one must also state the fact that most of the entities making these pens currently are generally single lathe operations where the barrel and cap are hand-turned, while the nib, feed, clip and rings (if any) are outsourced. Naturally, the quality gaps are often unacceptably high between makers and even in case of pens emanating from the same source, there often is a big difference in look and feel, not to mention quality related issues. Besides, as most of the hand-turners are now aged, having learnt the craft on the other side of the “death years” in the 1980’s and 1990’s, geriatrics is becoming a huge enemy of the trade. This also explains why these pens rarely come in any modern design, leave alone even incorporate any filling mechanism other than the standard eye-dropper filler.
With Click entering into the fray, these issues will be addressed, as there will be consistency in the production with uniformity in shape, size and material inputs. Quality Control, something for which Click is lauded even by its overseas associates, will be another area where there will be a perceptible move upward so far as these ebonite pens are concerned. Besides, by virtue of being backed by the weight of the Click brand name, the “Indian Ebonite” as a genre, will have a world of opportunities opening up before it, globally. And yes, the pens will enjoy the technical knowledge of Harsh Gagwani, one of the most astute fountain pen experts in the country, someone who has spent every single day of the last three decades on the fountain pen making shop floor!
Fountain pen lovers, revel in your excitement, for there are more “dhamakas” lined up by Click. But hold your breath, for hidden in this piece are answers to a quiz that Click will run shortly. The Prize? Keep guessing!
For more information: www.uniquepen.in