Swadeshi, Swaraj and Swadhin – three new lines of ink from Sulekha are now ready.
During the peak of Corona-infused-lockdown, fountain pen lovers from different parts of India had contacted me to help them organise a “group buy” of Sulekha Inks. To cut a long story short, despite my best efforts, the initiative had failed as the logistics could not be mustered. To set things right and meet the demands of the Fountain Pen and Ink fanatics, Sulekha has not only launched the Collector’s Edition Swadeshi line, but is also in the process of giving final touches to the packaging of the Swaraj and the Swadhin lines. These lines will be offered progressively over the next two months.
Kaushik Maitra, the Managing Director, while launching the Swadeshi line of inks said, “Sulekha was more than an ink that etched the history of the freedom struggle – it was the life blood of Swadeshi. Born out of a compulsion to serve the desire of the Mahatma to empower the people with the pen, Sulekha is the story of sacrifice: of the indomitable spirit of self-sufficiency, of a way of life that did not cower before the might of injustice, even as it sought to economically empower the people by creating a product that not only substituted costly imported inks but was also globally competitive in its own right.”
“Today Sulekha pays tribute to those halcyon days when Swadeshi was a way of life and Nationalism was represented even in the ink that was used to write the words that spewed fire against the foreign yoke. Swadeshi was the soul of Swaraj and to be Swadhin was the goal of our forefathers to whom we pay our humble tribute” he said. “The naming is deliberate: the terms used, chosen to represent a value system that we continue to believe in and espouse”.
The Sulekha Swadeshi, Swaraj and Swadhin ranges have been created using the same ingredients and incorporating the same processes that the torchbearers of this swadeshi enterprise had perfected. Yes, the inks still go through the time-consuming double filtration under the watchful eyes of trained supervisors and are hand made by local ladies who have formed themselves into groups, following the time-tested principles of Khadi and Gram Udyog set down by Gandhiji. The packaging has also been made to highlight the sustainability of the product and the spirit that had given birth to it.
Swadeshi – a Limited Edition line has been painfully recreated using the same exacting standards and mostly the same ingredients with which the first inks were made by Sulekha for use by none other than the Father of the Nation. Available only in Royal Blue, Executive Black and Scarlet Red colours, the carafes are packed in a handmade pouch that has been specially recreated for the line and come from Shantiniketan, Gurudev’s Abode of Peace. “We are blending each batch of Swadeshi Ink with inks that were made by us in the last century and were retained in our factory. Naturally, these vintage-blended inks will be unique – one of their kind and therefore truly a class apart” beamed Kaushik Maitra.
The Swaraj line will comprise of inks in 10 colours to cater to the needs of the ink aficionados – a testimonial of the time when Sulekha inks were one of the major export items of the Nation. It will not be out of place to mention here that Sulekha was invited to set up by the United Nations, two ink factories in Africa, which it had, as a proud Indian enterprise, successfully done.
The Swadhin line will comprise of the two essential colours – black and blue – which Sulekha’s founding fathers had vowed to make easily available for the common man at the least possible price so that the Mahatma’s dream of a knowledge empowered India could be achieved. The pricing of this range will therefore remain true to the commitments made.
Sulekha Inks. For, when the mind is without fear and the head is held high, knowledge is free and the words come out from the depths of truth!
Editor’s Note: The Swadeshi line of Inks are now available at INR 1250 for a pack of three bottles. As a special gesture to Fountain Pen lovers, the Sulekha Management has agreed to waive the Courier Charges within India for fountain pen lovers for a period of three months from November 15th 2020 to February 15th 2021. An undisclosed number of Swadeshi ink bottles are also being earmarked for export to Bangladesh as a homage to Rajshahi where the Sulekha journey had begun and to honour the local fountain pen and ink loving community.
Please Note: This line of inks is not being sold through the distributors network and is available exclusively for the Collectors / Fountain Pen Lovers, only through this route.
Kindly post your requirement to ink.sulekha@gmail.com or order@sulekhaink.co.in along with proof of payment.
Bank Details:
The amount to be deposited at:
SULEKHA WORKS LIMITED,
Bank of India, Garia Branch, Kolkata 700084
Account No:426520110000088
IFS Code BKID0004265
For More information: www.sulekhaink.co.in
Wow , a great launch for the Indian ink aficionados.
The link for Sulekha Ink is not working. Also can you please elaborate on the prices of all 3 models. Is 1250 the price for all 3?
the bottles are Rs 1250 each packet of three. you can also email the company (oursulekha@gmail.com ) directly for ay clarifications. i am contacting them about the website.
thank you
yes sir. For 3 bottles of 60 ml, along with a scroll and a collectors bag.
Very interesting brand revival.
These new Sulekha inks look like standard inks in standard bottles with average packaging, but what is invisible is a whole lot of marketing wrapped around them.
Good luck and happy selling.
Hi
Please give details of 3 variants, prices & photos of ink bottles.
Any distributor in maharashtra.
you can contact the company directly: ink.sulekha@gmail.com or order@sulekhaink.co.in As far as i know, there is no distributor involved and they will ship directly from the factory. the bank details are given in the story itself.
Ordered!
Dada, the link you shared is broken. It links to sulekhapnk.co.in, which doesn’t exist. And sulekhaink.co.in has an invalid signature, and throws up its code, rather than the site it’s supposed to display
Anyway, the 1250 price is amazingly steep. For years they decided to trash their heritage, and now they’re coming with a pricing steeper than Indian offerings like Krishna, and imported offerings like Diamine, or even non Bulletproof Noodlers.
chief, thank you. I have informed sulekha about the link. as for the price, it is my fault – Rs 1250 is for the THREE bottle pack and not for a single bottle as it appears in my writing. I am rectifying that too in the blog. my sincere apologies. I am sure that you will find the pricing attractive, especially in view of the legacy that the inks carry and the fact that they are indeed of a highly agreeable quality!
Thank a lot for clarification. What’s the bottle size, is it 60ml or 100 ml?
60 ml
Sir any contact number of Sulekha? I’m interested in purchasing.
Have received this from Sulekha. Uploading as it is.
Dear Ink Lovers,
Thank You for the overwhelming response to the Swadeshi line of inks. Your love and the blessings that you have showered on the brand and the values it represents have only strengthened our resolve.
Many of you have also raised queries about the pricing of the Swadeshi range of inks and I feel it is only fair that we furnish an explanation.
1. The Sulekha Swadeshi range is a “Limited Edition” line and has been made to address the specific requests of collectors and Sulekha aficionados.
2. The Swadeshi range of inks have blended in them, inks that were made in the last century and were retained in our factory under strict supervision of our factory chemists.
3. The ingredients that have been used adhere to the original formulations as strictly as possible.
4. The inks are made using the “gravity filtration” process as opposed to filtration using centrifuges. This ensures a more efficient removal of particulate materials, though requiring a much higher preparation time.
5. The inks are made by hand and blind mechanisation has been avoided wherever possible to maintain the human touch as was evident in the original inks.
6. We reiterate our commitment to maintain prices strictly at a cost-plus level. We are now offering the Swadeshi line, that provides 3 inks, Royal Blue, Executive Black and Scarlet Red in a specially designed Khadi pouch handcrafted in Shantiniketan together with a small Scroll in a single box priced at Rs. 1,250.
7. The Sulekha Swaraj and Swadhin lines which will follow shortly will also be priced accordingly. Being regular production inks, they will naturally be priced much lower than the Swadeshi line.
8. We are available and welcome your inputs at: oursulekha@gmail.com. Please feel free to contact us for any query that you may have.
My forefathers had given birth to Sulekha in 1934 and had given it their all in the spirit of Swadeshi. I am the third generation trying to hold the tricolour fluttering in all its glory.
Join us as we reclaim our rightful place in the hearts of the fountain pen lovers.
Bande Mataram,
Kaushik Maitra
Congratulations and thanks. Now I can fulfill my wish of getting Sulekha inks.
It will be greatly appreciated if someone can post few sample images of sulekha ink writing to give an idea of their colouring tones. I am particularly interested in Royal Blue and Executive Black inks. Pricing of Rs. 1250 for a package of three bottles of different inks (blue, black and red) each of 60ml including shipping in India, should be no problem for this special line of inks.
have just received this email from Sulekha. Uploading:
Dear Sir,
Let me begin this letter with an unqualified apology. We are sorry.
Due to some technical snag, our email oursulekha@gmail.com cannot be reached. We have already written to gmail, but the problem is yet to be resolved.
Henceforth, we request you to contact us in this email id or at order@sulekhaink.co.in
We are starting despatching inks from Thursday (3rd December 2020) onwards through India Post. All of you who have already paid will receive their POD by email.
Thanking you,
Regards,
Sulekha Works Limited
Sir is there any Calcutta address to collect it personally by cash payment from Mon to saturday 10 am to 5 pm also phone no.
call Kaushik Maitra 9830220000. i am flagging him so that he can respond to your call when you make it 🙂
Congratulations ! I am extremely elevated and exalted to see the name Sulekha by their 3 rd generations.I really remember my School day’s of Sulekha ink.