Indelible Ink

Time was when school children were bound to their fountain pens for fear of being rapped on the knuckles. But in the day of the roller tip and personal computers, what makes some men choose a painfully exacting writing instrument like the fountain pen - and even treasure it? Anupama P Shenoy ventures into the world of luxury fountain pens

I still have vague memories of a monsoon afternoon sometime in the mid-80s, the beginning of a new academic year. My sister - a couple of years older - got back from school grinning ear to ear. I couldn't help wonder why. And then she flashed her thumb in my face. It had an ugly blotch of blue ink.

That was the unmistakable mark of having grown up…of having graduated to secondary school, fifth standard. And in those days, she and her peers were utterly proud of their newfound status. And yes, they all wrote with ink pens that leaked onto their grubby little palms.

Point is…ink pens excited us, at least for the first few years of owning them.

My first had an in-built ink filler (as against the traditional piston), an innovation at the time - a cause of envy for my sister who began with a screw-top local make. I still have mine in a little yellow compass box, sitting pretty in my cupboard along with the many fond childhood memories associated with it. Yet, as a writer, I'd much rather sit at my computer and hack out a few notes to myself, or my to-do list even, than lug around an ink pen. Even if it were a Mont Blanc.

Tragic as it were, beautiful pens aren't necessarily associated with writers any more. As Bollywood scriptwriter Anjum Rajaballi states, "Even for signing cheques, I'd use the computer if there were such a software." The closest he comes to picking up a pen is when he scribbles an idea in his pocket book.

However, like connoisseurs of antiques, there are a few corporate executives who, in this jet age, enjoy what has become almost a relic. And the reason, as with most covet-worthy objects, is their need to feel distinguished.

Susil Dungerwal, MD of Lakewood Malls, The Loft and Culture Shop at Powai in suburban Mumbai, says, "If everyone owns a Mercedes then it would not be considered a status symbol. A man who flaunts an expensive, branded fountain pen is definitely a man with refined taste. It has little to do with the price. Anything that is rare to come by makes a statement. I think it's about attitude."

Besides, Dungerwal is truly passionate about putting pen to paper. "I believe in the personal touch. I can't seem to break that habit although everything is done on email these days. But I still value anything that is handwritten, even if it's just a few words," he adds. For his day-to-day writing, he prefers the classic black Mont Blanc that his father had bought him for around Rs 8,500 in 1992 as a congratulatory gift for his very first promotion. The pen is still scratch-free. In keeping with the tradition, he has bought his elder son, studying in the eighth standard, a classic Mont Blanc.

Dungerwal is such a connoisseur that he reserves his steel-and-gold Waterman with its heavier bb nib for writing letters. He also has an assortment of Parkers with 18k gold nibs, a black self-engraved Pilot with an 18k gold nib and a gold plated, completely etched Manzoni with a chequered body and gold nib, among more than a 100 others. To make his distinct stamp, he signs with a bb nib in Hindi. A good writing instrument should be judged by its writing ability not the brand, he insists. It's the construction of the nib that matters most. These luxury pens have hand-made nibs with a well-carved tip which makes it worth the buy. He also feels pens make excellent mementos.

For Dr Prakash Kothari, sexologist and closet poet, a fine and unusual pen can even be a muse.

"A good pen inspires me a great deal when I'm writing poetry. Besides, a free-flowing pen is a must when your job involves writing." His favourite is an 80-year-old Mont Blanc in 14k gold gifted to him by a small-time Marwari entrepreneur a few years ago. Besides this, he has a conservative-looking and extremely rare piece in black with a silver clip in the shape of a jaguar - his another favourite. And a diamond-studded Dupont gifted by Mulkraj Anand.

Jaydeep Shetty, VP - Business Development at Pantaloon reiterates Kothari's belief that he writes neater with a fountain pen. Moreover, he loves the feel of ink on paper. He normally uses a Cross fountain pen with a fine nib for a neater look. "I love my pens. At any moment you can be sure that I have with me an assortment of at least 17 pens including highlighters and roller points in different colours," he says. His favourite though, is a Philippe Chariol fountain in 18 k matte gold that was gifted to him more than a decade ago, priced at Rs 12,000 at the time. And this one he uses sparingly - "it's way too precious" to him.

Another man who hides his collection of pens is Vinod Nair, MD and CEO, Clea Public Relations. He attributes this obsession with pens to having an eye for the good things of life. "Good quality, branded fountain pens look awesome and very few people use them, which makes me want to own them. Also, they are the best pens for signing cheques or documents because they have a distinctive stamp," he says.

Nair has collected pens over the past decade and boast of having the entire Mont Blanc collection of commemorative pens, a beautiful Cross from their Churchill collection and a Cartier de Blanc. They range anywhere between Rs 20,000 to about two-and-a-half lakh. Most are in either silver or gold and he treats them as more than just mere accessories. "Once in six months, I like to just bring them out of my locker and polish them, refill the ink and feel good about owning them," he offers.

Perhaps, it is only with time that these men have begun to love fountain pens. Shetty hated even the thought of writing with them in school but grew to love them when he was gifted a luxury brand. They all believe that their love for writing with fountain pens stems from those days of being forced to use these instruments.

Of course, at that time they were told it would help improve their handwriting. Nair disagrees saying, "It's a myth. In my experience, the writing gets better for about two days. But on the third day, it's back to square one!"

Yet, it's a wonderfully infallible excuse to spend on an expensive, luxury branded fountain pen.

(All Pix: Saurabh Sawant)