Dhruva Jain is rather an odd fit in India today. Or should I say odd nib.
He is 25 and his great passion in life is something as old fashioned as fountain pens. He’s not sure how many he’s collected
DJ1: Honestly, I've never counted. But, uh uh, if I say so, you know, uh, would be more than 20 dozen, because I remember a few particular models, only I have some eight, 10 dozen
Jain has come to the Pen Mahotsav, the third annual exhibition for fountain pens in Kolkata. Pen enthusiasts and the pen curious are discussing the finer points of fountain pens with sellers like Jain
DJ AND CUSTOMER
One of the organisers Subrata Das says in a world of throw and use ball pens, they want to bring back fountain pens from near extinction.
SD1: Fountain pen biluptir pothey. Aamra chaichi fountain pen phiriye aana.
This time there’s some 25 stalls. And cultural programs and on stage discussions about the history of fountain pens. Like the penmanship of Indian filmmaker Tarun Mazumdar. Like pearls in black ink says a speaker.
STAGE1:Puro hate lekha pandulipi. Kali pen-ey. Kalong ronger kali pen-ey. Muktor moton haathe lekha
This is Sandip Roy in Kolkata
The whole thing might seem a little quixotic, some pen fanatics trying to turn back time. In fact Jain’s collection is about vintage pens.
DJ2: they date back from the, uh, eyedroppers to the safeties to the modern, uh, feeling system from the world's most wanted, uh, pen, like Parker, uh, 51 to the classics like Schaeffer. No nonsense. And, uh, to the, uh, Duofold and the Montblanc of the world.
Standing at the Pilot brand stall with the picture of a Chinese dragon, Rajat Jain, no relation to Dhruv is trying to sell what might be called fountain pen bling.
RJ1: This is the ancient Chinese dragon. So you can get the this is actually handcrafted on the pen. And the nib of this pen is actually ten karat gold. So that is why it is a bit costly.
But there are plenty of pen makers manufacturing cheaper workmanlike pens meant for everyday people
Like cousins Tarun and his cousin Apart Awasthi, of Kanwrite pens expanding the business their grandfather started. Tarun explains
TA1: And we have moved from just making nibs as an OEM to now globally exporting apart from the Indian market, we are also, uh, across the world, Europe, South America and US. Also, we are exporting
Now fountain pens in India have found a new life. Thanks in part oddly to the Covid lockdown
TA2: after Covid, I would say people have re reinvigorated their interest in terms of writing with fountain pens.
No one is sure exactly why but it might be because as time slowed down many people stuck at home rediscovered the pleasure of putting pen to paper.
TA3: think this like writing using a fountain pen as compared to a ballpoint pen. There's a different sort of pleasure, a mental pleasure that you get which releases stress.
His cousin Apurv carefully guides customers through the fine business of choosing nibs and bodies. A pen that fits YOUR grip. And there are some 14 nib choices here.
AA1: we recommend medium or a fine point. Medium first and fine second. Uh, because that's how people will start getting used to it. Apart from medium and fine, we have around 14 more grind
But while fountain pens are showing a resurgence, even Rajat Jain selling those expensive Pilot pens admits he uses ball pens.
RJ2: I used to use hero, the Doctor pen and during school. And now nowadays I use ball pens. Yeah, yeah. It is easier to use.
Harsh Gagwani of Click pens, another three generation pen company, says the increased demand comes with its own challenges
HG1: The pen making is a very handcrafted process, so the workman required out here has to be very much experienced in this thing.
These skills require time and patience.
HG2: There is a lot of turning skills required. There is a lot of hammering papering skills required by the, uh, by the workman. Then we have a lot of buffing skills required, then the assembling, then the tuning nib systems.
But what’s required the most is love for fountain pens. Like Dhruva Jain showing me one of his favourites - ST Dupont
DJ3: it's got far, far more appealing factor than Montblanc. Uh, the how should I describe it will be less of expressions and words. It's super wet, really smooth, and, you know, it gets you hooked to the pen.
Fountain pens clearly run not just on ink, but also passion.
This is Sandip Roy in Kolkata for KALW