After a hiatus from using fountain pens, I felt a sudden longing to get one. It has been a decade since I used a fountain pen replenished with ink, thanks to a market that offers a range of gel, ballpoint, and other pens. Taking a break from my routine, I headed to a nearby store.
En route, my mind was flooded with nostalgia. I remember vividly the curiosity in my mind when, for the first time, the teacher announced that the class would have to use fountain pens. During our schooldays, we first learnt to write with chalk on the slate and then moved to pencils on notebooks. In our school, writing with ballpoint pens was prohibited and only fountain pens were allowed. There was a belief back then that writing with ballpoint pens would be detrimental to handwriting.
One also needed a supply of ink. Filling the pen without ink spills was a mammoth achievement, after a meticulous tutorial from my parents.
Ink pens fortified our values and friendship. It taught us the art of compassion and sharing. When friends ran out of ink, we stepped forward to transfer the liquid from one pen to another. I also remember wiping stained fingers on neckties, a colonial legacy that seemed to serve the purpose well.
Soon, I had reached the stationery shop. I bought a fountain pen and an ink bottle. I was appalled at the price; it had tripled when compared to the pens that I bought during my schooldays. I went home, filled up the pen, and wrote a few snippets in my journal. I took a photo of the pen and the ink bottle, and shared it with my friends. The most common reply I got was: “Good old memories”.
The feeling of ownership and the belongingness it evoked was astounding.
With the advent of gadgets, the art of writing has been waning. Writing letters to loved ones has taken a backseat. Writing something on a piece of paper, recording daily events in a personal diary, and writing on an “inland letter” to our dear ones has become rare. Let us revive the memories. Buy an ink pen, write a letter, send it to your loved ones, and relish the responses.
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