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Stained fingers and a lot of nostalgia: Desi Twitter users recall the joys of using fountain pens in school

Stained fingers and a lot of nostalgia: Desi Twitter users recall the joys of using fountain pens in school

Using a fountain pen was almost a rite of passage in many schools and a lot of people still remember using those coveted pens.
12 Oct, 2021

They say the pen is mightier than the sword but which pen? For many calligraphy enthusiasts and old school writers on Twitter, the fountain pen reigns supreme.

A conversation was started when Dr Katherine Schofield, a historian of music and listening in Mughal India and the paracolonial Indian Ocean, asked her British followers on Twitter whether they remembered using fountain pens in school and whether they still used them.

Well, we aren't British but in the Subcontinent we also used fountain pens in school. Writer Sadanand Dhume recalled using fountain pens starting from class six and many other desis did too.

In fact, many people noted that using a fountain pen wasn't exactly a choice.

In Pakistan, using Piano pens was almost a ritual, said one user. He also claimed that they were better for writing Urdu script, something we can neither confirm nor deny.

A user from Nepal had a similar experience. Our uniforms used to be perpetually stained with navy blue ink as well.

This is also a shared experience that transcends borders. Why did our teachers hate ballpoint pens with such a passion?

One user believes there was a theory behind using fountain pens. We don't know if we buy it.

People began sharing pictures of their fountain pens on the thread.

We don't know about you but using a fountain pen was a rite of passage when we were in school and Dollar was the popular pen of choice. Ink pots were initially very common until the introduction of the more expensive but definitely more convenient ink cartridges. Then came the fancy pens — ones that came in a variety of colours and patterns and were unnecessarily expensive — and the even more divisive coloured ink cartridges.

Using fountain pens (or ink pens as we called them) was something exciting for us as students, despite the fact that they left our fingers and clothes perpetually stained blue. What do you remember about using fountain pens in school?

Comments

M. Saeed Oct 12, 2021 05:52pm
I started using fountain pen in high school and continued using the same ordinary pen up to the final year of my university. It was a real pleasure because, I could use very rough paper notebooks with ease. The pen was also writing very fine lines in inverted position. Therefore I was able to write very fine and close lines with very clean and fast handwriting. Even I wrote all my exams with that fountain pen, which I still have in my possessions, an antique and wonder for my children..
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A Oct 12, 2021 06:23pm
I still use sometimes.
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Jo Oct 12, 2021 06:28pm
Loved using fountain pen in my student days.
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Asim Oct 12, 2021 06:40pm
I still sometimes use Dollar fountain pens.
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well-wisher Oct 12, 2021 06:59pm
Fountain pens then became collectors' items. They used to be given as prizes for excelling in studies or other academics. Gone are the good days replaced by ball pens with no character.
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nk Oct 12, 2021 07:25pm
I still admire that writing tool and my effort to find the best ones. Does anyone remember the famous Dollar brand ink pens and Pelikan brand best ink from Germany. They are still being made.
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nk Oct 12, 2021 07:31pm
Sorry, I forgot to mention Eagle fountain pen. This was one of the best in the early 70's Rs 3.00 to 3.50 was the price.
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Tanvir Khan Oct 12, 2021 11:13pm
When I switched from pencil to pen in the 1960s, I was in fourth grade. The only reliable and affordable pen available in stationery stores of Lahore was the Eagle Fountain Pen, and I have forgotten the name of the inkwell. Nice memories!
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Shahla Oct 13, 2021 02:31am
Started using fountain pen in class 5.It used to be an eagle pen for about Rs 3.It was a pain to refill the ink and my hands and uniform was always stained. Graduated to (youth) pen, it was a Chinese pen and along with Wang fu I think was very popular. Got a Parker on passing matric , which I used through out my medical school along with a sheaffer. My children used dollar pens, but my youngest has used dollar (pointies) as they call them. Ball point really spoils the writing as it slides over the paper, but one can write much faster. Who cares for writing now.
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Salman Oct 13, 2021 04:54am
Nothing like a fountain pen.. still have them and use them ... whenever I use it during meetings it is always a piece of conversation
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Mark Oct 13, 2021 06:45am
Bril ink was the only option. Came in blue, green, black and red colors. Camlin fountain pens were popular. And then came uniball micro. Not a fountain pen but had very similar writing experience.
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DEVKANT SOMANI Oct 13, 2021 10:37am
I still use Fountain Pens. It’s such a pleasure to write with a good fountain pen. And not to mention that it exudes class all around.
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Zafar Masud Oct 13, 2021 01:55pm
In my school we used lead pencil of HB upto class 3, from class 3 to 6th. we were allowed to use holders with ' G' nib, and the inkpot fixed on the desk, then from class 7th. we were to use fountain pen s were allowed, I bought a ' RAJA' brand of pen with my new course. My father threw it off and said always use a good pens if you want to have good hand writing, he bought a Parker 21 for me as a beginner. He himself had a big ollection of famous pens, being a collector, which I inherited and own many, I still use fountain pens with then original brands of ink, ball only when essential and these too reputable brand. A fountain pen is set in your only after using it for some time.
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ExPak Oct 13, 2021 04:26pm
I still write with fountain pens. Now my kids use fountain pens for school work. Ink fountain pens bring out the beauty of joint handwriting.
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ExPak Oct 13, 2021 04:31pm
Fountain pens offer a sustainable solution for the environment. The good quality ones can be refilled and used over and over, unlike plastic biro pens that must be thrown away when they run out.
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William J. Gallant Oct 14, 2021 05:12am
Learning to write with a fountain pen is teaching yourself how to create penmanship that is readable, something you can be proud of, and you can write much longer than a regular pen because you can refill your fountain pen. Style, craftsmanship, collectible fountain pens, and appreciation of your ability. Get one today and practice.
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Cuber Don Oct 14, 2021 10:21am
Also in Belgium and France, where I grew up, fountain pens where mandatory at school. I'm still using them today. I even have a Beena fountain pen from India (given by a colleague), with a retractable nib.
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