INKED IN INDIA (HB)

‘The exchange of the reed pen
for the fountain pen is part of India’s economic transition and is
reflected in the attitudes of these two great leaders, Gandhi and
Ambedkar.’
In the early 1900s, a Bengali doctor created the first Indian fountain pen
in Varanasi. Despite this early start, foreign-made pens dominate the Indian
market, with no notable Indian brand available
to customers.
Inked in India traces this journey of make and unmake, from a
pre-Independence India with a
strong manufacturing base for pens, nibs and ink, to the post-Independence
economic policies
which eroded that competitive advantage and led to economic churn and the
exit of foreign firms
from the country. Going beyond the nostalgia and lost sheen of fountain
pens, it tackles economic
transition and the impact of policy on local enterprise.
Just as there has been exit, post-liberalization, there has been entry too,
in what is often perceived
to be a sunset sector. The book takes stock of what it will take to
transform the unmake in India
to make in India, so that Indian fountain pens have a global
presence.
The first-ever documentation of all known fountain pen, nib and ink
manufacturers, Inked in India will be of great interest to fountain pen
aficionados and economic enthusiasts alike.