Let the ink flow: Collectors and craftsmen keep fountain pens alive in Hyderabad

Heads huddle over a table. Boxes open, pouches are unzipped and their contents — fine writing instruments — emerge. There is appreciative clicking of tongues and quiet gasps of excitement. Spread across the table before discerning eyes are polished ebonite barrels in ripples of black, green and burgundy. Patiently lacquered bodies, dried over several months, gleam beside them. Others are mildly frosted while a few are transparent, fashioned from acrylic. Bottles of ink, in hues ranging from a dark, moonless night to the sheen of green olives, occupy a corner. At the Hyderabad Fountain Pen Club’s congregation, fountain pen enthusiasts come together to experience the essential troika of writing: fountain pens, paper and ink.