Swapan Seth is a writer, a columnist, an art collector, wine collector.
The gush of imagination in the design of daily objects inspires me. I like beautiful objects and surround myself with them everywhere I go.
Pen drives are the ugliest things that have sprouted on this planet like wasteful weeds.
I use an Empty Memory 16GB Transparency- Stainless Steel pen drive. It simmers in sophistication. Each piece is cast in tremendous-quality, 316 stainless steel. The design is a physical empty space that stands for the metaphor of filling that space with your own memory. This is not a pen drive. It is sculpture in technology.
I do know that with the gradual extinction of paper from our lives, things like paper clips are extinct. But then there is the annual report that needs to be signed, and MNC contracts that run across 349 pages. And therefore the Outline golden-coloured steel paper clips from Hay. They are rarified refinement.
I also give pencils the respect they deserve. I mostly use the Palomino Blackwing pencil. The finish is matte black. Glossy pencils are garbage. It also has an eraser (how gracious is that!). Not that dirty-pink stub that floats along like a carcass in the sea. Instead pearl white strands. Each exhaling elan.
I drink one cup of coffee every day in my office, and I like it served with purposeful panache. The OLE cups from Royal Copenhagen are beautiful. And perfectly practical: their handle rests on the table. Both the coffee and the cup give me sensorial solace.
I am a failed art director. But I have very rigid views on layouts so I get down to scribbling them. I use Tosa Washi paper. They say, Hinoki, a Japanese Cypress, produces the planet’s finest wooden products. But even within them there is a pecking order. The Shimanto Hinoki has a beautiful fragrance. My paper is stored in that so that over time, the paper is infused with that fragrance.
I detest ballpoint pen’s. Boys use them. After I lost my father two years ago, I started using his old Cartier pen. It has his initials beautifully engraved on them. Each day I clutch his memory. Inks are critical for me. My black ink is Noodler’s Bulletproof Ink. They are fade-resistant and archival. Most bulletproof inks use iron gall that can bugger up a pen when not in use. I am also an avid consumer of coloured inks. And there my brand of choice is the Pilot Iroshizuku. The bottle is heavy and looks divine.
Finally, fragrance is the soul of my life. I like places where I go to smell a certain way. Which is why I carry a travel candle. But in my office, I like the inhale the peace of Chamomile. I have a small Ganesh on my desk, and I light up a Haeckel’s Chamomile Cone in front of him. Chamomile has a fresh, floral fragrance that sets a wonderful tone for the day.
How do I find all of this, you must wonder. It brings me back one of my first few pieces. I go out seeking all the things that I wish to be surrounded by.
I have no time for fancy cars, homes at the right addresses or seats in the front cabin of an aircraft. I just seek authenticity and its bridesmaid, inspiration.
Swapan Seth is a writer, a columnist, an art collector, wine collector. If you feel inspired, send in your stories to dnafaithpage@gmail.com
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