Fountain pen enthusiast hosts exhibition of life-long collection

Writing on a pristine white paper with a fountain ink pen is something the '90s generation can easily relate to. The joy of cursive writing doubles when the pen does not leak and the ink does not spill on the page. To make the keyboard generation aware of the existence of writing ink and fountain pens, Malad-based professor Yashwant Pitkar held an exhibition called The Traveling Inkpot in Thane.

Professor Pitkar is 65 but his fascination for ink, pen and related accessories is childlike. "The way passion is the essence of life, ink is the soul of a fountain pen," he quips. Introduced to the world of pen and inks in childhood, he wants the current generation to know the fun of writing with a fountain pen. "The keyboard is so impersonal but handwriting lets you know the person behind the writing," says Pitkar, who teaches design at the academy of architecture in Prabhadevi. "The colour of ink used by the writer also gives a glimpse into his nature," he adds.

Through his exhibition, hosted at Townhall in Tembhinaka, Thane west on February 23 and 24, he presented more than 90 types of inks, books, pen stands and ink bottles. While there are only three to four types of inks available in India, Pitkar says many varieties are available abroad. "There is invisible ink, saffron-coloured ink, scented ink, my favourite being turquoise colour." The scented ink, which has the fragrance of roses, is known as the ink of love and is made by Mont Blanc. Luxury brand Louis Vuitton makes brown-coloured ink, he adds.

"Writing done using invisible ink is visible only under ultra violet rays. This ink is made by Noodlers," he shares. His collection of ink bottles includes those priced at Rs 20 to Rs 2,000. His favourite is the filler fountain pen of Pelican company.

After Thane, he plans to host the exhibition in Nashik next month followed by Pune, Bangalore. Pitkar hopes to cover 10 places in India this year. It is a no profit exhibition and nothing is on sale but is meant to purely create awareness about inks and pens.