Have fountains pens become a thing of the past?

I have always loved the idea of staining my fingers with ink leaking from a fountain pen. Also, I have liked the smell of ink. Ever since I moved to Delhi, I didn't have a fountain pen. Today, I went to Ber Sarai market with the intent of buying myself an inexpensive fountain pen along with a bottle of green ink, the only colour that I used during my entire college days. For those who aren't aware, Ber Sarai is a small market opposite old Jawaharlal Nehru University campus, famous for its book and stationery shops. I don't think it would be an exaggeration if I say that every person preparing for the civils exam in Delhi has visited this place at least once, or at least knows about it.

I went to a stationery shop there and asked for a fountain pen. The shop keeper gave me two options—a China-made fountain pen (Rs35) and another from Link (Rs30), an Indian company.
"Can I get to see something else?"

"The other one is slightly expensive, Rs80."

A Camlin fountain pen with a good nib but very poorly designed metal cap that looked horrible.

So I zeroed in on the Chinese ink pen.

"I need green ink as well."

"Sorry, we don't have it."

"In that case, the pen would just be useless."

"It's just a couple of ink bottles that we sell in a year. It's not viable to stock them any more."

"Yes," I acquiesced. "Not many people use fountain pens now."

In another shop, I asked for green ink.

"Ya, we have Chelpark."

"Get the Chelpark bottle from there," the shopkeeper ordered his help.

A bottle of Chelpark Emerald Green ink was sitting on the counter. (The image of the Chelpark bottle that I bought today is on the top.) The package hadn't changed. It was the same as my last bottle that I had bought in the beginning of 2000s. I am not sure what year, may be 2003. I took the package in my hand and inspected it.

"What's the packaging date?" I thought. I could see "5/99" stamped on the box. This bottle had been there in the shop for quite some time. Thankfully, these ink don't expire.

"I need a fountain pen as well."

They showed me a poor quality China-made pen. And then an Indian brand made for kids. It was thick and had silly cartoon characters printed on it. It reminded me of my first fountain pen. I remember that pen very vividly. A light grey plastic body with navy blue print of Tom and Jerry standing together with their backs supporting each other. I even remember how sad I was to lose it when a friend of mine, whom I had reluctantly lent the pen for the day, said he had lost it. Both of us had looked for it all over the school, tracing his day's journey in the campus.

"Do you have something else?"

"No, that's all we have got."

"Okay, I will take the ink. How much?"

The shopkeeper looked for price on the box and said, "Rs13." I had  seen the price printed on the box while inspecting—Rs12.95.

With the bottle of green Chelpark ink in my hand, I had the joy of triumph overwhelming my heart. Green fountain pen ink, let alone Chelpark Emerald Green, had become somewhat rare even during my college days. I had to look for it at select stationery shops that were know for their large stocks.

I still needed a pen. During my school days, I used to have inexpensive Camlin fountain pens. Without any hope of finding some inexpensive, yet good pen, I bought the Chinese fountain pen from the first shop.

"You got the ink."

"Yes, packed in 1999."

"Ten years," the middle-aged shopkeeper had a smile on his face. He must have been transported into the old days when everyone in the classroom had a fountain pen in their pocket.

PS: I Googled for Chelpark Ink and stumbled upon The Fountain Pen Network's website. One of the Indian members of the website has reviewed the Chelpark fountain pens that he found in Malappuram, Kerala. The post has been written in Januray, 2009. Fountain pens have really become endangered.


The carton of the Chelpark ink asks the user to break the bottle after the ink is over. Reason, to avoid counterfeits. Very destructive way of stopping spurious goods.