INKED IN INDIA: Fountain Pens and a Story of Make and Unmake

by Bibek Debroy, Sovan Roy

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  1. ISBN: 978-93-5520-564-3
  2. Pages: 200 pages
  3. Date: 5th September 2022

ABOUT THIS BOOK

‘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.

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK

Bibek Debroy was born in Shillong and educated in Calcutta, Delhi and Cambridge. He is an
economist and author, who has worked in academia, private organizations and for the government. He is the author of several books, popular articles and professional papers. In 2020, his monograph, A Fountain Pen Story was published by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), highlighting policies that constrained fountain pen manufacture in India. He collects and uses fountain pens.
Sovan Roy was born in Guwahati and educated in Durgapur and Banaras Hindu University. He
works for the Government of West Bengal and writes on science, history of science, Indology,
technology, environment and ecology. He has published in the popular media, as well as in scientific journals. In 2019, he authored a book titled Radhika Nath Saha: Unsung Hero of Indian Fountain Pen, rediscovering the history of fountain pen manufacture in India. He collects and uses fountain pens.

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