Putting one’s thought on paper ~Writing is most important though the practice of writing is slowly dying. It is believed that Indians pioneered writing with writing materials as many of our epics have been recorded in various forms. In earlier days, bird feathers, sharp instruments, bamboo sticks were used to write, especially on palm and other leaves. Legend has it that Sage Vyasa dicated ‘Mahabaratha’ which was written by Lord Ganesha with his teeth (ivory tusk)
Apsara, Nataraj, Camlin, Cello, Flora ….and more... sure we all enjoyed writing with pencils…. In fact in olden days, a pencil would be dumped only when it would become too small to be held / gripped in hand – some even used – used pen caps as holder for such small size pencils….. it is a technological marvel – simple one made of thin wood bonding the lead writing instrument. Pencils create marks via physical abrasion, leaving behind a trail of solid core material that adheres to a sheet of paper or other surface. They are noticeably distinct from pens, which dispense liquid or gel ink that stain the light colour of the paper.
The word “pencil” derives from the Latin penicillus, meaning—not so sensibly—“little tail.” It is stated that the average pencil holds enough graphite to draw a line about 35 miles long or to write roughly 45,000 words. There is no risk of lead poisoning if you stab yourself (or someone else) with a pencil because it contains no lead—just a mixture of clay and graphite.
Much came another invention that changed the way people put their thoughts to paper – the Pen. PEN (Latin – penna) is a device used to apply ink to a surface generally paper. There are many types of pens – remember we used fountain pens in our study days, there were also ball point pens. Now a days most students use gel pen in which ink is a water based gel. The ink is thick and opaque and shows up more clearly. Fountain pens had the nibs and had reservoir of ink in the bottom portion. Filling was manual though there were some using vacuum. Camlin was one of the most popular brands in use those days. Parker, Pilot were in the hands of the rich. Though any good writing pen would do, there has been craze for costly brands such as Schaeffer, Cross, Ferrari, Mont Blanc, Bentley, Mercedes, Giorgio Armani, Parker, Koh-i-noor, and more. There are also Celebrity pieces made for the occasions and limited versions studded with gems and diamonds on gold and other metal of high value
In our school days in late 1970s and later, we craved for brand
‘Red-leaf’ – prized possession was one from Singapore which my uncle brought on
a visit. Later market was flooded with
many other brands with Reynolds perhaps ruling now !
Camlin was established in 1931 by D. P. Dandekar and his brother G.
P. Dandekar starting operations as "Dandekar & Co." with
"Horse Brand" Ink powders and tablets in 1931, and shortly started
producing "Camel ink" for fountain pens. It was incorporated as a
private company in 1946, and then turned into a public limited company in 1998.
The Company from pens and pencils expanded to market pens, mechanical pens, highlighters, brush pens, Modelling clay, colored pencils, charcoals, crayons, oil pastels, acrylic paints, oil paints, watercolors, brushes, canvas, acrylic spray, Office Erasers, rulers, glue, scissors, geometry sets, correction pens, drawing books, notebooks and more.
In 2011, Japanese stationery major, "Kokuyo Co. Ltd",
acquired a 50.74% stake in Camlin, reportedly paying ₹366 crore for the acquisition. Dilip Dandekar continued as Chairman
and Managing Director of the company. With this the brand expanded to office
stationery and ventured exporting to foreign countries in a big manner
Sad to read that Subash
Dandekar, the founder of the brand Camlin died on Monday aged 86. Pray for Sadagati of his atma.
16.7.2024
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