Gama, Pratap Kumar, Gem and Company– a legend with many names

Gem and Company, Pratap Kumar, Gama… these are all heritage names that have meticulously worked their way into the fountain pen lexicography over many decades. As a matter of fact, no journey to Chennai can be considered complete without a customary pilgrimage to this legacy address just across the Chennai High Court for any fountain pen lover. It was no different for me either when I visited the city to attend the first Chennai Pen Show. That I had the Maestro, Prof K C Janardhan, and Kaushik Maitra the Managing Director of another legacy brand Sulekha Inks made things even more enjoyable. We were greeted by none other than the master – lifelong exponent of traditional pen turning in India – Perap Kumar, whose hospitality is as legendary as the pens that he makes and it will not be an exaggeration to state that we were overwhelmed by his warmth. However, as the premises were being renovated, we could not shoot the way we would have wanted to. Nor could we shoot images of the fabled Gama pens which I wanted to share with the viewers. Stay tuned, for I propose to visit the city again and hope to bring you the images the next time around. Gem and Company is among the oldest fountain pen manufacturing establishments in the country that has been continuously in business from the wee years of the last century. During this long period, it has consistently made quality writing instruments and has built up a reputation for its uncompromising adherence to quality norms. Little wonder, the establishment continues to count as its regular patrons everyone from ordinary students to successive Chief Ministers of the state, not to mention members of the legal fraternity from across the street. Gama-turned-ebonite pens are a personification of Indian craftsmanship and have been known to be solid performers that defy the test of time. That they are trendily old-fashioned in their pricing only adds to their desirability. I have featured them here in the channel in the past and do let me know if you would want to see more videos on them. All I need is an excuse, enamoured as I am with them. The visit was also remarkable as Sulekha formally handed over the commemorative Gama ink it has exclusively created in honour of Gama’s contribution to the fountain pen and ink fraternity in India. It was indeed an emotional moment for me, as I witnessed the almost century-old swadeshi entity Sulekha celebrating the legendary Gama’s exploits by dedicating an ink. Try as I did, I cannot recall another incidence of such magnitude in the annals of fountain pen and ink history from anywhere else in the world.