Quills that Sang the Hymn of the Bards

Quills that Sang the Hymn of the Bards

A pen for a poet is what a bow is to a violinist. As the fiddlestick disrupts and coaxes the strings to create a sweet symphony, the quill tip in the hands of a bard glides across the paper, filling it with prose; some of melancholia and others with saccharin musings of love and passion. Rebellious are those verses that are defiant like the unruly youth, borne to be the harbinger of change, of new tides. It’s the beautiful romance between the poet and his pen that since the dawn of time has continued to this day of the Digital Age. Here’s an ode to the luxury pens, which witnessed the birth of a bard’s literary genius on paper, a few anecdotes on the pen-and-bard ardour.

Stolen Quill of Rabindranath Tagore

A true companion through some of his best literary works, Rabindranath Tagore was heartbroken with the lost status of his favourite fountain pen. It was 1918 when the Nobel Laureate expressed his grief to a few of his friends. The separation, however, was only brief as a few months later the stolen pen was retrieved from the thief’s den by the police. After a brief legal struggle, Tagore finally united with his lost quill. A unique anecdote, the story was shared by Kolkata Police on social media a couple of years back.

Fountain Pen Fixation of Manto/h3>

While it is hard to find an individual who is not acquainted with the literary proficiencies of Saadat Hasan Manto, very few know about his love for luxury fountain pens. A collector of the best fountain brands in India at that time, he used to go around Bombay (Mumbai) in search of high-end pens.

Gulzar’s Comfort in Pens

An Oscar and Grammy winner, Gulzar’s hymns transcend all generation gaps. From old to the very recent creations, his songs personify human emotions. Although living in the Digital Era, the 87-year-old poet-lyricist finds comfort writing on paper with his favourite pen.
Old school luxury pens are more than writing instruments, not just for the poets and authors, but for us too. They are the timekeepers, reminders of the material beauty that we must preserve against the advent of virtual reality.