INK / PENCIL

 INK / PENCIL

As a logical corollary to the previous item [Pen], it is important to recall the item named “INK”. The present generation has to be apprised of such items as pen and ink, as in daily life these items are out of use now. Most official work, including documents were   hand-written till late in independent India when Typewriters were used for Document writing. Now the type writer has turned obsolete and only old timers realize the meaning of these terms. India and China have had a long history of inventing and using Ink as a writing fluid.  When India was under British rule, the black ink was called “Indian Ink” probably as a slur. Be that as it may, India served their ends well until Freedom movement assumed unmanageable dimensions.

Inks of Blue, Black, Red and Green were used in varied institutions and occasions more as a code of authority such as Officials, Judges, Police officers and other cadres. So far as students were concerned examinations for above IX standard were to be written in Ink either blue or black; Using Of other shades was not permitted. Turquoise blue was not for students due to its closeness to light green shade.   The most popular brand of ink was IRIS. For several years Iris was a leading brand followed by NAVY brand. BY 1965 Iris witnessed some partnership disputes and was abruptly discontinued. Later, the partners independently fielded their products BRIL and NURIT. To recapture the market, both brands designed their looks and dispensation packages, especially on the same lines as IRIS. However market fortunes were such that BRIL survived better and to date holds some market.

Another parallel contender , but of a higher brand value was Parker’s QUINK which had a special niche for their Turquoise blue version, though they did market all other shades as well. With some Indianisation strategy for product , Parker’s Quink was rechristened “CHELPARK with every other issue as ever.

There was a sudden spurt in the products of Art and Writing by an Indian brand CAMEL who specialized in drawing Ink –jet black [ he so-called INDIAN INK]. Alongside with those, they brought out Drawing pens, Drawing crayons and gadgets like Stencils. Pencils and similar items under a new name “CAMLIN”

Talking of Pencils, my memory runs back to 1960 s  I vividly remember as a student of B.Sc  - Biology, where Record work of very high volume and Order was the then norm. All drawing in Record had to be by a specific brand from England named VENUS. The pencils were of a very high standard and had to be sufficiently long not less than 4” to facilitate the correct   grip  for  the best free-hand drawing in sharp lines like etching. Short of these the record paper would the mercilessly destroyed by mutilation or by red ink preventing its presence in the final assembly of RECORD.

Those England pencils were meticulously manufactured by M /S V PERUMAL CHETTY and Sons of Chennai. They had a reputation of catering to specifications like H [Hard], 2H [Double HARD , 3H , 4H …. UP TO 12 H with corresponding hardness of the writing graphite, besides HB [Hard-Black], B [Black], 2B, 4B etc  were available. The data engraved on those pencils were thoroughly reliable and those pencils were the most sought after by students of Biology / Engineering for excellent diagram quality. With ban on imports and FOREX restrictions these brands vanished from the Indian markets. Slightly inferior cousins like “APSARA’ were marketed. Good products like KOHINOOR and ENGINEER pencils  were available for quite some time. With a steady drop in Laboratory work culture and upkeep of quality, students and staff are just happy with a stub called Pencil, with no concern for H or HB –the two Angels for traditional biologists of the previous millennium. 

Prof. K.Raman