Ode to the black pen.
I have been an avid stationery lover ever since I can remember. As a school going kid, I always looked forward to the visits to the local stationery shop for getting school supplies. Mom took care of the essential stuff like notebooks, book covering brown paper, labels etc; while I used to admire the new collection of pencil cases. Oh the colors, cartoons, bright textures! I used to love choosing one for the next school year.
The scented erasers, the sharpened pencils, glitter pens, colored pens, funky sharpeners — everything used to catch my eye. I used to think this fascination is temporary; just a part of childhood. But in hindsight, I can affirm that it continued well into my college years and even during post graduation. Sure, my tastes matured over time. Soon my admiration went towards mechanical pencils, beautiful diaries, notebooks, post it notes and again- attractive pen pouches.
I was always the girl who always had an extra pen in class. The girl who neatly made and organized class notes. The girl who had a seperate notebook for every subject. I am not even ashamed to say it- I am still a stationery fan. And now in 2024 I have a two year old toddler. I often joke with my husband saying, I would really enjoy getting school supplies for him later. And that I would probably buy more stuff for myself! :p
I guess one of the reasons I miss my school and college days is because I used to get to use trendy stationery everyday. I used to love being a student. Life was simpler, where there was a classroom setup day in and day out. Sure it seems drab when we go through it, but when adulthood catches up, we realize that these were truly our golden years. When all we had to do was study, get good grades and move ahead towards the next goal. Real life is so much more complex.
Recently, I visited the local stationery shop to buy some basic learning charts for my son. Of course, my eyes strayed to the shiny new pens neatly arranged for customers to choose from. I quickly picked up a few pens. When I was testing them out, a few were black pens. I sighed and my mind wandered back to my school days.
The black pen holds a special importance in my life. This is because, in our school, black pens were allowed to be used from class V. Blue pens were not permitted as a matter of policy. Getting to use a pen for the first time was a sort of milestone event for me. It felt so grown up, getting trusted to handle a pen by adults! I dabbled in all kinds of black pens- gel pens, ball point pens, even ink pens for some time. The way a pen glided on paper felt amazing. No more hassles of sharpening pencils again and again.
But maintaining pens also required other efforts. Ink pens were prone to ink blots and spills, gel pens used to leave traces on paper. Over a period of time, I realized that ball point pens were the most efficient and easy to use at school. The ink dried instantly, there were no worries of ink spills etc. I could also write faster with a ball pen during exams. Those were the days of buying refills for pens. I remember using the same pen for a longer period of time with refill changes, as I meticulously maintained my stock of pens.
Ever since, black pens hold a piece of my heart as I always get reminded of my school days. The days which were filled with classwork and homework notebooks, class tests, half yearly examinations, and vacations. I still remember the names of the pens I used- Cello Butterflow, Lexi, Jetstream, Cello Gripper, Mitsubishi pens, Cello Pinpoint and Reynolds Gel. I cannot find most of these brands nowadays. Other pens have taken over the market. Or maybe the same companies have launched new pens with different names.
No matter, these pens will serve as memories for another school girl two decades later. :)
