Fountain Pen Made in India : LOTUS PENS

PART-III

Hi FP Enthusiasts and FP lovers. How is your weekend?

We meet once again with our next interaction in this series with Mr Arun Singhi of LOTUS pens, Made in India

“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”– Mark Twain

“Forty is the old age of youth; fifty the youth of old age.” – Victor Hugo

And I say:

Age is not just a number, its the measure of your experiences, relations, learning along the paths you traversed during journey called LIFE, till now.

 Look no further for the inspiration from our latest contributor, be it  in the world of pen turners or in Fountain Pen Enthusiasts community, especially in India. They are in fact just a three year old company, but their products have really made inroads in the hearts of all, be it a newbie or a seasoned fountain pen collector and user.

Welcome Mr Arun Singhi , proud owner, turner and designers of brand LOTUS pens.

The brand recently celebrated their three successful year of journey on 27 June 2020.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOTUS

One can just bow to the dedication of this Entrapreneur in Sweet Sixties and admire his Josh. Lets just start with his video message on third anniversary.

Lets Start

Tell us about different products of your Brand pens 
We have a versatile range, I believe in, and want to work, with every material possible, be it ebonite or buffalo horn, Indian Acrylic or Imported acrylic. Lotus Shikhar that has a niche in the industry, is made in all  sorts of material, mostly on request.

TACTONA INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL(INDIA)

CHINTU

HIDE AND SEEK

MAHARAJA

Chintu model is the smallest fountain pen in our range with Maharaja being the tallest till date. I can say with pride that models like Hide & Seek and Techtona are close to my heart and are one of their kind pens, that are only made by me, in Ebonite with wood-finish.


We also have  tried out hand-carving on ebonite, hand-turned brass fountain pen, Fountain pen in Sandalwood and many more.

Tell us about your passion. At the age, when one thinks of enjoying  a retiree's  life, you seem to have rekindled you hobby and turned it into a passion, a brand that  has carved a niche for itself. How do you ensure quality control?

Each pen is taken care of as we customize every order that has  been placed by our patrons (an interesting term  for those customers ordering pens 😊) in order for them to be fully satisfied. Right from suggesting the best material, hand turning, and then to polish each and every pen- which is  done by me personally-to give the final touch. No writing instrument is passes without being  inspected  for several parameters to ensure that strict quality control is followed.

How did it all start?

About three years ago, on Facebook, I came across hand-painted pens and they caught my imagination.  I was driven by the  strong urge to try and  create something on those lines. So, I bought some ready made pens from the market and  hand-painted them. I gave out these hand-painted pens to some of the Fountain Pen collectors like Mr. Sanjeev Prakash and Mr. Rodrigues. They gave me the feedback that while the painting on these pens is beautiful, the material of these pens wasn't of good quality. They suggested that I should start manufacturing my own pens using materials like Ebonite. I had no clue then, what  it was. I started my research on Ebonite. This took me sometime to figure out about ebonite, its availability and process of making pen, turning them etc.Then, I sourced the raw-material locally. I  hand turned one pen at first to test the waters, but the material quality wasn’t up to the mark and end product was not to my satisfaction. I decided to import Japanese raw-material to make my next batch of about 4-5 pens. They turned out to be outstanding and to my delight, they got sold out quickly. Subsequently, I met Mr. Yusuf Mansoor (who doesn't know him in FP community, especially in India) an avid pen collector.

Mr Mansoor and Mr. Sanjeev Prakash mentored my art, craft and science of Fountain pen manufacturing - things like balance, design.

Their guidance made me confident enough to start my own manufacturing unit. And that is how I started! I researched designs on pintrest, imported raw-materials from Japan and the journey of LOTUS pens began!

What is your customer base?

We have Customers spread across the globe - in about 71 countries.  We are slowly reaching out to  fountain pen lovers - winning their hearts.

Tell us about your future plans?

We want that our products should become part of collection of every fountain pen lover, and be more accessible to the new generation, who are forgetting the essence of writing with fountain pens. I am optimistic about it.
  
Your message to FP community.

My message to the fountain pen lovers out there is to keep their love for fountain pen alive and kicking, and let it strengthen every passing day. Fountain pens are the tangible element of writing as an art. They carry legacy. They are present, are a part of history and they have a beautiful future. Let us keep the love for writing and pens alive.
 
What was your job/profession before you thought of turning to LOTUS?
 I was working with a known pen manufacturing company as the  Production Manager for more than four decades.

At what age did you start your brand Lotus?What was the reaction from family and friends when you informed them about your idea of making pens?
 I started Lotus at the  young age of 65 years. Everyone in my family was very happy when they come to know about this. I started from hand painted pens.

How did the brand name Lotus originate? What is your emotional connect with it? Reason behind naming brand as LOTUS.
 I am a staunch devotee  of Ma Lakshmi (Hindu Goddess Lakshmi). I perform Pooja and Aarti (prayers) everyday. All my friends know this. On my 50th birthday one of them gifted me a statue of Ma Lakshmi I was really mesmerized by it. One day, while offering my prayers, I heard a voice that I should name my pens as LOTUS.  That is how it came into being.

Any interesting incident you want to share.                                                                                       During my early days of making fountain pens, I made a FP in Deep Blue Acrylic and took it to Sudhir ji to get his opinion and expert advice. It was my first meeting with him. I offered him that pen. He just looked at it and then examined it with magnifying glass. He pointed out lathe marks on the section in torch light. That was an altogether new experience for me in workmanship. Ever since, I examin each and every of my pens minutely to ensure flawless piece is delivered to the patron. Sudhirji also guided me about balancing the pen, tuning nibs. Most interestingly, this blue pen I took for his advice was named by him as "Lotus COBALTUM".


Phew..what an experience. Thank you Mr Arun Singhi forletting us all know about your wonderful brand LOTUS. I wish you a bright and sparkling future.

So that was our jurney with Arunji in his making of LOTUS.  He  can be contacted via his website  LOTUS PENS

Picture Gallery

Textured LOTUS SHIKHAR..Arriving soon

TITANIUM

VIRAT IN NIKKO EBONITE

SHIKHAR IN MATT BLACK NIKKO EBONITE

SHIKHAR IN SEM BLACK WAVE

LOTUS IN SANDALWOOD

DORSAL GOLD

GOLD CRIME

Hand Painted Pens

HIDE AND SEEK HANDPAINTED FLOWERS

VIDEO OF MADHUBANI HANDPAINTED PEN

#Happyhunting, #FPManiac, #Acrylic, #Ebonite, #FPClubIndia, #FPCommunity, #Fountain pens, IndianFP, #Lotus, #Titanium, #Sandalwood, #Shikhar, #ArunSinghi, #Handturned, #Age #IndependenceDay #MadeInIndia, #BeVocalForLocal #josh #Madhubani, #Hand #Painted #BrassPens #Brass #Nibs #balance #Nib #Tuning #MADHUBANI #HANDPAINTED

Dislaimer : 

• All views expressed in this post are of the owner of brand.
• The copyright of all pictures and images is of brand owner
• The details on website of product owner are subject to change as per per requirements of owners of brands
• In no uncertain terms I claim this as final or exhaustive list. there are many I would have missed out but these are some that I own and use their pens.
• This is just  suggestive post and I donot endorse any product.
• The author cannot be responsible legally or otherwise, for Any loss or damage or injury by use of any product.
• Respective Brand owners and manufacturers have their copyright of their brands and warranty on products.
• Respective Brands and owners are responsible for promotion of their products and maintianing information and catalogues. 
• Kindly keep yourself updated with latest offers and models.

Fountain Pen Made in India : Click Pens

Part-II

( Hi all Fountain pen lovers and FP enthusiasts, this chat cum question answer session with Harsh Gagwani is next in the series of exploring Indian Pen Manufacturers and turners. Hopefully, numerous posts are lined up in this series that I initiated as part of self learning, that would lead into the insight of Indian Fountain pen manufacturers, who are primarily family owned small scale industries or working from home/garage type workshops, skillfully designing and turning masterpieces with their trademarks.)

Feel free to give your views and also what you expect to be included in future posts 

CLICK PENS : Proudly Made in India 

...this is the tag line adopted by Harsh Gagwani, the owner of Unique Pen Industries that produces vast range of Click brand of fountain pens, besides being OEM for many national and international brands. Here we go...

Tell us about different products of your Brand CLICK.

Harsh Gagwani (HG): We have quite a good range of fountain pens in every segment and different materials such as CAB/acrylic turning/ebonite turning. I would be  covering our  Major and Popular models. They are:

Aristocrat: It is an Entry level fountain pen with 3 in 1 ink filling mechanism.This pen is available in 8 colours. The nib size that it takes is 35 mm nibs. We provide a plunger type converter and 2 large ink cartridges with each pen in this category.

Falcon: The Falcon series is again a 3 in 1 ink filling mechanism pen, that takes 35 mm nib and we provide one piston type converter and 2 large ink cartridges with each pen. This series of pens have many options and are subdivided into 

• Falcon Ebonite: At present we have ebonite blanks in four different color, that are turned into attractive pens.
• Falcon Carbon Black AG /AS: Black ebonite is available with either antique gold or silver plated trims.
• Falcon Acrylic: It comes in a total of eight attractive acrylic colours.
• Falcon Premium Acrylic: Its available in three attractive premium acrylic colours

Century: The century series also has a 3 in 1 ink filling mechanism and will take a 5 number nib and comes with piston type converter and 2 large ink cartridges. The series is sub divided into 

• Century Ebonite: There are four different ebonite blanks being used for this series.
• Century Carbon Black AG: These pens are of matte black finish with antique gold-plated trims
• Century Acrylic: This model comes in total of eight attractive acrylic colours.

All the 3 models mentioned above, have 4 nib options  as fine, medium, broad and flex. 

What are the various  processes involved in manufacturing and arriving at final product?
HG :       In case of acrylic pens, the process starts with Acrylic sheets which we turn then them into rods and caps and barrel of the particular size, depending upon the models we are manufacturing. For ebonite, the blanks ie rods are available and we then cut them into different sections of a pen.  Nibs are made from SS sheets. There after the tip or Point is welded for better experience slitted, embossed and then polished. 

How did it all start? What was the idea behind Unique Pen Industries? When did Pen Arts became the Unique Pen industries that it is now? 
HG :    The journey into fountain pens industry was started by my grandfather Mr. Gokuldas Gagwani in the 1950`s where he used to work with a known pen manufacturer, with time we put on our own manufacturing Unit in Indore in the late 70`s.  Seeing the requirement of high quality pens at affordable price, CLICK was born with moto to provide value for money pens.  From time to time new products were developed along with various filling mechanisms. Today we are having more than 70 models with different  filling mechanism such as eye dropper, piston, cartridge/converter, aeromatic etc. We are using different material for manufacturing such as CAB, Acrylic, ABS, Ebonite, Acrylic Turning Celluloid etc. Thus we are catering for  wide range of consumer base. 

How did the name Unique and Click got their identity? Was it just a click moment?

HG :     The Pen Arts was a retail shop during those time under Bhaiya Industries where we were partners. Before Unique Pen we were manufacturing and retailing pen in partnership with Bhaiya family in Indore from 1965-78. After certain time we decided to start our own unit in the name "Unique Pen Industries".  Since Unique was very well associated with the uniqueness of the product which we wanted to manufacture hence name Unique was taken. Well, the Click name was inspired from the word " photo click " and "idea clicked " hence click as brand name was born.  😊

What are the quality control (QC) measures you ensure in production of Click pens?

HG :   Since we are having more than 4 decades of experience into manufacturing, our QC process is designed based on past experiences. The quality control starts from the first stage itself i.e at design stage itself, wherein size, dimension, wall thickness, material life etc. are taken into account, besides periodically maintaining machinery for more tolerance against failures. In production, QC process takes care of proper dimension sheet for different components at time of moulding/turning. Thereafter visual checking and dimensional checking is carried out before assembly and final QC checks after the assembly take place. Alignment, polishing etc for nibs is carried out for ensuring best writing experiences for a proud owners of our products.

All the components are again re polished and then assembled before packing and despatch of orders placed. The attached images of process would be giving some rough ideas about this process (please the images below in picture gallery). 

The manufacturing process is quite tedious and is very labour intensive. The process of fountain pen manufacturing is a minute process and requires precision. The women employees generally have an very good eye to minute detailing hence they are our preferred employees for the assembly and polishing works, whereas heavy work handled by males employed there.

"We give meticulous emphasis on fine workmanship and quality."

More over as part of Women Empowerment drive, we give priority to women in recruiting and training for various stages of pen manufacturing and finishing process.

What is your customer base? 

HG : We cater to a wide variety of customers starting from art lovers, calligraphers and artisans with flex nib pens, calligraphy sets and students with economy range pens. Professional and FP Enthusiast love our unique acrylic and ebonite turned pens. We reach out to our customer both Pan-India and internationally through resellers and eCommerce sites. We have OEM works for Indian and International brands also. We also manufacture ballpens, rollerpens, giftsets for corporate gifts. Entire range of products can be explored on our website www.clickpens.in.

What are your future plans?

HG:        In immediate future, we will be increasing our range in acrylic/ebonite turning segment. We also plan to launch a piston(filler) pen in the above materials besides increasing the visibility of our brand CLICK. 

Your message to FP community.

HG :       Indian pens are at par with any international brand as far as quality and writing experience is concerned. The Indian FP community are our brand ambassador, they can help us in promoting Indian manufacturers to the world stage. We also provide Value For Money Pens. 

*(Full form of
CAB : Cellulose Acetate Butryl (it is made from wood abstract) ,

 ABS : Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene )

Picture Gallery

• Different Models

Click Aristocrat Gold

Click Aristocrat White

• Down the Memory Lane

  

  Harsh Gagwani : This is our family starting from right my father ( Shree Manoj Gagwani)  , 2nd from right aunt (Usha Gagwani ji),  3 rd aunt (Asha Ashar ji)  4th grandmother (Pushpa Gagwani ji)  5 th is my grandfather (Shree Gokuldas Gagwani ji) 6th aunt(Varsha Sampat ji), 7th  uncle (Prakash Gagwani ii).

  
  

  

  My uncle along with customer

• From the workshop Floor: #Clickpens, #WomenEmpowerment

Workshop Floor

• Components of FP

Thank you Harsh for this beautiful and insightful session. I wish you a great success in future endeavors.

Harsh Gagwani can be contacted at address and phone number given below.

Unique Pen Industries

Manufacturers & Distributors: Fountain Pens, Ball Pens, Roller Pens & Gift Sets.

1/7A Mittal Compound

Shivaji Nagar,

Near Vishranti Chouraha,

Indore,INDIA

www.uniquepen.in

Ph:-+91-731-2971771

#FPManiac, #Happyhunting, #harsh, #Clickpens, #WomenEmpowerment, #Aristocrat, #ClickFalcon, #ClickEbonite #ClickCentury, #EbonitPens, #Acrylic #Premium #Century  #IndianFP #FountainPens #Made_in_India #MadeInIndia #Made #in #India #Indore #MP #MadhyaPradesh  #Finess #swadeshi, #Vocal4local, #aatmnirbhar, #bharat

Dislaimer : 

• All views expressed in this post are of the owner of brand.
• The copyright of all pictures and images is of brand owner
• The details on website of product owner are subject to change as per per requirements of owners of brands
• In no uncertain terms I claim this as final or exhaustive list. there are many I would have missed out but these are some that I own and use their pens.
• This is just  suggestive post and I donot endorse any product.
• The author cannot be responsible legally or otherwise, for Any loss or damage or injury by use of any product.
• Respective Brand owners and manufacturers have their copyright of their brands and warranty on products.
• Respective Brands and owners are responsible for promotion of their products and maintianing information and catalogues. 
• Kindly keep yourself updated with latest offers and models.