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.
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.
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| TACTONA INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL(INDIA) |
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| CHINTU |
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| HIDE AND SEEK |
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| 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
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| Textured LOTUS SHIKHAR..Arriving soon |
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| TITANIUM |
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| VIRAT IN NIKKO EBONITE |
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| SHIKHAR IN MATT BLACK NIKKO EBONITE |
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| SHIKHAR IN SEM BLACK WAVE |
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| LOTUS IN SANDALWOOD |
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| DORSAL GOLD |
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GOLD CRIME
Hand Painted Pens
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| HIDE AND SEEK HANDPAINTED FLOWERS |
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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.
