In a world of online penmanship, handwritten notes, letters and messages are becoming few and far between. However, one exceptional exception to this overwhelming trend are Ratnam Ball Pen Works: the ‘Pioneers of Pen Industry in India since 1932’. Located in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh it was here that the first Indian made fountain pen would be created.
Kosuri Venkat Ratnam
During India’s freedom movement, Gandhi called for a boycott of foreign goods. Inspired by Gandhi, Kosuri Venkat Ratnam looked to develop something for the common man. Having developed the now famous Ratnamson pen, he sent it to Gandhi who wrote back in 1935, “Dear Ratnam, I must thank you for the fountain pen you sent me… I have needed it and [it] seems to be a good substitute to the foreign pen, once in the bazaar.” The pens would go on to be equally embedded within politics both in India and abroad with other users being India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, US President Eisenhower and current Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Made in India, these fountain pens have long been writing history and continue to do so to this day.