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Though I had spoken with Mr Pratap over the phone, this was the first time I would be meeting him. I introduced myself to one of the assistants who had approached me and he then called Mr Pratap over. I spoke to him about our tele-conversation and correspondence and he seemed to remember. Based on our conversation some 4 years back, Mr Pratap had given me rare fountain pens made by Gem & Co., with gold nibs – Gama Royal and Gama Manifold. He had taken them out of the Gem archival stock and given them to me. Those pens are a treasured part of my collection of Indian fountain pens. http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/DSC07043_zpsrwsxflyw.jpg The gray pen in the middle is the Gama Manifold, and the steel cap and gold cap ones on either side are Gama Royal fountain pens http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/DSC07045_zpsaixxywzd.jpg The 14 CT Gold Nibs Mahesh and Shubha had acted as my liaison in Chennai then, and I introduced my brother too to Mr Pratap. I have also been using their Gama ebonite fountain pens, and especially their recent ebonite range has been extremely pleasing to the eye and wonderful to write. (http://jaisiri.blogspot.in/2013/11/gama-supreme-jumbo-handsome-ebonite.html & http://jaisiri.blogspot.in/2014/05/the-gama-kambar-re-engineered-by-hari.html) I was there for more than an hour and we talked about the old Gama gold nib pens, the new ebonite range, nibs in general, availability of raw material, travails of making silver filigree body fountain pens, and also about those pens they have stopped making. Since Hari is our common link to Gem & Co., Mr Pratap had enquired after him. He showed me their recent experiments with vibrant acrylic. Of course, those jumbo ebonites were there too on the shelf. He then brought out a box and showed me ‘work in progress’ silver filigree pens. He said the difficult part, in the Indian context, was to bring the two different sensibilities of the jeweller-artisan, who makes the silver casing, and the pen-maker, who designs the pen, together and make each other understand what one wants and what the other can do. And since it is the pen-maker’s call, the jeweller has to be cajoled, sweet-talked, etc., into making the silver filigree casing according to the pen-maker’s requirements. All this takes a lot of time, Mr Pratap said, and most of the times we are talking on the phone without seeing the actual thing, and trying to make each other understand only through descriptions. But still, the results are good so far, and I have to find buyers now, he said. http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/IMG-20150926-00484_zpshm4abpxb.jpg The silver filigree casings for pens And all this while, people were walking in, some for getting a nib fixed, some for getting their pens filled, some came for ball pens, and refills. The two elderly gentlemen in the shop catered to the needs of the customers while Mr Pratap and I were having a chinwag. Most of the times Mr Pratap himself handles all repairs and fixes nibs with his hands. For all these nib settings and tweakings, Mr Pratap doesn’t charge anything. If you are lucky, he just smiles or ‘smirks,’ as one fountain pen geek put it on FPN, if you ask ‘how much?’ If he really likes you and your enthusiasm for fountain pens, he would gently admonish you for not using your pen properly and would advise you to take care of your pen, wash it, clean it regularly, etc. The other thing you’d notice inside the glass cases, apart from the pens, is the feature length articles on Gem & Co., that appeared in newspapers … the meticulous manner in which they are arranged gives the interested reader an unhindered view of the each article, in case one wishes to read them … this also shows the obvious pride with which Mr Pratap showcases his legacy, his skill, and also foregrounds the fountain pen … http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/IMG-20150926-00476%20-%20Copy%202_zpsddduxiny.jpg http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/IMG-20150926-00477%20-%20Copy%202_zpsufinorrf.jpg Time to buy pens and Mr Pratap showed me the Gama Ivory, one of their recent fountain pens. I liked the ivory colour, very unusual actually. It is a bit like creamy white. Very clean lines and very little metal. I liked it and I also liked the Gama ‘Demonstrator.’ I never had a full fountain pen made of transparent material. I wanted to buy one, but Mahesh told me to take both, and that one would be his gift to me. What more does one need when you have a younger brother who indulges you!! Thanks Mahesh … I will write in detail about these two pens in later posts, but for now, here is how they look … http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/DSC07040_zps4ordo9s0.jpg And before we left, I thought it wise to mark the occasion by taking a photograph with Mr Pratap ... http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/IMG-20150926-00486_zpsjuibu4ti.jpg As we come out of Gem & Co., it is already dark … and the lights have come on … I look back and see that the name board of Gem & Co., is illuminated … http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/IMG-20150926-00487_zps9d5sirk5.jpg http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/IMG-20150926-00490_zpsvy6qcilj.jpg

This visit was almost a year ago. We had visited Chennai to meet my brother, Mahesh, Shubha, his wife, and Teju, their son. We were there for three days. I did not have any specific plan as such and went along with whatever Mahesh and Shubha had in mind. On the day before we left Chennai, we were sitting around and chatting and I felt I should visit Gem & Co. I have been using their fountain pens, had corresponded with Mr Pratap, its genial proprietor, and I have come so far and I would surely regret if I didn’t visit their shop. I tentatively asked Mahesh if he could go along with me to Gem & Co., as I did not know my way around. As we did not have any specific plans for the evening, Mahesh agreed to chaperone me to the shop. Gem & Co. is located in the bustling Parry’s Corner area in Chennai and they have been selling and making pens for the last 80 years or so. Gem & Co. is among the oldest pen sellers and more importantly, pen makers, in India. My friend, Hari, has written about the history of this iconic pen shop and his visits to the shop on fountain pen network. So, I will take a few sentences from his posts on FPN … “Mr. Pratap Kumar is the owner of this establishment. He is the grandson of Mr. M.C. Cunnan who started this store, and till a few years back the shop was being managed by Mr. Pratap's father Mr. M. Prabhat Kumar. Gem and Company have an illustrious past as one of the largest pen stores in the south of India and were representing major brands of the day like Pelikan, Parker and Sheaffer. They were also the authorised repair center for these brands and still hold a huge inventory of spare parts including parts for vintage Mont Blanc pens. They were also the main dealers for the Madras based Pilot pen company and their own brand the GAMA pen. GAMA is a pen brand in existence from the 1940s in South India. In the past they had a nice line of Gold nibbed models such as the Gama Kid, Gama Coronation, Gama Manifold and the Gama Royal. In addition to pocket pens, from time to time they also made some hand turned acrylic desk pens in really limited numbers. The shop has been re-laid now, and I remember in the past when they had still kept installed wooden Pelikan pen display cases. Gem and company deals exclusively in pens, ball pens, inks and refills only and carry no other stationery items.” My brother and I entered Gem & Co. and, I am sure every fountain pen geek would understand this, it was like being transported to a pen heaven. It is all pens everywhere. Despite being re-laid in the recent past, the shop still looks like it is wrapped in time. It reminded me of the shop that sold magic wands in Diagon Alley. You could see those cardboard boxes arranged on top of each other on the far shelf and also in the room inside. This is the first impression you get when you enter the shop. http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/IMG-20150926-00488_zpszkos9u7c.jpg This is how Gem & Co. looks from the street ... http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/IMG-20150926-00468_zpszdzuuxtq.jpg That's Mr Pratap (in the greenish t-shirt) conversing with Mahesh (in the blue shirt) ... and one of the assistants (in the white shirt) ... http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/IMG-20150926-00470_zps0bopom0l.jpg Pens ... Pens ... everywhere ... http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/IMG-20150926-00472_zpswosmkhzd.jpg On this shelf ... on that shelf ... http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/IMG-20150926-00475_zpsujlqyw6k.jpg You can see the blue-black, red-black, purple-black, and white-black acrylic fountain pens in the glass case ... http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/IMG-20150926-00476%20-%20Copy_zpsjsllsaon.jpg The Gama Jumbo ebonite fountain pens ... the shiny black and the brushed black ... you can also see the Gama Demonstrator (transparent acrylic) model in the centre http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/IMG-20150926-00477%20-%20Copy_zpsr4rz3mtu.jpg More Gama ebonite fountain pens ... striated green and striated brown Gama Jumbos ... http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/IMG-20150926-00478_zpsbyddcxm3.jpg The inside room ... more boxes ... god knows what treasures are stocked inside ... http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/IMG-20150926-00479_zpsazzwamd2.jpg Those cardboard boxes with pens inside ... oh, I want to see what's inside these boxes ... http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/IMG-20150926-00473_zpsyleupl5t.jpg A pen repair in progress ... There is more to come ... just hang on ...

The GAMA Ivory was the other fountain pen that I bought at Gem & Co. Whereas the Demonstrator was my choice, the Ivory was recommended by Mr Pratap. He said that the Ivory was their most recent creation and the Ivory colour is not something you come across commonly. I have a white acrylic fountain pen made by Deccan, but the Gama Ivory was definitely different. The richness of the Ivory colour captivated me. I don’t know how to put it, but I feel that the ivory colour has a certain restraint, something slightly held back. The Gama Ivory is a cigar shaped fountain pen, the classical shape favoured by many pen-makers. The pen has very neat lines and the only two pieces of metal are the clip and the nib. The clip is not exactly a ball-clip, a design I like a lot, but more like a tear-drop design. I would have preferred a different design on the clip. A flat gold plated one such as one sees in the recent Deccan Advocates would suit the Ivory colour, I feel. The pen has the tried and tested Ambitious nib. Nothing much goes wrong with this nib as far as I have seen in the many pens I have that use this nib. The nib is smooth and the ink flow is even and gives that very slight grip on the page which I like while writing. I filled the pen with Pelikan Black ink and that is what you see on the barrel threads and the section lip. A nice pen that looks very good and writes well … what more does one want from a fountain pen … Here are some pictures … http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/1-GAMA-Ivory-capped_zpsyjjgadik.jpg http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/2-GAMA-Ivory-capped1_zpsoxfrk7jo.jpg http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/3-GAMA-Ivory-clip-cap_zpsswnbmwhk.jpg http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/4-GAMA-Ivory-uncapped_zpssael02ck.jpg http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/5-GAMA-Ivory-nib%20section_zps4ecpvihy.jpg http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/6-GAMA-Ivory-nib%20closeup%20-%20Copy_zpsbdx5gbb4.jpg http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/7-GAMA-Ivory-nib-side_zps0yhexgje.jpg http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/8-GAMA-Ivory-feeder_zpsdvlnn9yq.jpg http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/9-GAMA-Ivory-posted_zpsdzn0owel.jpg http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/10-GAMA-Ivory-barrel%20with%20name_zpsokm6bvq6.jpg http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/11-GAMA-Ivory-barrel%20name_zpsb4uokamk.jpg Thanks for visiting and reading ...

I wanted this pen the moment I saw it at Gem & Co. I had never owned a completely transparent pen before and this Gama fountain pen fit the bill nicely. It looked solid and had enough heft, which I liked. When I opened the cap and looked at the nib, I was reassured. The nib looked familiar, the ones which are seen on Deccan Advocate and the Advocate is a pen I like very much and wholeheartedly use and endorse. This particular Ambitious nib is a tried and tested model used as a stock nib across many Indian fountain pens of this size and has proved its sturdiness, smoothness, and durability over the years. So, that was one big box ticked. The rest was smooth sailing. The cap is especially alluring. As I mentioned in the earlier ‘Gem & Co. visit’ posts, I bought this pen almost a year ago. As soon as I returned to Hyderabad, I filled this pen with blue ink and I am glad I thought of blue. The pen writes like a dream. I used it for around three months and then rested it. The barrel still had lots of ink. I took it out two months ago and had to shake it a bit to get the ink flowing. After that, the flow has been very even and smooth. Not bad at all considering the pen had rested for almost six months with ink in it. Writing with this pen is a pleasure. I am also glad that I left the pen as it is. The blue ink has permeated the cap and seeped into the gaps, ridges, threads, and the cap jewel making the cap look delightful from certain angles. I had a great time taking photographs of the cap. I have no hesitation in feeling happy that the last photo, the blue ice mountain, has come out so unexpectedly beautiful. http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/1-GamaDemo-cap_zpsyttupjcs.jpg The GAMA Demonstrator Capped http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/2-GamaDemo-uncap_zpsw9u1yrd0.jpg The GAMA Demonstrator Uncapped http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/3-GamaDemo-posted_zpsakcvtcci.jpg The GAMA Demonstrator Posted http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/4-GamaDemo-capsection_zpsetoqnd8n.jpg The nib as seen through the cap http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/5-GamaDemo-barrel_zpsjrxqqmsb.jpg The barrel http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/6-GamaDemo-cap_zps2xxz4f5b.jpg The blue ink that has seeped into the ridges and threads in the cap http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/7-GamaDemo-brandname_zpsuvkokdoe.jpg The GAMA brand name on the barrel shining against the blue ink http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/7-GamaDemo-cap%20inside_zpsingg70yl.jpg The blue ridged tunnel http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/8-GamaDemo-cap%20inside_zpsemprf4qt.jpg The blue light at the end of the tunnel http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/9-GamaDemo-capjewel_zpsd1eyu122.jpg The cap jewel from the top ... a bit lighter … a different shade of blue on the right curve … http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/10-GamaDemo-capjewel_zpsqem0zfan.jpg The cap jewel ... ridged with blue … http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/11-GamaDemo-cap-again_zpsxvcriajj.jpg A view of the posted cap … and the clip … http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/12-GamaDemo-nib_zpsz10jhpu0.jpg The sturdy Ambitious nib http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/13-GamaDemo-nibside_zpsf908e5qt.jpg Side view of the nib http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/14-GamaDemo-feeder_zpsrhmm40ac.jpg The feeder http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/15-GamaDemo-insidecapjewel_zpssrhpavmc.jpg and finally … the Blue Ice Mountain inside the cap jewel …