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Hello everyone! I'm Praneeth, from Chennai, India. I'm a freelance photographer and marketer. I've been an avid lurker on the fountain pen network for quite a while, however I wish to be an active participant in this wonderful community henceforth. My love for fountain pens surfaced during my time in primary school. More specifically, during the shift from using a pencil to handling a pen. My first fountain pen was an eye dropper manufactured by Camlin. It's been nearly two decades since, but I can never forget, my first pen was a scratchy mess. Being what it was - An inexpensive eyedropper, it was prone to abruptly leaking and blotting. Refilling it meant that my hands would remain blue for the rest of the day and if I was lucky, I wouldn't have any ink stains on my uniform. Underwhelmed by the experience, I switched to gel / rollerball pens for a while, for the sake of convenience. Thankfully, soon after my insipid experience, a fountain pen with a cartridge converter system caught my fancy during a routine visit to the stationery shop to replenish supplies. I still remember with great fondness, this pen was buttery smooth, the nib would just glide on paper with excellent feedback. Younger me found it most convinient to refill - just replace the cartridges and most importantly, the pen wouldn't blot / drip ink even when shook ardently - an integral quality for a pen used by a young student, I felt. With no second thoughts, I made the plunge and there was no looking back. Only a fountain pen would feel right in my hands, and hence I've never actively used any other kind of pen ever since. Initially lured by the comfort and utility of fountain pens, as the years passed, I began to appreciate them as individual creations. Over the years, I've come across numerable fountain pens, mostly inexpensive, mass produced ones however, I've been privileged to use some finer pens from more exotic brands during more recent times. As much as I hate to admit, I'm no longer in possession of my pens from my early years - lost a few of them, some had been destroyed beyond repair by my childhood self. A little more than a decade ago, I began collecting pens and these I guard with dear life. They have a lot of sentimental values to me, each with its own story. My current collection includes a Reynolds fountain pen (Unable to find the name), a couple of Parkers (Indian manufactured ones) a Jinhao 159, a few Schneiders and my most recent acquisition - The Pelikan M1000. I will share more pictures when time permits. I own a few bottles of ink, some inks worth mentioning - Diamine Syrah, Diamine Jade Green, J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor & Pelikan Edelstein Aventurine. Hope to hold onto this and only add more as the years pass. I apologise for the rather long introductory post, I just felt the urge to put it out there. Looking forward to network with other members and share experiences on Fountain Pen Network. Thank you for approving me! Regards, Praneeth