Fountain-Pen and Mahatma Gandhi

[Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav]

Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Senior Gandhian Scholar, Professor, Editor and Linguist

Gandhi International Study and Research Institute, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India

Contact No. – 09404955338, 09415777229

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Mailing Address- C- 29, Swaraj Nagar, Panki, Kanpur- 208020, Uttar Pradesh, India

 

 

Fountain-Pen and Mahatma Gandhi

 

You see that I have written the letter with a fountain-pen. One day a letter written with Mahadev’s pencil came to me. I had to labour to read it. Therefore, I started using a fountain-pen even using violence over my mind. I like very much to use the reed pen. But the reed pen will take double the time; hence I have taken up the fountain-pen. 1 If we are to re-introduce village articles after being used to the Western style, we shall have to be patient and inventive. That the pen requires constant dipping is a good point. It lessens fatigue. That the fountain-pen saves time is not an unmixed blessing. The village pen and ink undoubtedly admit of improvement. That can only come when you and I use these things. 2 

Similarly the fountain-pen can have no place in his economy. I might, perhaps, reluctantly go so far as to admit the steel nib as a compromise, but that is all. The steel nib in my opinion has spelt the death of the calligraphist’s art the mending of a reed-pen was itself an art. It called into play the artistic skill and the personality of the scribe that was reflected in the characters which he traced. All has gone with the advent of the steel pen. But the steel pen has not done even half the mischief that the fountain-pen is doing. The introduction of the fountain-pen in the village, to me, marks the beginning of the end of the existence of the village as such and its slow metamorphosis into the city. The analogy of the Singer machine v. the tailor’s needle adduced by the writer is misleading. The Singer machine was intended to supplement the work of the needle. It was never intended to be introduced into every hut and home. The purpose which it was calculated to serve and which it has actually served is to increase the speed of the individual needle to such an extent as to make hand stitching a profitable whole-time avocation for the needy, unemployed of the cities. The fountain-pen has rendered an analogous service to the art of stenography, and as such it can certainly claim a place as a useful adjunct of city life. 3 Either I write with a pencil or not at all. Kanu did not bring the ink-pot and I stupidly refrained. There is no fountain-pen by and there is no ordinary pen or ink in this household. This is a mere business letter, no time for more. 4

Do write to me whenever you wish. And whenever you write, try to make your handwriting beautiful. Do not write with a pencil. And do not follow Mahadev’s example of writing with a fountain-pen. I tolerate Mahadev’s fountain-pen because Mahadev is a scribe. You are not a scribe and are not going to be one. So, I shall not, and I should not tolerate the fountain-pen in your case. 5 Oh yes, Railways are there, I do not avoid them. I hate motor-cars, but I make use of them willy-nilly all the same. Again, I dislike fountain-pens, but just now I am making use of one though I carry a reed pen about in my box. Every time I use the fountain-pen it hurts me and I think of the neglected reed pen in my box. Compromise comes in at every step, but one must realize that it is a compromise and keep the final goal constantly in front of the mind’s eye. 6 You should give up your fondness for writing with a pencil or fountain-pen. Anybody who wishes to improve his handwriting should use a reed-pen. How can all the children in the country afford to use fountain-pens? I suppose you know how much a fountain-pen costs. If I was a teacher and had my way, I would forbid the bringing of a fountain-pen into the classroom. But mine has become a lone voice now. If you have any influence with your friends, popularize the use of the reed-pen among them. I shall be more than satisfied if you do this. 7 Children should not write in pencil. They should not use a fountain-pen. Writing with a reed pen improves the handwriting. I hope you help your mother with domestic chores and regularly spin half an hour every day. You should do physical exercises and make your body strong. 8

 

References:

1. Letter to Ramdas Gandhi, September 1921
2. Letter to Amrit Kaur, April 17, 1937
3. Harijan, 5-6-1937
4. Letter to Amrit Kaur, March 22, 1938
5. Letter to Lilavati Asar, October 1938
6. Harijan, 28-1-1939
7. A Letter, July 14, 1947
8. Fragment of a letter, January 4, 1948