‘The exchange of the reed pen \nfor the fountain pen is part of India’s economic transition and is \nreflected in the attitudes of these two great leaders, Gandhi and \nAmbedkar.’ \nIn the early 1900s, a Bengali doctor created the first Indian fountain pen \nin Varanasi. Despite this early start, foreign-made pens dominate the Indian \nmarket, with no notable Indian brand available \nto customers. \nInked in India traces this journey of make and unmake, from a \npre-Independence India with a \nstrong manufacturing base for pens, nibs and ink, to the post-Independence \neconomic policies \nwhich eroded that competitive advantage and led to economic churn and the \nexit of foreign firms \nfrom the country. Going beyond the nostalgia and lost sheen of fountain \npens, it tackles economic \ntransition and the impact of policy on local enterprise. \nJust as there has been exit, post-liberalization, there has been entry too, \nin what is often perceived \nto be a sunset sector. The book takes stock of what it will take to \ntransform the unmake in India \nto make in India, so that Indian fountain pens have a global \npresence. \nThe first-ever documentation of all known fountain pen, nib and ink \nmanufacturers, Inked in India will be of great interest to fountain pen \naficionados and economic enthusiasts alike.