Dr Imran Ijaz Haider has travelled all over the world to see, buy and use the most popular and state-of-the-art fountain pens.

His passion for writing with fountain pens dates back to his early childhood when his schoolteacher taught him to write with the reed pens and make his own calligraphy tools by altering ordinary fountain pens.

“I remember cutting nibs of Eagle brand, the only pen available to me at that time. After cutting the nib, I used to grind it on glass to bring smoothness to sharply cut edges.

“Writing with those pens had always been a matter of immense pleasure for me,” he recalls.

Montblanc was the first expensive pen which Haider bought almost seventeen years ago. He still has this pen in an immaculate condition and he still uses it.

“I love to write with fountain pens since my childhood but was not into collecting them. One of my senior colleagues, Dr Khaleequr Rehman is already into pens.

“A few years back, while pointing at my Montblanc he asked me, ‘Are you a pen collector?’

“He made me think seriously about pens and now it has become a lifetime activity for me. I regard him my ‘Ustad’ in this field,” he acknowledges.

Dr Haider owns top most model pens of all the renowned pen making companies.

His large collection includes a handmade traditional Japanese ‘Urushi’ finished ‘Nakaya Piccolo Long’ , ‘Visconti Homo Sapien’ which is made out of molten lava and have 23kt Palladium nib, a ‘Sailor 1911’ with Music Nib, a rare ‘Pilot Vanishing Point’, a very rare Montblanc with black gem, ‘Pelikan M 600’ and Lamy 2000 which are very popular worldwide among the pen lovers for their elegant designs and fluent writing.

“I like Japanese nibs; they are the best in the world. Germans, especially Montblanc, are also good; they make very soft nibs. The moment you write with them, you really feel it’s your pen.”

“I feel myself lucky to have a fine nib, made by legendary Japanese artist Nobuyoshi Nagahara; he passed away recently. I bought it from a wholesaler in the UK who had only one piece left in stock. She was kind enough to book it for me on a request by telephone.”

“Now, Nobuyoshi’s son, Yukio Nagahara, is carrying forward the tradition of fine nib making. They are the best in the world,” Dr Haider claims.

He laments that the trend of writing with fountain pen is declining worldwide, not only in Pakistan.

“In Pakistan you can’t even find good pens, there should be forums where people can share experiences, see one another’s collections, that can revive the tradition of writing and pen collecting,” he added.

Dr Haider cherishes the memory and story attached to every single pen he has. He mostly prefers simple and elegant designs over the decorated ones. “Rathar than going for old and antiques, I collect new, modern and precise writing instruments,” he explains.

Living a busy life of a psychiatrist, researcher and professor at a medical college, Dr Haider spares some time to be with his collections.

Unlike the brand conscious collectors who keep their valuables in showcases, he loves to use them, enjoys the character and writing behaviour of each individual collection.

Dr Haider keeps his pens in leather pouches, he himself made, and takes good care of them like adorable pets, cleaning them regularly to keep them in good working condition.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2015

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