When I was in school, it was compulsory that we use ink pen. We used to be reprimanded for using ball point pens. Gel pens were also looked down upon. Using ink pen was the norm and we followed it with much determination.

I particularly remember my history teacher at school. He would never accept an assignment if it was not written by an ink pen. He always used to say that handwriting becomes neat and better with an ink pen.

I remember I always used to keep an ink bottle at home. Every night while packing my bag for school, I used to fill my pen with ink. It’s been years and years since I have used ink pen. As soon as history went out of our curriculum in school, ink pens also disappeared from my life. We started using ball point pens with a vengeance and it has somehow struck with me.

Now when I see my kids, I feel very strange. They do most of their assignments on computer. They don’t even use pen very often leave aside an ink pen. They don’t know what they have missed out on. The charm, the pace, the beauty of old times has somehow become eclipsed. Everybody is running after one thing or the other. Noone has got the time to spend on a slowly moving ink pen.

The world is changing day by day. It is changing it’s texture. I know I am idolizing the past. But past is very important. Past is the foundation on which we make the building of our future. We can’t just let it go.

I will try my level best that I keep the past alive even if in some small way. I want to pass on the ways and means of the past to my kids.

But let me take your leave now. Please take care. Bye.

The ‘common man’ went to the market and purchased three ink pens. One for himself and one each for his two kids. He also got an ink bottle.  That day, when he filled his pen with the ink, he felt that he was sitting in his history class. The past became alive and the common man could not help but feel nostalgic about it. He always used an ink pen after that.