Source: www.ft.com
NEW DELHI, INDIA, September 30, 2009: The Swiss penmaker Montblanc has unveiled a gold-and-silver fountain pen to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi. The limited-edition pen, priced at US$23,000, has an 18-carat solid gold, rhodium-plated nib, engraved with Gandhi’s image, and “a saffron-coloured mandarin garnet” on the clip.
Dilip R. Doshi, chairman of Entrack, Montblanc’s distributor in India, said the pen embodied Gandhi’s timeless philosophy of non-violence and respect for all living creatures.
But Amit Modi, secretary of the 102-year-old Sabarmati Ashram that Gandhi founded to promote his ideas of radical egalitarianism and simple living, expressed dismay at the product.
Indian companies generally shy away from using the image of the Mahatma, given his near-sainted status. Yet the pens have received the blessing of Tushar Gandhi, the Mahatma’s great-grandson, who received $146,000 from Montblanc to build a shelter for rescued child labourers.