Search the Community

The late ex CM of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi also known as Kalaignar (scholar of the arts) was extremely fond of the 69T fountain pen made by the Airmail pen co. of Mumbai. The pens were purchased for him by his staff from Gem and Co. in Chennai. Karunanidhi with his 69T (pic from the Internet) After his death, the demand for this pen skyrocketed amongst his followers. Unfortunately, the Airmail pen co. at Mumbai also stopped making pens prompting Gem and Co. to recreate the 69T as the Gama Kalaignar. Recently they have recreated the Wality 71JT as the Kalaignar Neo. Here are both the Gama versions together. This post documents the Gama versions and compares them to the Airmail originals. Gama Kalaignar Vs 69T: Gama pen sleeve. The Gama Kalaignar. The Gama nib. Stock gama feeder. Kalaignar with 69T. The Kalaignar features 4 start cap barrel threads, just like the 69T. The section is faulty on my example. There is a gap even when the section is closed fully. There is no such gap in the Airmails or the other Kalaignar. The Airmail cap has a breather hole. Gama Kalaignar Neo Vs 71JT: The Neo with the 71JT. Same 4 start threads as Airmail. The Airmail cap has a breather hole. The Gama versions are made of an odourless plastic. Wality/Airmail pen’s smell is quite (in)famous. The Kalaignars have a larger inner cap and can support nib exposed lengths of 23mm. This is an advantage over the 69T. Given the Airmails are now getting scarce, the Gama versions can substitute. I paid 750/- inr per pen in an across the counter purchase at Gem and Co. The nibs were tuned in front of me by Pratap ji and they write quite smoothly. Hope this post is useful. cheers Hari

The Airmail/ WALITY 69 model has been made in various avatars. Here are some from my collection. L-R: 69TL new style, 69TL old style, 69LGM, 69EB, 69A, 69P Black beauty, 69P. The last two models are piston fillers. Cheers, Hari