In Indian Fountain Pen industry or Circles, Dr. Sreekumar is quite known for his hand-turned fountain pens and almost 20 types of nib tuning. However recently he has shelved in to making fountain pen inks under the brand name of KRISHNA.

These inks are sold on eBay India Page for Rs. 550 (8 USD) each for 5 Nos. 30 ml ink bottle plus shipping. Now they come in new glass bottles.

Krishn Ink – New Glass Bottle

The inks that are being produced have now increased to 35 nos. and even certain names have changed.

Krishna Inks – 35 Colors

The new names are as follows:

Pencil Neelambal Dark Chocolate Purple Lake Blue Vivid violet Sapphire Ruby Monsoon Sky Pink Barleria Summer Rain Silent Night Sky Bronze Leaf Wild Cherry Pumpkin Nilwanti Cool Breeze Gold Rush Orange Crush After Dark Yellow Valley Glory Vine Dark Rose Magic Blue Orchard Lily Writer’s Night Peacock Neelkurinhi Emerald Mangal Dew Leaf Njaval Meadow Green Ghat Green Officer’s Blue Black

I would like to thank Dr. Sreekumar for sending me the samples and also for the effort that he has put in seeing the limited resources at his disposal.

This review is of Mangal ink which is very close to terracotta brick tiles used here in India for roofing. I am in love with this colour. It actually has grown on me. It is not that orangish that will make the ink bright but yes just gives you look of burnt brick. This did not gave me any nib creep problem like Diamine orange inks.

Krishna Mangal – Ink Bottle (old style)

INK SPLASH

Krishna Mangal – Ink Splash on JK Cedar 100 gsm

I love this ink. Pastel orange colour ink.

DROP ON PAPER NAPKIN

Krishna Mangal – Ink drop on Paper Towel

COLOUR MATCH

Krishna Mangal – Colour Range

WRITING SAMPLES

Krishna Mangal – Writing Sample on JK Cedar 100 gsm – Top View

Krishna Mangal – Writing Sample on JK Cedar 100 gsm – Side View

The ink even shades in medium and fine nibs. Ink has got no sheen and does not feather. Flow is superb.

INK SWABS & SCRIBBLE

Krishna Mangal – Ink Passes on JK Cedar – 100 gsm

Krishna Mangal – Ink Swab on JK Cedar – 100 gsm

Krishna Mangal – Ink Scribble on JK Cedar – 100 gsm

WATERPROOF TEST

Krishna Mangal – Waterproof Test

Ink is not water resistant at all.

INK DRYING TIMES

Krishna Mangal – Ink drying times

Well surprisingly the ink drying times are quite low. Just around 20 seconds.

BLOW-UP WRITING SAMPLES

Krishna Mangal – Blow up Writing Sample on JK Cedar 100 gsm

Krishna Mangal – Blow up Writing Sample on JK Cedar 100 gsm – Side View

CONCLUSION:

Its a lovely colour and I can think of Diamine Ancient Copper to be of similar colour.

The ink behaves very well with no crud or feathering or even staining. This ink flows really well and is moderately lubricated (of course not as great as sailor inks). However these are well worth the money. Kudos to Dr. Sreekumar. Beautiful ink which has lovely shading.

Following are the summation of ink properties:

Feathering : No

No Sheen : No

: No Shading : Good amount

: Good amount Lubrication : Moderate

: Moderate Flow : Good

: Good Water Resistance : Bad

: Bad Drying Times : Good

: Good Nib Creep : No

: No Clogging : None

: None Odor : None

Feedback and Comments are welcome.

The ink can be bought from the ebay store of Krishna Pens. Link is given below.

LINK TO EBAY STORE : KRISHNAPENS