PENCILLING INTO RECORDSHaving made an unbeaten limca record from the last five years, here am I who is determined to pencil my way into the Guinness Book of World Records. Literally I, MS. INDERPREET BINDRA's, daughter of a serving Army officer Lt. Col. D.S. Bindra, affair with pencils started the day I walked into my father's library and picked up the book on world records. As I leafed through the pages, I observed that, though people had records for scaling mountains, writing the longest letter and even eating the maximum number of eggs in one go, none had tried their "hand" at pencils.
Barely in tenth standard (1988) I could see my goal sketched clearly before me. Pencils had fascinated me, but it was now that I realized how I could put that fascination to some constructive use.
So, I set out on my pencil-collection spree to a journey that took me to the pages of the LIMCA BOOK OF RECORDS (INDIAN NATIONAL RECORD) unbeaten so far. In the record book it figures on the pg 315 in the book of 1997, pg 43 in the book of 1998, pg53 in the book of 1999.
It was about five years ago that my hobby turned into a near obsession. When I started I had a repertoire of about 50 quills to my name; today I have a fascinating collection of over 5000 of different makes & brands. Out of these, nearly 1000 are of foreign brands.
A teacher by profession, I have already spent about Rs.50000 on my novel hobby. Each of my pencil is unique and has an identity of its own. From the ordinary wooden pencils to the some ones with wax covering, I possess them all. You name a pencil and I proudly display the same out from my treasure. Carefully laid away in cases are complete sets of Apollo weeklies, camlin zodiacs, the depictions of various games in Olympics, Asiads and hosts of flags, vegetables, fruits, animals, wwf & rhymes. Besides these, I have sets of Religious depictions such as Ramayana, Mahabharata and Krishan lila etc. About the Ramayana pencil I am reminded of my efforts to precure the same with great persuation; "The shop keeper initially refused to part with it, as he usually began his business transactions by touching it. But I finally managed to convince him to part with it".
The most expensive piece in my prized collection is the eraser tipped, Japanese pencil, priced at Rs.110. It might be an extravagance, but then if one sets out for a record, extravagance is more than justified. So flexible is the pencil that it can be twisted and looped with unimaginable ease. Apart from this, a German Stabilo from Steadler and some Mexican pencils are also in the high priced category.
Then there are some with fiberglass as transparent as the rotomac pen. It is a colourful collection of all sorts of animal pencil. Fishy ones, those with floral patterns, or plain ones in myriads and hues.
One doesn't make it to the limca or the Guinness book of records just like that, it has to be conscious effort and you have to work towards it. I am well aware of the fact. No wonder I have kept a track of all new pencils being made in the country over the past decade.
I went after them all and bought them. "I have collected pencils from Siliguri, Jammu, Amritsar, Gangtok, Madras, Ambala, Chandigarh, Delhi, Ooty, Pathankot, and many such places, which attracted me to add to my collection.
I owe my sincere allegiance to all my family members for their cooperation, encouragement to achieve my ambition in the national records. I did not expect success to come to me so early.
Sir, I had created a new catagory for my self in the limca book of records. My name has already appeared in nearly all the leading news papers in India. I would love in case you could give me in a space in your magazine [The Pencil Pages]. I am also half way through for my record in THE GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS. I am just awaiting my confirmation.
I shall be highly obliged.
Yours sincerely
InderpreetLimca Book of Records
Pencil Collector
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