This TN college is promoting ink pen among students to fight plastic menace

COIMBATORE: My two fingers on a typewriter have never connected with my brain. My hand on a pen does. A fountain pen, of course. Ball-point pens are only good for filling out forms on a plane...

Now, Graham Greene (1904-91), the critically-acclaimed English novelist of The Third Man and The Honorary Consul fame, surely must know what the humble fountain pen is capable of, a fact that his body of work would gladly testify. When the Government Arts College here ordered the students taking the semester exams to use fountain pens, it incidentally corroborated Greene's belief all the while taking a leap towards preserving the environment.

The partiality for the fountain pens stemmed from the fact that the College premise was littered with discarded ball-point pen refills. After brainstorming for a while, the powers that be decided that use-and-throw refills were an eyesore, and ordered that ball-point pens be discarded in favour of fountain pens. The order, while aiming to reduce the College's plastic waste output, ended up throwing another welcome surprise: better handwriting among the students, a fact vouched by teachers.

The new 'ink pen' rule came into force on October 30. New because the College had briefly tried its hand at the fountain pen rule earlier in March 2018, which fizzled out. Big blackboard at the College's entrance keeps students informed about the rule passed by Principal K Chitra.

Doing its bit for preserving the environment in the wake of the State government's single-use plastic ban, the College has organised various drives, says Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Plastic-Free Zone and Save Nature Cell K Vasanthi.

"We have limited the use of plastic on the campus. Flex banners have been replaced with ones made of cloth, metal utensils have replaced plastic cups in the canteen. We also promote the use of cloth bags among students and staff," Vasanthi says.

Taking the green drive to a whole new level is the Identity Cards the students get. Printed on thick papers, these ID cards have reduced the College's plastic use.

Meanwhile, the College authorities say that the students would take some time in getting used to the new imposition. This new development only underscores the College's status of being the first plastic-free zone, as declared by Corporation Commissioner J Sravan Kumar recently. Well, to improve on an old adage, it seems that a fountain pen indeed is mightier than a sword.

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp