Essay on An Autobiography of the Prime Minister’s Pen

A pen is an item of daily use for all and sundry. We find pens in students’ bags, offices, and every conceivable place. So, my friends, what is so great about a pen? Yes, I agree that, a common thing like a pen need not think much of itself as, it is too common to be thought about.

Yes, I agree that a pen is too cheap and common a thing to get any importance but friends, I am a thing apart, I am the pen, which is used and handled by none other than our Indian Prime Minister, Shri Atal Behari Vajpayeeji. Does that not give me an identity and an importance equal to none other of my clan?

I look just like any other pens, just as all men look alike but, the Prime Minister is a class apart. In the same way, all pens look alike but, I am a class apart.

I remember the earlier days of my life which were spent like all others on a counter of a stationery shop, I think that shop is one of the oldest and one of the biggest, called by the name of Galgotia, which is situated at Connaught Place. I remember I lay there in a showcase with a number of others of my family.

Every day the shop would open, the salesman would set the counter in order and I would be displayed on the counter with several of my friends. This happened day after day for, I wonder how long, may be months, or, may be even a year -I just do not know.

Every day, several pens and other stationery goods would be sold out and my few colleagues and I remained dumb and disappointed. How we all started feeling dejected and did start wondering why people never showed any interest in any of us.

This thought troubled us though it was a mystery also as to what was wrong with us, why did we fail to attract attention? This feeling of misery continued till at last, one fine day we were able to understand the cause of the stalemate we were facing.

It so happened that, that day, a very beautiful young girl came to our counter and expressed her desire to buy one of us. At once, her mother shrugged her shoulders and told the girl that, this brand of pens were expensive, and asked the child to choose another pen from the adjoining counter Though we were all disappointed hearing that the girl would not buy one of us, it, at the same time came as a relief and a booster of our sagging morale.

We realized that we were not being bought by customers as, we were more expensive than others. That in turn meant that we were also better than the others. Aha! What a satisfaction that feeling gave all of us, that now, we were once again ready for the boredom of sitting pretty in the shelf of the shop.

We were a class apart gave us a combination of satisfaction and of course disgust at being bored for so long. Now we all wondered how long more, we would have to spend time here huddled together in the showcase.

However, it was not very long after this day of enlightenment of our identity that our fates-smiled at us, and yes, ALL OF US. One day, just as the routine setting was done, I heard some discussions going on between some outsider and the salesman at our counter.

As I, out of curiosity peeped out of my case, I overheard some ore talking about purchasing all the hundred pens of my clan. Aha! What fun life would now be – we will be together once again, and yet, all of us will be busy in our respective assignments.

At once, without losing any time, I told my friends the good news, and it spread in the community within a flash of time. No sooner had I passed the information that, we saw a young man in a black suit coming to our counter and asking our salesman for the role lot of us. So, at long last, all the hundred of us were purchased in one installment.

Out we were all taken from the shop to an office and, we come to know that each of us would be stationed in offices of ministers and Cabinet ministers. Aha! How fate had smiled at us – of course we deserved it all.

Weren’t we better than others of our species? All of us thought so proudly and happily of our fate, as we had shifted from the dungeon of a shop to the offices of ministers. Now, all of us kept our fingers crossed, each one wondering which minister it would get as its master.

Soon luck was clear to all of us as, we were distributed and sent to different offices and Lo! And Behold!, I, the handsomest of all was earmarked for the office of the Prime Minister.

What a lucky individual I had been. I would now get the feel of the gentle and affectionate touch of our very gentle and kind Prime Minister, Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee. Now I am stationed in a golden coloured or plated -I don’t really know pen-stand in the office of the P.M.

Every day, yes, almost every day he uses me and, I get so puffed up when I realize that so many important orders and decisions are written by me, so many letters are signed by me. My life is now so very wonderful that, I have forgotten all the boredom of my life in the shop.

A loving master, whose very touch is soothing and satisfactory I do hope he keeps me for as long as I live – though I know that, as soon as my strength and smooth writing decreases even my gentle and loving master will like to throw me away.

God forbid that day will be my last day of life when I find my self thrown out of my master’s office. Till then, let me enjoy my sojourn in the Prime Minister’s office.