This Post, Comparing Apsara Pencil With iPhone, Will Make You Nostalgic

Back in school even the simplest of things like pencils carried cultural currency. Many would think a pencil is just a pencil, but in the classroom ecosystem filled with elementary school kids, pencils somehow became a marker of wealth. The lead pencils that came with refillable leads were considered top-tier. Colourful erasures that were infused with perfume were considered superior to regular erasure, similarly, pencil boxes that came with multiple compartments were seen as better than regular pencil boxes. In many classes, kids would also play “pencil fight” to “win” and “lose” their stationery, even though these games were often discouraged by the teachers.

Recently, an X user shared a post that compared popular pencil brands like Apsara and Natraj with phone brands. This prompted people to come up with their theories and comparisons as they placed different pencil brands alongside smartphones. An X user started this hilarious exercise by sharing photos of the triangle-shaped Apsara pencil and the classic Natraj pencil and wrote, “Apsara was the apple and natraj was the android in school times.” This post got over 3.8 lakh views since it was shared on April 15.

Adding to the thread, an X user shared the photo of the iconic white pencil decorated with pink flowers and wrote, “Camlin Flora, This was Redmi.”

An X user mentioned pen pencils and wrote, “Should we consider pen pencils as foldable devices!”

People also spoke about how excited they got over pencils. An X user recalled, “Fun fact my dad bought me a whole pack of apsara back in 4th grade? i think? i was so excited i ended up sharping each and every pencil in the box and storing them ready to use.”

Someone equated a rubber-equipped pencil with a Samsung Galaxy.

An X user opined, “Somewhere in between Camlin stayed as Blackberry.”

People were also quick to note how many pencils were advertised as rival products when they were made by the same company. Making this point with regards to Apsara and Natraj pencils, an X user wrote, “Both of these pencils are manufactured by the same company named HINDUSTAN PENCILS PVT LTD While u all fight over it they both are products of same company.”

Expressing a similar opinion, another person wrote, “Did you know? they are both owned by Hindustan Pencils and are purposely positioned in such a way that Nataraj (writing) and Apsara (drawing) can create a monopoly in both segments.”

An X user recalled an incident from school and wrote, “A 5th std classmate who used to draw extremely well once said nataraj is the best when I showed a different pencil. Coming from a wonderful artist, I stuck to that for life. Guy went on to join IIMA. Even time I see this brand, I wonder if the artist in him is still alive.”

This fun and harmless exercise not only created fun moments on X but also prompted a nostalgic trip to school life, where owning good stationery items like pencil boxes, sharpeners and geometry boxes was one’s idea of fun.