In June of 1966, George Harrison met maestro Ravi Shankar in Bath, England. Harrison asked Ravi to teach him how to play the sitar, a task Ravi agreed to only after considerable hesitation. Their collaboration resulted in an explosion in the popularity of classical Indian music and culture in the United States and around the world. The Blackwing 3 is a tribute to Ravi Shankar on his 100th birthday. It features extra-firm graphite and a matte turmeric finish accented with a pattern inspired by one of Ravi's iconic sitars. The pattern prominently features the ॐ (Om), a sacred Sanskrit symbol with three phonetic components that correlate to the waking, dream, and unconscious states of being. A portion of every pack sold will benefit the Ravi Shankar Foundation and their mission to "preserve the diversity of cultures and richness of their arts." Blackwing pencils come in a 12-pack gift box that also doubles as a pencil cup. Extra-firm graphite core Limited Edition! Once they're gone, they're gone Set of 12 pencils Gift box that also doubles as a pencil cup Iconic aluminum ferrule design in gold Genuine Incense-cedar casing that sharpens evenly and easily Specially formulated Japanese graphite that writes smoothly Replacement erasers available separately All Blackwing pencil products conform to ASTM D-4236
