Where pens are passion, craft and collector’s pride
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Pen sellers and buyers converge for the three-day Hyderabad Fountain Pen Show, which began on Friday. | Photo Credit: Serish Nanisetti
The faint smell of fountain pen ink, the rustle of pen cases being opened and the animated chatter of collectors comparing nibs and finishes set the tone at a gathering in Hyderabad on Friday. Across two rooms, pens in an array of shapes, sizes and materials drew stylophiles into conversations about the craft, precision and pleasure of writing.
Pen sellers and manufacturers from across the country, including Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, gathered at the Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry facility in Lakdi ka Pul here for the three-day Hyderabad Fountain Pen Show.
“These pens are expensive because they are made with a material called Urushi, a natural lacquer, that is secreted by the Urushi tree in Japan. It is rare as only 200 milliliters is secreted in a year and I use it to make the pens in Pune,” said Vivek Kulkarni, an attendee who showcased dozens of pens, while keeping three in a messenger bag.
“Each pen costs ₹7 lakh,” said a pen lover who had come for the event.
Hyderabad was represented by Poona Laxmi Pathi and his son, Poona Satish Kumar, who showcased their products under the PLP Pens brand.
“If a pen writes too smoothly, you have no control,” says Faheem Mohammed philosophically. Shaping the nibs to ensure smoother writing or repairing a vintage pen is his passion. “I worked with bikes. But when I wanted to get some of my Pelican pen nibs repaired, nobody understood. I took it up as a challenge and now I help others out. Very few people understand the geometry of the nib of a fountain pen,” he says, making a point about the shape of a pointed surface.
“Every pen we manufacture is unique. Store-bought pens may feel comfortable to hold or remain uncomfortable. Too thin or too fat. What we offer is customised grip where the buyer can choose pattern, material and even the shape of the grip,” said Amol Wankhede, who had brought his pen wares from Pune for sale.
Another pen seller from Tiruvallur near Chennai had pens crafted from Buffalo horn, acrylic, ebonite and a range of metals and bespoke styles.
Diya Vadodariya from Mumbai, who has been working and creating pens for the past eight years, showed the efficiency of titanium as a material for pen. “I have succeeded in making unique stacked nibs. They give a different line variation from different angles of writing and also allow a smoother flow of ink,” she said about the craft and ingenuity of her work.
Apart from Vadodariya of Acriv, craftspeople such as Chandru of Wonder of Writing and Amol Wankhede of Elica are reshaping the writing-instrument market by combining traditional craftsmanship with social media outreach. Their work is also tapping into a renewed appreciation for the tactile pleasure of writing with a carefully crafted pen.
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