Chennai’s love affair with fountain pens: Why the city hosted two hit pen shows

Chennai’s pen shows attract collectors, manufacturers, and retailers showcasing a wide range of pens from ₹2,000 to ₹45 lakh

“Did you see the pens in the other corner? I think we should tackle this exhibition by corners to get all the information,” says an excited grandfather to his teenage granddaughter at Chennai’s first-ever pen show at the Makoba store in Nungambakkam. The granddaughter walks to her mother and hands her a bag to hold. The duo takes slow, quiet steps losing themselves in the technicolour world of Ranga Pens, a Chennai-based brand. These are only a few of the 2,000 pens on display, ranging from ₹2,000 to ₹45 lakh. Three generations peruse the pen store, indulging in a collector’s fantasy of one day owning them all.  

A week later, a young woman in a crisp pair of scrubs walks into Fika, Adyar, with a definitive goal. She is among a sizeable number of doctors who are on a hunt for that perfect nib which may write their prescriptions later. Chennai’s second consecutive pen show has opened to enthusiastic crowds, and the sheer number of people crowding each of the 30-plus stalls is no deterrent, as she sifts through Sheaffers and Mont Blancs, past exquisite variants, some of which even cost ₹3 lakh.

Home to retailers, manufacturers and collectors alike, Chennai is not alien to fountain pens. So much so that the city was host to two pen shows within a week. Now, contrary to popular belief that penmanship is steadily fading, a new-found penchant for writing and a liking towards all things handmade steered by the pandemic, have given birth to a new crop of pen collectors and enthusiasts. 

Nitesh Jain, director, Makoba, says that using fountain pens is an act of patience, a discipline even. The maintenance of the pen, the control that one exerts over the nib all come into play here, he says. “One can’t write as fast as they’d like while using a fountain pen. The writing instrument dictates the speed, allowing you to think before writing a word,” he says. 

Most retailers hail Chennai as one of their preferred customer bases. “I have so many regular customers from Chennai. The main reason why I am here is to meet them in person!,” says Rajesh Pillai of Pune-based The Ink And Pen, one of the exhibitors at Chennai Pen Show, held at Fika.

The show estimates a footfall of 8,000 to 10,000 with collectors coming in from cities like Bengaluru and Kolkata. Naturally, stalls by ASA Pens and Ranga Pens were populated throughout the three days, says Aditya Bhansali, organiser of the Chennai Pen Show. The Pelikan 40th Anniversary limited-edition pen worth 2.15 lakh, is the most expensive buy at this show.

“A standard question that collectors hear is, ‘who uses fountain pens anymore?’ After seeing the number of people who came in, pen enthusiasts were extremely happy that the community is coming together,” Aditya says.