The Fountain Pen Festival In Calcutta
Pen Utsav is an unique fair that brought together collectors, writers, and pen enthusiasts from around the world to honour the timeless charm of the fountain pen.
In a land known for its endless festivals and carnivals — from Durga Puja to book fairs that smell of freshly printed paper — Kolkata has now hosted a rather different sort of gathering. A fair not of colours, conch shells, or culinary delights, but of ink and intimacy. This was no ordinary exhibition. It was, in every sense of the word, a mela of memory — a celebration of the fountain pen.
Yes, you read that right. A festival dedicated to the humble yet elegant, the fountain pen.
Held at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), the ‘Pen Utsav’ brought together pen aficionados, collectors, and nostalgic hearts under one roof. What made it all the more touching was the gathering’s emotional core — this wasn’t merely about merchandise. It was about memories, craftsmanship, and rekindling a connection with a bygone era when writing was an act of intention, not just communication.
From Delhi to Mumbai, Chennai to Indore — and beyond our borders to Japan, Germany, and China — pen manufacturers came bearing treasures of nibs and barrels. Bottles of ink in every imaginable hue lined the tables like potion vials in a wizard’s apothecary. One could almost hear the scratch of pen on paper echo through the hall, whispering stories from the past.
Let’s not beat about the bush — the fountain pen has had a bit of a rough ride. Ever since the ballpoint pen came swaggering in during the late ’80s, it’s been all downhill for our old friend. For today’s generation, a fountain pen is something of an antique, if not an alien. But that’s precisely why organiser Sayak Adhya has taken it upon himself to revive the lost art. “Fountain pens have vanished from everyday life,” he sighs. “I wanted to reintroduce people to them, to remind them what we’ve lost.”
The story of India’s tryst with the fountain pen is both rich and heartening. One of the earliest pioneers was Radhikanath Saha, who set up India’s first fountain pen factory in Benares in the early 20th century. His brand ‘Lakshmi’ wasn’t just any pen — it was the pen. The great Rabindranath Tagore used it. So did Mahatma Gandhi. Even Lord Carmichael, Bengal’s first Governor, couldn’t resist its charm. Fourteen patents bore Radhikanath’s name, a testament to a time when swadeshi was more than a slogan — it was a movement inked, quite literally, in pride.
Authors like Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay still carry the flame. “For me, a fountain pen is not just a writing instrument. It’s nostalgia, it’s passion,” he said, warmly recalling how his father gifted him two pens, both of which he still preserves like holy relics.
Then there’s Subhabrata Gangopadhyay — or ‘Chom’ to the pen-loving community — a man who has devoted over three decades to collecting these nibbed beauties. With over ten thousand fountain pens in his collection, Chom isn’t in it for show. “I love them,” he says simply. “This fair is a wonderful initiative. We need more events like this to stir public interest.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper mela without a bit of dazzle. The most jaw-dropping item on display? A German masterpiece priced at ₹7.77 lakh. Yes, you heard that right. Encrusted with 48 diamonds and fitted with an 18-carat gold nib, only 48 such pens exist in the world. One suspects it writes love letters on its own.
But perhaps the most moving moments came from the quieter corners — like when Bodhisattwa Chattopadhyay, pausing before purchasing a pen, said, “I write only with fountain pens now. It’s a different kind of joy.” Or when Sagar Bhowmik remarked, “These days, more and more people are returning to fountain pens.”
There’s something deeply poetic about it, isn’t there? In a world obsessed with speed, efficiency, and digital everything, there’s a quiet revolution happening — one inked in elegance, in slowness, in permanence.
Sayak promises another edition of the Pen Utsav later this year. Here’s hoping it draws even more kindred spirits. Because some things — like handwritten letters, the scent of ink, and the weight of a good pen in hand — are simply too precious to be left to history.
So here’s to the fountain pen — long may it flow.
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