A Pen Collector’s Delight

 The market leading to the Dashshwamedha ghat could dazzle you both by the huge crowd that engulfs the area, particularly during the evenings but also due to the series of Banarasi saree and clothing shops situated in the area. Jostled between this shimmer is a pen shop, The Pen Co, which has existed since 1946. Stepping into the shop one is greeted by an array of collection of pens that fulfil one’s writing needs and go even beyond, as it is a stylophile’s or a pen enthusiast’s delight. 

A Showroom Three Generations Old

According to Nishant Sahu, owner, “The showroom was started by my grandfather in this area as it was then the major marketplace that the people most visited. It was always a pen shop, dedicated to writing instruments and never a stationery shop.”

The shop has maintained its spirit, as the collection ranges from a meagre Rs 10 pen to the collector’s pride priced at Rs 3.5 lakh. Some unique writing instruments, like the slimmest pen, form part of their collection. Another standout is the astronaut’s pen, which has a special kind of ink that will write underwater on lubricated paper, upside down, which is anti-gravity. This pen also works in space where there is zero gravity.

Surviving the Digital Age

With technology taking over traditional writing instruments, still some people are rooted in the nostalgia of using these conventional pens. “As fountain pens are no longer mandatory in schools, it is the passion which youngsters have inherited seeing their parents or anyone from their family who uses a fountain pen, that makes them go for it, “says Nishant.

What has kept the business going despite the changed scenario is innovation. “Moving to need-based to making it an instrument of passion is making things work. If a person has fifty pens, I will just not add one more pen to this number but will have to give him something unique. So we have much more variety in terms of variety, new brands and new techniques that are coming in. Fountain pen is the first choice of such customers. We still have fountain pens with 14 and 18-carat gold nib but what has changed is the filling mechanism or some aesthetics involved in the handcrafted pens. We have limited edition pens which are numbered of different brands. For a collector it is a good investment as it gives a greater value with time,” he adds.