How the rare Varanasi pen museum is surviving in the digital age

There are many reasons other than spiritual to return to the grand old ghats of Varanasi, again and again. But a fountain pen is too bizarre a cause to come back to the holy city. This time it was in pursuit of my wife's birthday gift.

So after a dip in the holy Ganga at the Dasashwamedh ghat, I navigated the labyrinth of Varanasi gallis in search of a tool mightier than the sword.

“Penco” it is, an avid pen collector and friend told me and I set off to locate the shop at Godowlia.

It is a pen museum, among the rarest in the country — still surviving in the digital age.

Now 70 years old, The Pen Co is run by the third generation of its founders. It started out at a cattle feed shop in British India, led by the zeal of a 13-year-old boy who would hawk fountain pens that found takers at the BHU campus. Founded by Tara Prasad Sahu, over the years, the pen shop established its own brand of fountain pens with The Pen Co, which ruled the market for decades — till the beginning of the new millennium.

Run by father-son duo, Sital Prasad and Nishant Sahu, The Pen Co manages to maintain its relevance even in a world dominated by technology. "Communicating through emails, WhatsApp and social media has its place, but to write a personal letter or to gift someone dear, there is no substitute for a fountain pen," says the founder's grandson Nishant.

Another reason to visit the shop is to feel the scent and touch of the artefacts of the 19th century.

The history of fountain pens begins with quills, which were first used for writing notes in the sixth century. These quills were typically feathers plucked from a goose. It was only in the 19th century that they were replaced by fountain pens that used pigs' bladders to control the flow of the ink.

In 1884, an American insurance salesman Lewis Waterman patented a newer design of the pens that allowed smoother writing and prevented the ink from leaking.

It was a privilege to touch and feel some of these exclusive vintage writing instruments, which are now part of history.

The famous Waterman safety series pens, the majestic Parker Duofold, the Parker series of 51,61,75, Sheaffer brands like Snorkel, Imperial and Lifetime and gothic German giants like Lamy, Pelikan and Montblanc — invaluable pieces of history lay in front of me.

The Pen Co is probably among the few shops that also has pens made of different materials like marble, wood, celluloid and leather.

From the 1950s till 1975, India witnessed a golden age in pen manufacturing. Foreign brands and Indian — from Swan, Black-bird, Blue-bird to Pilot opened their manufacturing units in the country. It was after Indira Gandhi’s nationalistic drive in industrialisation that the foreign brands left Indian shores in the mid '70s.

The Pen Co began manufacturing its own nibs and fountain pens in the '60s and ruled the market as a reliable Indian brand till the new millennium before the advent of hi-tech Pilot needles which later monopolised the Indian pen market.

The fascination for fountain pens brought even prominent personalities and members of the erstwhile royal families to this little shop in Varanasi. Former Union minister Pandit Kamalpati Tripathi had gifted an ebonite fountain pen from the shop to Indira Gandhi, the then prime minister of India.

In this digital era, pen lovers can get writing instruments of any brand with the mere click of a mouse. But that does not deter people from buying one across the counter. According to the Sahus, their business of pens is still very much viable and relevant.

But Chinese competitors threaten to tip the scales. As in every other industry, Chinese companies have monopolised the pen business as well.

“The Chinese are copying the designs of pens of famous brands like Sheaffers and waterman. These pens are now in demand because of their lower prices,” says Nishant Sahu.

An original Sheaffer costs about Rs 2,750, whereas a China-made implement with a similar design costs only Rs 350.

True pen lovers and collectors, however, still choose well crafted brands. At The Pen Co, for instance, you find pens for Rs 5 as well as Rs 50,000. But some pens are never for sale. The uniquely designed adjustable pen with a gold nib by Eversharp, known as the Tagore nib, is among them. This fountain pen's nib can be adjusted for sharpness.

Another rare gem at The Pen Co is the Sheaffer snorkel, which has a moveable metal tongue beneath its gold nib to refill ink to ensure the nib does not hit the bottom of the pot and suffer damage.

“These two pens are gifted by my grandfather, which are not for sale," says Nishant. But here at The Pen Co, a pen lover like me gets to hold this fine implement that remains an indelible part of writing history.

As I stepped out of this little time machine in Varanasi, I held a beautiful German Pelican fountain pen for my wife — and priceless memories.