There was something delightfully old-school about the Hyderabad Pen Show held at FTCCI. Tables lined with fountain pens in every shape and colour, bottles of ink waiting to be swatched, nibs being examined like fine jewellery, and visitors testing pens before deciding if one was right for them. For three days, Hyderabad became a meeting point for collectors, makers, restorers, calligraphers and curious first-timers, all drawn together by the increasingly rare pleasure of writing by hand.
Held as the city’s first large-scale pen show, the event brought together enthusiasts from Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and other parts of the country. From handmade and vintage pens to imported nibs and colourful inks, there was plenty to explore. Workshops on handwriting, calligraphy, drawing and ink swatching added another dimension to the experience.
For Navin Sigamany, one of the co-founders of the Hyderabad Pen Show, the event was the natural step to bring the enthusiasts together. While cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata already had pen shows, Hyderabad had been missing from the map. “The core of what we do is the community, and this was the ultimate community exercise,” he says.
Among those adding character to the show was Mumbai-based vintage pen restorer Ahmed Khan. What began as an interest during his working years gradually became a passion for bringing forgotten pens back to life.
“I only repair pens, I don’t make them. I restore vintage pens,” he shares, who learnt the craft through experimentation and guidance from his mentor, Ashraf Kapadia. Today, his work involves everything from repairing ink sacs and tuning nibs to complete restorations. For him, every damaged pen is a puzzle — and the reward is seeing it write again.
Collectors, too, had their own stories. Dr Nandhakishore, a consultant critical care physician and calligraphist, has collected nearly 500 fountain pens. For him, the appeal goes beyond collecting.
“Now I hardly see, especially among Gen Z, the habit of writing because everything is digital. I urge the newer generation to make a habit of writing with fountain pens,” he expresses, describing handwriting as an intimate way of putting thoughts on paper.
The makers brought yet another perspective. L Subramaniam of ASA Pens, along with his wife Aparna, showcased handmade fountain pens crafted from ebonite, acrylic and metal. A former telecom professional, Subramaniam turned his long-standing interest in fountain pens into a business in 2013.
“I was a fountain pen user and also a collector, so this was a domain that I had some knowledge about. That is how I started making pens,” he notes.
The show’s workshops — covering fountain pens, italic and cursive handwriting, ballpoint drawing, ribbon and brush calligraphy and ink swatching — made sure visitors could do more than simply admire the instruments.
And perhaps that was the real charm of the Hyderabad Pen Show. It wasn’t merely about buying a beautiful pen. It was about discovering its personality, finding the right ink, learning a new stroke, restoring something old and, most importantly, finding people who still believe that putting pen to paper is an experience worth holding on to.
