Penning down a legacy

Workshops will be conducted over two days

In a drawer at his workplace, Vishal Singhi has over 50 fountain pens. Every month, he lends a pen to 10 colleagues at the bank he works at. About eight of them eventually return it and the rest, he knows, have been converted into fountain pen enthusiasts. He doesn't mind, for any addition to the pen-loving community in today's digital age is a boon. It's what led him to conceive The India Pen Show in 2019, while paying tribute to poet Kaifi Azmi.

There will be 30 stalls exhibiting writing supplies of 50 to 60 brands

The second edition of the event returns to the city this weekend and in light of Women's Day, the organising committee will honour Indian women from different fields who have achieved great heights and have been connected to the field of writing. These include India's first and only woman Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who also authored the book Eternal India, as well as city-based entrepreneur Upasana Makati who founded the country's first English language lifestyle magazine in Braille. "We also believe that women and mothers have had an important role to play in inculcating a culture of writing," Singhi adds.

The show will include 18 workshops over two days. The activities range from calligraphy and doodling to understanding the types of nibs and inks. It also boasts of a selection of fountain pens, some which may be a 100 years old, and prices of which can go up to '2 lakh. While mentioning statistics on the biological advantages of writing over typing - writing by hand is said to improve the brain's neural activity - Singhi mentions that there are technical benefits, too. "In contrast to a ball point pen, a signature by a fountain pen cannot be easily replicated as forging one would mean imitating the exact speed and pressure. That's the reason international trade deals are executed through it," he explains. But the most important part, Singhi says, is the emotional connection a pen brings - nostalgia and an instant smile to the face.

Vishal Singhi

On March 7 and 8, 10 am to 7 pm
On Nehru Centre, AB Nair Road, Worli
Log on to theindiapenshow.com (to register)
Cost Rs 250 for the workshops

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