The hippy trends of '80s are back in vogue. Our Instagram feeds are filled with pictures of everything vintage- from oversized glasses, love for the bell-bottoms to our obsession with cats. A coffee mug with a notebook and a thick fountain pen on its side is what most of our ideal mornings look like on our social media feeds. Though fountain pens evoke a strong sense of nostalgia, it may seem that the need for writing instruments in our lives has decreased with phones and tablets taking over. But there still thrives a coterie in Hyderabad to whom pens are indispensable.
The Deccan Pen Stores in Hyderabad, probably one of the oldest pen manufacturers in the country, began their shop in the busy lanes of Abids in Koti back in 1928. Established by SA Siddiqui, a farmer from Allahabad, the store today is something of a shrine for fountain pens. What began as door-to-door sales of writing instruments later turned into a pen selling and manufacturing hub where even the Britishers shopped to take back sovereigns to England. The shop is currently run by Siddiqui’s son Haleem Siddiqui and his brothers.
Haleem tells TNM how and why the Deccan Pen Stores became a name to reckon with around the world.
It was in 1918 that the University of Osmania was established in Hyderabad. And it was also the time when the state of Hyderabad was at the heights of prosperity. A lot of traders from around the country settled in Hyderabad and started businesses, to cash in on the wealth of the ruling Nizams.
“My father SA Siddiqui was one such farmer who travelled all the way from Allahabad to Hyderabad to set up a business of his own in the state. Once he saw that the Nizams had established a university of their own, he wondered why not begin a dealership in pens as there would soon be a student community who will begin to read and write. True to his foresight, students came in large numbers, and as was the trend those days, there was a huge demand for ink pens. His first sale was a leather bag full of pens which he had brought from Kolkata but later, he slowly began dealership with 2-3 pen companies outside India, setting up the first pen shop in 1928,” Haleem explains.
The shop today has three branches in Hyderabad but has patrons from around the world. As you enter the shop, your nostrils are filled with the strong camphor-like smell of ink and the sheer number of pens inside the store is sure to blow your mind away. The salesmen do not try a bit to convince us to buy their pens - after all, they have a history of customers coming from royalty!
Pointing at an old picture of the Deccan Pen Stores mounted on the wall, Haleem explains why the store then had two small windows at the extreme sides, with salesman seated behind each.
“Since we had a lot of royal patronage, the shop was frequently visited by the Nizams and the Englishmen. And we also had a lot of students coming in to buy fountain pens, ink bottles, refillers and other regular stationery,” says Haleem, adding, “Father was adamant about one thing - that the royals should not in any way be disturbed by the kids and for this reason, the men sitting at the windows would help the students in doing small errands like refilling the ink and changing the pen nibs. By the late 1930s, we had employed our first English-speaking salesman to attend to the Britishers who frequented the shop.”
From the Waterman pens to Parker and Sheaffar's and Mont Blanc, you name it and the store has it all. Fountain pens of all sizes and prices fill the shelves, and as Haleem says, they also have a large variety of the use and throw pens which are commonly used today. Most of the pens are stored inside glass cupboards and Haleem is quick to place each of them back inside the shelves after a round of display. While some pens are as cheap as Rs 120, the most expensive one is priced at Rs 1,34,000!
What makes the pen store unique in its truest sense is its repairing counter. If you accidentally happened to drop and break a German-made pen on which you spent a bomb, do not worry, the Siddiqui brothers have got your back.
“Father mastered the art of repairing pens soon after his business began flourishing in Hyderabad. He passed on the tricks of the trade to his sons and today, we not just repair pens of any foreign brand but also have our own manufacturing unit. Deccan pens have a lot of takers from the around the world now,” Haleem says.
Haleem shows an exquisite piece of the Deccan brand neatly placed inside a wooden box. With a bold ‘D’ carved on the wood, the pen by all looks, definitely offers stiff competition to any acclaimed brand.
The shop also has a large collection of ink bottles and feather pens which are a delight to the customers’ eyes. The ink, Haleem says, is as important as a pen’s make, because the ink available locally can easily corrode the inside of a German or a French pen.
“It’s usually the brand which decides a pen’s value. But besides the brand, the kind of ink and the shape of the nib also decide a pen’s worth. Until a couple of decades ago, the pen clipped on a man’s pocket was an indication of his social status at public gatherings. Even now, whenever I see visuals of two countries signing an important pact or deal, it’s the pen used by the presidents that I first set my eyes on,” Haleem laughs.
Though the craze for pens is slowly becoming a thing of the past, Haleem says fountain pens are back now in fashion, all thanks to people’s love for the retro.
“I have been getting orders from Kashmir, Himachal, Vijayawada... for our handmade pens. Some pen enthusiasts place orders for pens as costly as Rs 75 lakh!” Haleem says. “The trend is cyclical and now I have a lot of students and young people who shop for fountain pens. No matter how much technology advances, the might of the pen can never diminish.”