Gandhi’s Pen Maker.

                         

I have alighted from the auto-rickshaw at the iconic “Sivudi bomma” junction. (Auto-rickshaw, is my usual means of commuting and I have a phobia for driving motor vehicles) The driver of the vehicle, thinking me as a stranger to the city points me the opposite road and says,” That is Rajahmundry main road; you get everything there-from a pin to the diamond”. (గుండు సూది కాడ నుంచి వజ్రం దాకా దొరుకుతుంది sir..)

It was 7 pm. The drizzles in the evening made the climate pleasant. Waded through the crowds and busy hawkers and reached my famous destination, the Ratnam Pen Works. 

My visit to the shop today is two pronged. Mr Durga Prasad, one of the last surviving pen smiths of the country has been convalescing from some sickness and I wanted to pay a courtesy visit. Also a friend from Chennai wanted to buy few pens from them. As always, I acted as commission free liaison agent.

Ratnam pen works is housed in old terracotta tiled roof building with an open courtyard. These are now fashionably called as heritage houses. The famous Ratnam Pen Works was started at Rajahmundry from this house in 1932 by a collaborative effort of two brothers named, Venkataratnam and Satyanarayana. They belonged to the gold smith ancestry. When I asked him to briefly explain about the family history, Durga Prasad garu felt relieved, and started to tell how their family ­­­­­­adopted pen making profession hereditarily. His uncles, his siblings, cousins and their progeny were gradually involved in pen making, and on few instances the members of the clan has even started separate pen making units at the city. Few workmen, who undertook training from them have also started pen making units successfully at Rajahmundry, he asserts.

Though they specialise in making gold and silver pens, their handcrafted ebonite models are very popular. The ebonite’ basic models start from 1000 inr and the price of more complex models might cost you slightly higher owing to the time consumed in making them. The ebonite is a hard form of rubber, they come in various shades; some in flat colours like pink, black and green, while others have grains imitating wood on them. Mr Durga Prasad compares the grains on the pen to the stripes of zebra, though the pens look similar to each other, each pen has a very distinct and unique pattern. The blank ebonite rods are fitted to the precision lathe and turned. Hand held tools are used to fashion the rods into the desired shapes. High quality nibs are fitted to their pens which gives the user pleasant writing experience with unhindered flow of the ink.

Back then, when Late J C Kumarappa, the famous leader and activist visited Rajahmundry, He had bought a pen from the Ratnam's shop and later gifted in to the Mahatma Gandhi. Mr Gandhi , on using the pen had sent a testimonial to the Ratnam Pen Works, praising their efforts in making pens through indigenous ”swadeshi” technology.

While having the tête-à-tête with the Durga Prasad garu on his long five decade journey in the field of hand-made pens, Thanks to the information technology, I could show the available samples of the pens to my friend in Mogappair, Chennai through - Whatsapp video call. A deal was stricken for the amount of 4000/- inr for purchase of three pens. (and by the by, they accept all kinds of mobile based payments.)

It is a general theory of craft economics, when the craftsmen involve their children into the trade, the craft can be stated to be in a flourishing position. I knew that Durga Prasad garu’s children are not in the trade. Of his two sons, one is a Medical Practitioner and another prospective Chartered Accountant. With little hesitation, I asked him why his children were not involved in the craft. He said there is lot of time yet. He said that there are many important tasks that have to be done in future. He said “with my long experience in this field I hope, I can train many youngsters into skillful artists of pen making, and especially in making intricately carved gold and silver pens”.

At around 8-00 pm, when I was exiting from their shop, Durga Prasad garu reckons that there would be no more customers for the day, and gently instructs his brother to close the shop!!

Srinivas Krothapally.

10-10-2020

All photographs that follow this article is by Mr V C Arun, Wayanad, Kerala