The ongoing Pen Mahotsav 5.0 at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations features a striking range of premium pens — vintage, pre-owned pieces, gold-plated designs and pens with rare engravings.
From urushi artwork pens and those crafted from whisky casks to hand-carved creations and limited editions with just 500 pieces worldwide, My Kolkata picks five of the most unique and premium fountain pens stealing the spotlight at the annual festival.
Urushi pen
At the Mumbai-based Lotus Writing Instruments stall, the most expensive pen is priced at Rs 72,000.
The piece features intricate urushi work — a natural, highly durable lacquer derived from the sap of the lacquer tree, traditionally used in East Asia, especially Japan, for centuries.
The pen is further embellished with raden, a Japanese decorative technique that uses mother-of-pearl — the iridescent inner layer of shells — to create detailed inlays in lacquered surfaces.
Crafting such a pen is a meticulous process, requiring at least three to four months and 20 to 30 layers of lacquer. The pen is fitted with a German steel nib.
Chinkin pen
At L.Subramaniam’s ASA pens, the most expensive pen is priced at Rs 1,50,000.
The pen features chinkin work — a meticulous Japanese lacquer art technique where designs are intricately carved into a hardened lacquer surface (often black urushi) with a knife and then filled with gold powder or leaf over a period of six months.
Parker Limited Sentinel Collection
Priced at Rs 1,20,000, only 500 units of this pen are available worldwide. It features a 23k gold body paired with an 18k gold nib.
Pelikan 40th Anniversary Limited Edition
Only 888 pieces of this pen are available worldwide. It is priced at Rs 2,30,000. The pen features a gold-plated cap and an 18k gold nib.
Whisky cask pen
At Nasir Shaikh’s Ahmed Luxury Products stall, a pen crafted from a whisky cask stands out, engraved with illustrations depicting the whisky-making process. The piece features an 18k gold nib and is priced at Rs 30,000.
The pen festival, which commenced at ICCR on March 20, is slated to end on March 22.
