Fountain pens: A faded heritage shines at Bangladesh’s first-ever pen show
From 5 to 6 December, the country’s first dedicated Pen Show brought together collectors, enthusiasts, writers, and sellers, offering an opportunity to explore both vintage and contemporary pens, papers, inks, and more
In a corner on the fourth floor of Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, a small crowd, including me, leaned over a wide display case filled with fountain pens. Among them, a slender black pen gleamed like a relic from another era.
Didarul Ahsan, a banker by profession but a collector at heart, carefully lifted it.
"This Waterman," he said, "dates back to 1910. More than a century old, but it still writes flawlessly." Didar gently placed it in my hand. Holding a 115-year-old pen that glided smoothly across paper left me momentarily spellbound. And that was just one fountain pen among an entire exhibition of curiosities: bottles of ink and old ink pots, textured papers, and even earlier prototypes.
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From 5 to 6 December, the Bangladesh Pen Club hosted the country's first dedicated Pen Show, a two-day celebration of writing instruments, calligraphy, and collecting culture. Open to the public from 10am to 8pm, the exhibition brought together collectors, enthusiasts, writers, and sellers which offered an opportunity to explore both vintage and contemporary pens, papers, ink and more.
A collector's dream
Among the highlights of the exhibition was Didar Ahsan's extraordinary collection of 500 pens. Adorably called "Sheaffer Didar" by his peers for the abundance of Sheaffer models in his collection, Didar also showcased rare Waterman, Montblanc, Cartier, Pilot, and Conklin pens, one with engraved signatures of Mark Twain and countless other limited-edition pens.
A French Cartier acquired at a European auction for €3,500 sat alongside a Pilot, a famous Japanese brand, intricately adorned with a jaguar motif. Many were for display only, yet some were available for sale. Didar has been collecting fountain pens for more than 35 years, travelling across countries and even sourcing rare pieces from eBay. "That's my hobby. And I love what I do," said Didar. From the gleam on his face, it was clear that he was a proud owner of his collection.
Another collector, interior designer Fahim, displayed an Italian Aurora pen with an 18-carat gold nib which cost him Tk300,000, alongside a 100-year-old Waterman. He showed us a limited-edition Faber Castel fountain pen which has a distinct silver body.
The exhibition was not confined to pens alone. Sections dedicated to rare inks and papers offered visitors a glimpse into the broader culture of writing. Among the notable items were sheets of Pakshi and Karnaphuli papers, last produced in the 1980s, and A4 Japanese Tomoe River paper, known for producing the most expensive papers in the world, 100 sheets of which could easily exceed Tk25,000 due to their delicate, almost translucent quality.
Attendees could also participate in workshops and seminars on improving handwriting and the care of pens, ink, and paper — lessons in craft and patience rarely encountered in the digital age.
Visitors like Md Abu Taher, a businessman and collector himself, expressed delight at the diversity and scale of collections. "The pens on display are impressive. It's rare to see such dedication in one place," he said. We even encountered a 10-year-old boy named Sakib, accompanied by his grandfather, who is very much fond of fountain pens as he has long been using them. "It is really amazing here. Lots of pens! I just love them."
Amain Babu, organiser of the Pen Show and secretary-general of the Bangladesh Pen Club, underscored the broader purpose of the exhibition: "A pen, when cared for properly, can last a lifetime. It's a sustainable, beautiful alternative to disposable ballpoints, and it reconnects us with the joy of writing."
Shop owners such as Mizanur Rahman, owner of Pen Bazar BD, highlighted accessibility and his primary goal is to make fountain pens more affordable for students. He showed some beginner-friendly pens like the Kakuno, priced at Tk1,100, alongside high-end Visconti pens at Tk29,000, attracting students and collectors alike. Mizan said he collects them from various online sources himself and sometimes makes trips to China. Brands like Jinhao are very affordable. A single pot of ink might cost just Tk360.
There were also fountain pens priced as low as Tk200, many of them imported from India.
Writing heritage in Bangladesh
Bangladesh's relationship with fountain pens is long and layered.
Even before the Pakistan period, people used fountain pens alongside dip pens, reed pens, and quills. Archaeological evidence from Sitakot, Dinajpur, indicates the presence of ink pots and writing tools as far back as the 5th century CE. During the British colonial period, fountain pens became more widely used, imported from Europe and repaired locally.
Factories once produced pens locally in Bangladesh, with brands such as Bela, Roxy, and Eagle contributing to a small but significant industry. Today, no functioning factories remain, making the preservation and collection of pens all the more vital.
Amain Babu, who has written extensively on pen history in his book Prokashoyti, reflected on the generational shift, "We live in a time of Google, ChatGPT, and smart devices, yet previous generations prized owning a good pen. A Tk60 pen was once a symbol of ambition and a reward for learning and success. Fountain pens wrote under their own weight, and doctors even recommended them for arthritis patients. There was a philosophy to writing then that typing can never replicate."
Despite technological advances, fountain pens are enjoying a resurgence in Bangladesh. Young people, who increasingly type rather than write by hand, are discovering fountain pens as tools for creativity, self-expression, and calligraphy. However, Bangladesh's first Pen Show highlighted one important thing — the scratch of a nib on paper still matters.
