Pen expo attracts huge crowd in Vijayawada

A woman displaying different varieties of pens at the ‘Pen-O-Philia pen expo held in Vijayawada.
| Photo Credit: G.N. RAO

An in-store pen exhibition, Pen-O-Philia, organised by the VHM’s Gallery at their store in the PVP Mall Road in Vijayawada from September 20 to 22 attracted a large number of enthusiasts.

Around 1,000 people have visited the exhibition, where pens from at least 25 brands were put on display with prices ranging from ₹50 to ₹2 lakh. At ₹2.15 lakh, the Pelikan brand pen is the costliest one at the store. “It is a limited edition. Across the world, there are only 888 pieces. We have put one of them on display here,” said Aniketh Desai, proprietor of VHM’s Gallery.

He said though their store has been showcasing pens belonging to premium brand for the past five years, it was the first time that they organised an expo. “With the overwhelming response we received, we intend to make it an annual affair from next year,” Mr. Aniketh Desai said.

Explaining the intent behind the expo, he said that they felt there is a lack of awareness among people about the range of pens available in the market and about why certain pens are engineered in a certain way. “Every pen has a story. The expensive pens are used for signing documents, while the cheaper ones for writing purposes,” he said.

During the expo-cum-sale, nearly 200 pens were sold, with the cost ranging from ₹200 to ₹35,000. “Some pens are meant to be kept as collectibles. Pen fanciers will know the value of expensive ones, and they buy it to sign important documents and to add to their collection,” he said.

Twelve representatives have come from across the country to represent their brands during the expo. Those that were put on display during the expo would not be available for purchase from Monday, however, people can have them ordered through the store, Mr. Aniketh Desai said.