At the heart of Dhaka city, inside the warm halls of the Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, something quietly magical is unfolding: the first-ever Dhaka Pen Show.

For the first time in Bangladesh, collectors, writers and young enthusiasts have gathered to celebrate an unlikely article—the timeless beauty of ink on paper.

What began as small conversations among hobbyists has now grown into a movement.

The Dhaka Pen Club, founded in 2019, leads this revival with a simple dream: to bring back the golden age of fountain pens.

Seven stalls glow like little museums, offering vintage pens, handmade inks, calligraphy tools and uniquely made notebooks.

Some items at the show are so rare that visitors pause in disbelief, discovering antique articles for writing they never knew existed.

Organisers even hope to revive the historic Karnaphuli Paper Mill one day, to produce high-quality GSM (grams per square meter) paper ideal for writing with fountain pens.

Among the many storytellers present at the fair stands Nazmul Haque Montu, the passionate owner of ‘Bari’r Naam Doyat Kali’, a museum housing artefacts and antique articles for writing he has established at his home at Pallabi in Dhaka city.

Inspired by his uncle’s ink factory, he began collecting inks in 1983, Nazmul recalls.

Today, his museum boasts a collection of around 1,000 inkpots, some over a century old, crafted from silver, clay, crystal, copper and 20–25 varieties of ink, including iconic names such as Subarna, Agnibeena—which poet Kazi Nazrul Islam once used—Kajol Kali and Palash Kali.

His stall displays everything from Mughal-era Bidri art to once famous and widely used Pelikan ink from 1890.

Younger collectors are also shaping the rising culture.

Fahim Mosaddeq, a 27-year-old designer, began his collection in 2024 with a Lamy Safari pen.

He now owns 150 pens and over 150 pencils, priced from Tk 60 to Tk 92,000.

Sohanur Rahman, a 26-year-old notebook maker, showcases his creations, each inspired by archaeological sites and old architectural designs, and suitable for writing with fountain pens.

Honouring the legacy of handwriting, the exhibition also highlights the work of Md Khorshed Alam Bhuiyan, the legendary certificate writer of Dhaka University.

Enthusiastic visitors were seen having their names written on special papers by him, while his calligraphy and other artistic works were also on display.

For decades, he carved bamboo into pens and hand-wrote thousands of certificates, shaping a tradition with his elegant calligraphy.

The fair also has workshops, seminars and open discussions for visitors to educate themselves in the art of writing and of the priceless traditions of ink, pens and paper.

In an age ruled by screens, the Dhaka Pen Show stands as a gentle reminder: writing is still alive, steady, soulful and full of meaning.