: How a Man From Allahabad Established Hyderabad’s Iconic Pen Store With a Sherwani #IndiaNEWS #Hyderabad In 1925, a twenty-something boy from Allahabad (now Prayagraj) set out in search of livelihood

How a Man From Allahabad Established Hyderabad’s Iconic Pen Store With a Sherwani #IndiaNEWS #Hyderabad
In 1925, a twenty-something boy from Allahabad (now Prayagraj) set out in search of livelihood on a Calcutta-bound train, with only one sherwani and a few paisa in hand.
There, he met a foreigner who was in search of local vendors to sell premium fountain pens, the likes of Conway Stewart and Duro. The seller advised the boy to cover a distance of more than 1,000 km and sell the pens in Hyderabad, home to the newly established ‘University of Osmania’.

With no money to purchase the pens the boy offered his sherwani, the only piece of clothing he had on him.
He arrived at Hyderabad, and began going door to door to sell the pens. A few years later, he was the owner of a pen store.
You might know this store as Deccan Pen Stores, which stands today as world renowned for its collection of exquisite fountain pens. The boy on the train, better known as S A Siddiqui, gave Hyderabad, as well as the rest of India, a treasure trove of pens, alongside the facility to repair old and broken ones.

“When my grandfather came here, no one was selling pens. So he immediately capitalised on it and formed his own market,�? Awais, one of Siddiqui’s grandsons, tells The Better India.
“What makes our history even more endearing is that when my grandfather earned enough money through his store, he couriered it to that foreigner, in hopes to get back the sherwani he loved so much. The foreigner, impressed with his ethics, sent the sherwani back, alongside the money. In a letter, he advised my grandfather to use the money to scale his operations,�? Awais adds.
A legacy etched in Hyderabad’s history
A hand-made poster (right) made by Siddiqui and Montblanc poster (left) made in 1940
One of the most peculiar qualities of the Siddiqui family, says Awais, is perseverance. It is also the backbone of the company. Without this quality, how would one survive the downfall of fountain pens, an untimely death, severe debts, and a pandemic that has taken the lives of three store employees?
Awais says that when Sidiqqui had saved enough to purchase a property for his store, everyone expected a tiny shop in the corner of the street. Instead, he bought a 1,000- square feet land.
This was a bold decision, given that back then, ballpens were yet to enter Hyderabad’s markets. His idea was to sell just one product, which would be of the finest quality. A year later, the store had pens from various brands such as Hugo Boss, Waterman, Parker, Mont Blanc, Sheaffar, Blackbird, and more.
The collection attracted all kinds of buyers — the British, the maharajas, and the common man. Awais recalls the time when Nawabzada Muhammad Yusef Ali Khan had ordered close to 300 Blackbird pens.