Know Your City: La Quill Museum in Bengaluru showcases the art of calligraphy and beyond

Up a flight of narrow stairs waits a collection that has been built over the decade since Janardhan set up the museum. Glass cabinets display ink in every shade of the rainbow (and beyond), trays and boxes show rare pen nibs, and bespoke containers hold limited-edition pens that are just as much works of art as they are writing instruments.

Inks, pens and more at J’s La Quill Museum

To Janardhan, calligraphy goes far beyond its definition in the dictionary — to something like art that must be truly experienced to understand, where writing something beautifully or artistically is a starting point rather than an end goal. This philosophy is at work in his museum for any students that may arrive along with soothing instrumental music and cups of green tea to an essential oil scent spread through diffusers. “When you are in a good frame of mind, with good thoughts, and you can transfer that to harmonious writing… when you hold a quill or a fountain pen and create a piece – that attains the status of calligraphy,” he says.

Collection from La quill museum. (Express photo by Manasi Janardhan)

His brush with calligraphy started early when he saw examples of writing that in earlier times might only be written and not printed in the present day, such as invitations and the like. When he was young, Janardhan found it difficult to find books to learn the art, and instead started by copying what he saw. Today, however, the museum houses extremely rare books on the subject of handwriting and calligraphy, including a priceless set of volumes from the Italic Handwriting Society.

(Express photo by Manasi Janardhan)

Among the shelves of inks are limited edition bottles from the revived Sulekha Ink company, which started during India’s freedom struggle as a producer of Swadeshi ink, to a many-decade-old flask of English Swan Blue Ink which is long since out of production. While classic pens from brands such as Parker, Mont Blanc, and Beena strike a familiar note, ebonite pens may be known to older visitors. On the other side of the room, narrow-nibbed pens from Japan and treasures such as Winston Churchill-themed limited edition by Conway Stewart sit near quills that a medieval writer might know. In a tongue-in-cheek section dedicated to forgeries, several Chinese duplicates of Mont Blanc pens sit alongside a deerstalker hat — the favoured headgear of Sherlock Holmes.

(Express photo by Manasi Janardhan)

While an expanding collection means that space is slowly becoming a constraint, Janardhan has plans to enlarge the museum in the coming years, alongside ideas such as holding handwriting contests on a grand scale, even as he uses the presence of the museum to try and improve the surrounding streets.

A few minutes’ walk from the K R Market Metro Station, visits to the La Quill Museum are by appointment, and can be made by calling Janardhan at 98451 86482. Visitors, Janardhan suggested, should set aside around half a day for an in-depth experience of the museum. Currently, the museum does not charge entry fees and is open on all days from 10 am to 5 pm.