There are four parts to longevity in business. One part is ingenuity, and the other three are just plain, old-fashioned, boring stick-to-itiveness. Those four parts working in perfect synchronicity, seller of pens, a whopping number of them fountain pens, Gem & Co has continued at the same address on NSC Bose Road in George Town for no less than 99 years. As it is poised to complete 100 years of existence in February 2027, there are no signs it could be running out of ink.
M. Pratap Kumar, representing the third-generation at the reins of Gem & Co after grandfather M.C. Cunnan and father M. Prabhat Kumar, has had greater need for those three parts because of the times in which he is holding those reins. Pratap is penning Gem & Co’s brand story challenging the digital onslaught as seen by the writing pad being increasingly replaced by the keyboard.
And then there are the mundane hiccups, the gremlins that play a nasty trick on you when you do not even suspect their existence. Having seen 64 summers, Pratap has had a share of these niggles, finding some of those summers tough, and some winters too, the latter indicated by the shop’s increased height.
“We had to increase the height of the shop because of the water coming in during every rain as a result of the road level going up over the decades, and we had to pump out the water or manually push it out,” explains Pratap.
Gama pens made by Gem & Co range from Rs. 120 to a several thousands.
The overarching challenge however comes from the digital takeover of writing and the pervasive disposable, throwaway culture particularly pronounced where stationery is concerned. In 1927, when his grandfather M.C. Cunnan and business partner S. Venkatarangam Chetty were seeking to shift the focus of their business from general trade to one focussed on an exclusive product line, and the lot fell on fountain pens and Gem & Co as its known today was born, no hazy clouds of doubt hung over the decision. The clouds would not drift in for many decades to follow. Back then selling fountain pens was a sensible choice as children often went through the grades with the same fountain pen.
“Now , this business is not feasible, but we are still running it because of the passion we have for fountain pens. It is running in my blood,” Pratap observes, sheer pride in the trade overriding everyday realities. “The profit is less; customers have become less.” Pratap has steered the family business since 1985 and the enthusiasm for designing and selling fountain pens, particularly hand-crafted artisanal pens has not flagged. True to what its name is associated with, the Gama line of fountain pens made and marketed by Gem & Co remains “undefeated”. It is named after the legendary undefeated pehalwani wrestler Ghulam Hussain Baksh Bhat (1878-1960) who went by the ring name “The Great Gama”.
“My grandfather was a patriot and a freedom fighter; he wanted the pen to be named after an Indian hero,” Pratap observes. “My grandfather would have thought the pen would be as strong as the wrestler.”
A life-sized replica of the Gama pen suspended at the shop; Gama pens are made and marketed from Gem & Co’s stables.
Pratap reveals that “the making of plastic moulded pens are outsourced to manufacturers elsewhere in India such as Mumbai. The ebonite, hand-crafted pens are made by us.” Though remaining steadfast to its ebonite craftsmanship, the company has embraced the changing times by introducing models, vibrant acrylic and transparent demonstrator fountain pens among them, likely to appeal to the younger generations. The store also repairs fountain pens, restoring what are treasured possessions to their keepers and cannot be valued in purely materialistic terms.
‘Who actually keeps Gem & Co up and writing its long story?
Certainly not those like this reporter who was briefly drawn to a fountain pen just to have an experience close to that of a Victorian writer hunched over an unwritten page, a dip pen in hand, a lit candle on the table, and perhaps, a dramatic rumble of thunder disturbing the quiet. The patrons of Gem & Co are not drawn to fountain pens on account of a fleeting excitement; they have written the use of fountain pens into their everyday script.
“We are able to sustain the business because of the generation that has been buying from us for 40, 50 and 60 years. But the customer base is not restricted to them. A steadfast customer, who is 92 years old, continues to buy from us, now for his grandchildren. People from those generations pass on the interest to their children and grandchildren, who head to our shop to buy fountain pens. When some of these youngsters tell us that their parents and grandparents also bought from Gem & Co, it is delight to our ears,” states Pratap. There are Gama fountain pens (gamapens.com) priced from ₹120 to several thousand rupees (“₹2000, ₹3000 and ₹ 5000 and so on, depending on how intricately they are hand-crafted”).
Pratap seeks to present a proper measure of fountain pens, one shorn of the romance that goes with them. They are “economical, eco-friendly and remarkably durable”; he however, believes their value lies beyond practicality.
He elaborates: “Writing with a fountain pen stimulates your mind; when you are writing, you have to match the speed of memory; only a fountain pen can do that. Only fountain pens will have a slight friction on the paper which controls your mind and writing speed.”
Kalathi Shop at North Mada Street in Mylapore shuns the glare of public attention. Text requests for newspaper interviews can go unanswered. Considerable ink about Kalathi shop has been spilt on newsprint; and the novelty of press coverage has long worn off. Food bloggers and vloggers have offered it their share of glorification; there are enough bytes about Kalathi out there to sustain a 24-hour nonstop programming schedule on television. On Google, Kalathi shop manages an impressive 4.3 against 4,193 Reviews.
So much attention being showered on a petty shop, its limited dimensions and address unchanged since its inception in 1927, for what? A drink it fills a small rectangular pet bottle with. Its rose milk has captured generations of taste buds. It sells other items including newspapers, but reels in visitors from far and wide for its rose milk, and has consolidated a set of loyal followers far beyond Mylapore’s radius.
For the last 15 years since he discovered this shop, Suresh Kumar. V., a resident of Valasaravakkam, has headed to North Mada Street many a time just to savour the chilled drink.
Many try to recreate the taste at home buying rose milk essence from Kalathi. Siji S., a resident of Nungambakkam, says she has experimented with Kalathi’s rose milk essence several times. While she has come close, she admits she has never been able to replicate the exact taste. Perhaps that is the charm of some recipes, they come packed in mystery, one that keeps customers returning for another sip.
If those running the shop choose not to organise a celebration to mark its 100th anniversary next year, its loyal rose milk-loving customers might choose to.
Published - July 11, 2026 09:32 pm IST