A Visit To Ranga Pens ( Ranga & Co. ) Tiruvallur, Chennai.

[hari317]

I think it was sometime in mid-late 2007 that I and M.P. Kandan of Ranga came into contact with each other. We have interacted a lot over the last eight years.

Ranga are based in a town called Thiruvallur, a suburb some 60 kms away from Chennai. I am an annual visitor (sometimes more frequently) to Chennai, but we never got a chance to meet. This October I was again visiting Chennai and this time we decided that we must surely meet. Kandan invited me over to his place, so that I could also meet his family and specially his father, the master pen maker Thiru M.S Pandurangan who has been hand crafting pens for more than the last 45years.

I hired a cab from Chennai and rented it out to take me to Thiruvallur for around 5 hours. However as it happens when pen people meet, time simply flew and I ended up spending more than 7 hours at Ranga. I received a very warm welcome and was treated like a family member and I even had wonderful homemade lunch prepared by Kandan's mother. I am really grateful and touched.

I was able to see all the models and materials that they had made and I also got a chance to closely observe the making of a fountain pen from scratch.

I was humbled to see the amount of craftsmanship and manual work that Kandan's father puts into making each pen. It was wonderful and at the same time humbling to realise that perhaps Ranga is the only pen maker in India still keeping alive and employing the traditional long forgotten, skill intensive art of hand chasing the threads on the pen. No taps/dies/thread cutting lathes are used. The pens are shaped free hand. The Ranga technique of hand chasing is different from the Japanese technique. Ranga's technique involves moving/advancing the hand chaser by hand in tandem and in rhythm with the thread pitch since the pen is rotated in the turning centre. From the videos available of the Japanese technique, their chasing tool is held stationary while the pen moves back and forth in tandem with the thread pitch.

 

Ranga (Thiru. M.S Pandurangan) also make their own tools for pen making and this is the reason they can cut threads on their pens for almost any nib unit/section.

I was able to make a small video using my hand held camera, I hope the readers will find the video interesting and informative.

 

Some pics that I took during the visit:

Foot operated pen making treadle:

http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Ranga/DSC_7115_812x540.jpg

 

Special handmade tools:

http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Ranga/DSC_7118_812x540.jpg

 

http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Ranga/DSC_7120_812x540.jpg

 

http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Ranga/DSC_7113_812x540.jpg

 

Thiru. M.S. Pandurangan buffing the pen, with his son M.P. Kandan facing the camera.

 

I hope you enjoyed reading about my visit to Ranga.

 

Cheers!

Hari

Edited October 18, 2015 by hari317

[mehandiratta]

This is wonderful

 

Just saw the complete video... I loved it...

 

Kudos sir

Edited October 18, 2015 by mehandiratta

[hari317]

This is wonderful

 

Just saw the complete video... I loved it...

 

Kudos sir

Thank you.

[rishminder]

Nice one Hari....

Thank you very much

[New_Falcon]

The skill is amazing and thanks for taking this video to share with us.

 

Just out of curiosity with do you know if Mr Thiru. M.S Pandurangan and Mr M.P. Kandan use as their personal pens?

 

Thanks for the wonderful video.

[fountainpagan]

I just finished watching the video. It is always a wonder to see a great craftsman at work.

 

Thank you for this wonderful voyage.

 

How long, exactly, Hari, it takes for Thiru. M. S. Panduragan to make one pen?

[fromthecrowd]

Wonderful craftsmanship and wonderful film! Thank you!

[mmg122]

Thanks so much, Hari, for sharing this video with us. It is easily the best thing I have seen on FPN...and all the more meaningful since I just participated in the group buy for the Ranga4C.

[Forsooth]

I could not believe it!! What amazing intuitive skill Mr. Pandurangan has developed.

 

Another great take-away for me: Learning that M. P. Kandan is a young man. For some reason, I thought that Mr. Kandan was elderly, and that his father was quite ancient. Good to know that they'll both be around for some time to come.

[Freddy]

Hari- Thank you for taking the time to post your very interesting

video portrait of father and son at Ranga Pen headquarters.

 

Fred

who is 9:30 est hours behind........................

[Barkingpig]

WOW!

This was a real treat to see a pen similar to the Ranga I purchased from Peyton Street Pens come into being! I have enjoyed using mine & it will have a different meaning of appreciation after seeing the persons responsible for the creation of my pen. Thank you for making the video & sharing it.

[Sudhir]

Thanks Hari for sharing this - it was really enjoyable.

 

As usual, very informative and thanks for all your efforts to bring the stories behind Indian fountain pens into the mainstream.

 

Cheers

Sudhir

[amarjit]

nice informative video

[s_t_e_v_e]

This is amazing Hari!

I don't own a Ranga pen yet but I am eyeing the ones that Peyton Street Pens has.

I like their designs and their quality is very high too. I played around with their bamboo pen once and liked the size, build quality, and finish of the pen.

[mehandiratta]

This is amazing Hari!

I don't own a Ranga pen yet but I am eyeing the ones that Peyton Street Pens has.

I like their designs and their quality is very high too. I played around with their bamboo pen once and liked the size, build quality, and finish of the pen.

try model 3... or model 4c...

[taike]

That video was a treat. Thank you. Makes me look a little differently at the Ranga pens I have the pleasure to use.

[prashant.tikekar]

Great video Hariji. Loved to watch. It helped to understand the skill and efforts taken by manufacturer behind each pen we enjoy to use. Thanks

[hari317]

Nice one Hari....

Thank you very much

thanks!

 

The skill is amazing and thanks for taking this video to share with us.

 

Just out of curiosity with do you know if Mr Thiru. M.S Pandurangan and Mr M.P. Kandan use as their personal pens?

 

Thanks for the wonderful video.

 

Thanks! I am glad I could capture his craft on camera.

 

I am sure some of their own pens, but it was house setting and they were not carrying pens. Kandan if you are reading this, can you pls chime in?

 

BTW, Thiru is the Tamil equivalent of Mr.

 

I just finished watching the video. It is always a wonder to see a great craftsman at work.

 

Thank you for this wonderful voyage.

 

How long, exactly, Hari, it takes for Thiru. M. S. Panduragan to make one pen?

Thank you.

 

I think around 120minutes. It would obviously depend on the design, the Bamboo might take more time than a plain flat top I think.

[hari317]

Wonderful craftsmanship and wonderful film! Thank you!

 

Thanks!

Thanks so much, Hari, for sharing this video with us. It is easily the best thing I have seen on FPN...and all the more meaningful since I just participated in the group buy for the Ranga4C.

thank you.

 

I could not believe it!! What amazing intuitive skill Mr. Pandurangan has developed.

 

Another great take-away for me: Learning that M. P. Kandan is a young man. For some reason, I thought that Mr. Kandan was elderly, and that his father was quite ancient. Good to know that they'll both be around for some time to come.

I certainly wish so.

[hari317]

Hari- Thank you for taking the time to post your very interesting

video portrait of father and son at Ranga Pen headquarters.

 

Fred

who is 9:30 est hours behind........................

 

Thanks Fred.

 

WOW!

This was a real treat to see a pen similar to the Ranga I purchased from Peyton Street Pens come into being! I have enjoyed using mine & it will have a different meaning of appreciation after seeing the persons responsible for the creation of my pen. Thank you for making the video & sharing it.

 

Thank you, it is my pleasure.

 

Thanks Hari for sharing this - it was really enjoyable.

 

As usual, very informative and thanks for all your efforts to bring the stories behind Indian fountain pens into the mainstream.

 

Cheers

Sudhir

Thanks Sudhir.