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Art of the matter: Pens, paintbrushes & palettes in the digital age
What do India's Independence, the Emergency and the pandemic have in common? They helped cement Chennai's reputation as a hub for art supplies and stationery in the south. At the forefront is Hindustan Trading Company (HTC), in Royapettah, which turned 50 last year.
"My grandfather P V Narayanan operated a hole-in-the-wall store in Sowcarpet that sold school supplies and cashew, circa 1948," says Amritha Venketakrishnan, the third-generation proprietor.
The Make-in-Madras movement picked up steam after Independence. A vestige of the British Raj, the Govt Pencil Factory, was bought by V Perumal Chetty & Sons and rebranded as The Madras Pencil Factory. "My grandfather had made a name for himself in the distribution space.
So, with a sturdy Matador van, he took up distribution of Madras Pencil Factory's products, first in North Madras, then around the state. The business model was based on spot sales, trunk calls, and cartons delivered by rail," she says.
In 1974, the family set up HTC and the 1990s heralded another shift with liberalisation. As the company focused on art supplies, quick-drying acrylic paints became a game changer. HTC has just one store, spread over 6,000sqft, which doubles up as a community art space every week.
It's also planning a six-part documentary on the firm's history.
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Another landmark, Anandha Stationery Stores at Thiruvanmiyur, owes its origins to the Emergency declared in 1975. Overnight, it became illegal to operate any business that offered interest on goods pledged. So, Jawaharlal, a trader was compelled to change course and turn his 160sqft pawn shop into a kirana Sri Jain Stores that sold everything from baby food to lottery tickets.
The transition to stationery and art supplies happened in the 1990s, when his son Anand joined the business, and a rebranding followed.
Today, the family-run firm operates out of its main 1,350sqft showroom in Thiruvanmiyur, and has opened an outlet at Kilpauk. Anand says his father's philosophy was: "Remain afloat for three years, and if you can, stick with it." Jawaharlal still takes interest in the daily business and guides the third generation on taking things forward.
The pandemic triggered a demand for art supplies with more people exploring experiential learning. So, in 2020, Kalyana Sundaram, who worked in engineering sales for three decades, and his wife Savithiri co-founded Sketch Lobby, a store in the residential neighbourhood of Adambakkam. "Art hobbyists form the bulk of our customers, apart from students. We took a year to turn around, and saw profits in 14 months. Now, we have tapped the online market also," he says.
The digital age is changing the definition of art, but these homegrown companies are banking on the lure of paper, paint and brushes.
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