In the old and dusty lanes of the Fort area in South Bengaluru, stands a white, three-floor building. It’s calligraphist KC Janardhan’s century-old ances-tral home and his museum of calligraphy, J’s La Quill.
The newest addition to this one year-old museum is the replica of Winston Churchill’s account — a short note about his early life in Bengaluru during the 1874-1908 period. The original was a larger recreation written in informal cursive style on dark brown paper. As it was wearing out, Janardhan was commissioned to recreate it as it was written in the early 1900s. “I wrote in Copperplate and in formal cursive style of writing on a parchment paper with Mont Blanc Burgundy ink and also created the burnt-by-age vintage effect,” explains Janardhan. The original is displayed in the “Churchill Corner” at the main lobby of Bangalore Club. The miniature replica is exhibited along with the 404th pen from Conway Stewart’s limited edition of Churchill pens at the museum.
Special assortments like these — of unique pens, unusual ink pots, quills and other writing paraphernalia make Janardhan’s museum a must-visit. A wooden stairway in Janardhan’s house leads up to the third floor that was exclusively built as the museum. Interesting to note is that every floor is named after a street in the UK — Baker Street, Downing Street and the museum floor is called the Houses of Parliament. While we take a walk around, we ask the calligraphist about his fascination with the British and the reason behind using London street names. “My grandfather was a railway employee during the British era and he introduced me to the British and their culture, so this has been a childhood fascination,” he says.
For calligraphists and handwriting enthusiasts, the museum exhibits and materials provide an in-depth understanding of the art.
At Fort D’Street, Kalasipalya. Visit by appointments only. Details: 8217244302