Hyderabad artist makes 16-foot long pen for Manmohan Singh

Hyderabad, June 17 (ANI): To spread the message of compulsory education for every citizen of India, M. Srinivasa Acharya, an artist from Hyderabad, has created a 16-feet long fountain pen for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

A teacher by profession, 50-year-old Acharya wants to spread the message of compulsory education for every citizen of India through his pen.

"Education must be made compulsory. That right shall be given to all the Indians. To remove the hurdles in the development of the nation, the illiteracy shall be uprooted. I dedicate this pen on behalf of all Indians to Honorable Prime Minister," said Acharya.ade of brass with a width of a foot, the pen weighs 40 kilograms.

The pen has been named "Bharatiya Pali," which means India's Pen. It took 56 days and about 450 man hours to shape the sheets of brass into pen and to carve the whole structure with illustrations of Indian culture.

The entire project cost Acharya Rs 2.5 lakh. (ANI)