16-Foot Pen Presented To Manmohan Singh By An Artist From Hyderabad

Hyderabad, June 17- A 16-foot brass fountain pen weighing 40Kg was presented to the Prime Minister by Srinivasa Acharya, an artist from Hyderabad. It signifies the "Right To Education" bill, which states compulsory education for everyone.

“The basic idea is to promote Indian culture and tradition across the world and to present this pen to Mr. Singh on behalf of every citizen of the country,” Mr. Acharya said in a telephone interview.
“Every Indian is a part of this pen and should feel themselves as a presenter to the Prime Minister.”

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)

The Right to Education law guarantees education to every child aged six to 14 by making education a fundamental right. The law came into force on April 1, 2010.

“This law is very important for every child born in this country,” Mr. Acharya said. “Education is a fundamental right and a right that should be enjoyed by everyone.”