It's quill or cure at the Kolkata 'hospital' dedicated to pens

The nondescript Pen Hospital – with its crumbling facade and underwhelming interior – stands in stark contrast to the dozens of plush shops that pepper Chowringhee Lane, Esplanade, in Kolkata's commercial business district, making it easy to miss.

Not for pen lovers though, who have been making their way to the place since 1945 to have all kinds of fountain pens repaired.

Famous as an “operating theatre” for fountain pens, the quaint outfit continues to draw customers from around the world looking for a one-stop solution for reviving and repairing precious writing instruments.

Priceless heirlooms are couriered to the shop by a broad clientele of former royals, celebrities, lawyers and academics.

A long list of noted writers, filmmakers – including Honorary Academy Award-winning Indian film director Satyajit Ray – politicians, judges, doctors, journalists, university professors and high-ranking government officials also make regular pilgrimage to the shop, when the occasion demands.

At times, customers face a week-long wait for an appointment.

Inside, the shop similarly humble, with crumbling wooden cupboards, a dilapidated floor and a small glass table top that doubles as the “operating table”.

However, a closer look reveals masterpieces from Parker, Pilot, Visconti, Wilson, Montblanc, Waterman, Pierre Cardin, Pelikan, Sheaffer and other brands lining the glass cupboards – a subtle hint of the shop's erudite and well-to-do clients.

Hidden among the gems could be a Conway Stewart Churchill, a Parker Duofold or a rare Montblanc 149.

Self-proclaimed pen surgeon Shahbaaz Reyaz, 24, began to run the shop with his uncle Mohammed Imtiaz after his father’s death last year.

“My great-grandfather Mohammed Shamsuddin launched the shop in 1945,” says Reyaz.

“After his death, his father Mohammed Sultan took over. The business was then inherited by my uncle Mohammed Imtiaz [today’s owner] and my late father Mohammed Riyaz. My cousin and I are the next in line.”

He says that repairing pens is fraught with challenges because the work “can involve anything from repairing the nib [sometimes gold tipped], to attending to a graphite body and or even setting right the refilling system, among others”.

“Some of the parts aren’t easily available,” he says, “so we have to resort to creative solutions to make customers happy.”

Most of the repair work is done at the shop, while pens requiring a major overhaul are outsourced to niche workshops or specialists.

Some essential parts, such as washers, are locally manufactured while nibs are often flown in from abroad.

“The business isn’t bad actually; we have a steady stream of clients who have been coming to us for decades,” says Reyaz of the threat of the digital world to the pen.

“However, I recall my grandfather mentioning that the business thrived during the 1940s and 50s when people were passionate about reading and writing. Now, interest has ebbed in both activities. But we’re surviving.”

In the '80s and the '90s business flourished – a time when Kolkata’s rich and famous were then selling their ancestral properties to either migrate or to move into high-end city flats.

“While shifting households, they stumbled upon their rich haul of family heirlooms including vintage pens, which revived their interest in their forgotten collections,” he adds.

The entrepreneur says that, although sales hit rock bottom a decade ago, post-Covid-19, there has been a spike in business, which he attributes to the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns.

“People have rediscovered their love for reading and writing with fountain pens.”

There has also been a surge of interest in vintage pens, Reyaz says, explaining that the shop’s clientele has been expanding.

“The new generation of pen owners who have inherited rare instruments from their forefathers are taking a lot of interest in keeping their collections vibrant,” he says. “This augurs well for our business.

“For instance, there is a senior high court judge who has been our client for over three decades. He has a roomful – basically a museum – devoted to rare writing instruments. Such clients are the backbone of the hospital.”

The family still sell pens on the premises, ranging in price from $1 to $650.

“We also get clients who want to sell their pens to us. After evaluating their condition and vintage thoroughly, we offer them a fair price,” says Reyaz.

The family is considered by many connoisseurs to be a trustworthy barometer for assessing whether a priceless personal artefact could become obsolete or not.

Regular customers swear by the shop’s professionalism and dedication to the craft. Ronjon Mukherjee, 48, a professor, has been using the shop’s services for 20 years.

“I have a collection of 25 pens ranging in price from $100 to $400,” he says.

“They’re like my children who fall ill sometimes and need TLC. To address these problems, I must have used the shop’s services dozens of times.

“They’ve never disappointed me. I wouldn’t go anywhere else ever. That’s how important the Pen Hospital is for us fountain pen users.”

Meanwhile, the shop owners are happy that, unlike many other Indian cities, the tradition of giving and cherishing pens is still alive in Kolkata.

“We don’t see our work as a business involving profit and loss. For us, it’s a passion. And passion never dies,” Reyaz says before busying himself with an incoming customer.

“We’ll continue this legacy as long as we can and the customers want.”