The ink stains on his fingers and the vintage pens tucked into his pocket are what identify C A Shanavas as a ‘pen doctor,’ just like a stethoscope marks a physician.
Though the once-popular, fancy fountain pens have faded from the world, thanks to use-and-throw pens, which also have been replaced by keyboards and touch screens, Thiruvananthapuram-based Shanavas continues to keep the fountain pens alive with the precision of a surgeon, and the patience of an artist.
The 63-year-old has spent nearly 50 years restoring worn-out nibs and fixing ink flow, earning a magical ability to understand both his customers and the pens they cherish.
Following in his father’s path, Shanavas began his career in the pen business at a time when fountain pens and ink pots were a common sight.
“My father used to sell ink pens in his store. Back then, people never really serviced their pens, they would simply discard them. However, some used to return damaged ones to us. I was a curious youngster at the time, and I tried to repair those pens. I learnt the art of pen restoration, and over time, I earned recognition across the state for my work,” he says.
Shanavas didn’t set up a store, instead, he travelled across the state, carrying his toolkit to restore cherished fountain pens.
“Even today, when I receive so many calls, I realise how much people still love fountain pens. Many have large collections, and those who once used them will always try to go back to them if possible, because of the comfort they offer. Also, in Kerala, only a handful of people know how to repair these pens,” he adds.
His prime customers are judges, lawyers, and some government offices, such as registration offices, that still rely on fountain pens.
“Judges regularly call me to repair their pens. It’s mainly the younger generation that tends to use ballpoint or gel pens. In rural areas, land documents are still handwritten, so people there continue to trust fountain pens. Once upon a time, it was mandatory for students to use fountain pens as they helped improve handwriting. Some people still encourage youngsters to switch to fountain pens. However, most just use disposable pens,” he says.
Shanavas repairs almost every type of pen, whether it is Pilot, Swan, Blackbird, Flame, Ashoka, Visconti, Waterman, Parker, Ebonite, or even the pricey Mont Blanc.
He is always ready with his toolkit and instead of fixed rates, he lets customers decide what they think is fair fare. Even for discontinued models or pens without original spare parts, he always finds a way to bring them back to life.
“The job is not easy, sometimes it takes hours to repair a single pen. Recently, a customer who regularly uses fountain pens contacted me. He had been away for some time and the ink inside his pens had dried up, ruining them. He called me, and I repaired around 10 to 30 pens for him. Sometimes, I even get pens from the 1930s to restore and I love seeing them revived in my hands,” he adds.
Shanavas has spent his life with pens, and even though his workload has reduced with government offices shifting to computers, he continues to follow his passion. For those unwilling to part with their favourite pens whether it is a gift from their favourite person, a prized possession bought with saved-up money, or a vintage collector’s item — Shanavas remains as a ‘pen doctor.’