Pune: When writing is easily entrusted to gadgets, the fountain pen seems like a relic. But a small band of enthusiasts still put the pen to paper and when it wears out, they don’t mind spending to fix it, all for the love of the instrument and the wealth of memories that ebb and flow.For Abdul Nasir, the century-old fountain pen handed down by his father was more than just a writing instrument, it was a treasured family legacy. But when it stopped working, he struggled to find someone who could bring it back to life. His search ended with two Thane-based IT professionals, Abrar Ahmed and Vinish Claims, who found their true passion in repairing fountain pens.“The two pens they fixed were legacies. My father received them from my grandfather, and gave them to me,” Nasir said. When, Ahmed and Vinish fixed them, it revived memories.Fountain pen lovers from across India and even abroad courier their prized possessions to the duo. Some have tried getting their pens repaired overseas, but without success. For many, their work ensures that fountain pens aren’t merely repaired but that the stories, legacies, and emotions they inked continue to flow.Dr Bhooshan Shukla, a child and adolescent psychiatrist from Pune, said he struggled for a decade to repair his favourite 20-year-old pen when its nib broke. It was the pen he had used almost for a decade and wanted it to remain in a working condition to remind him of the memories.“I even sent it to a friend in the UK, but no one could fix it. I met Ahmed at the Pune Fountain Pen Show, and he restored it to perfection,” Shukla said. He owns almost 50 fountain pens, including a Parker 51, the model used by German officials to sign the surrender agreement ending World War II.“Writing habits have changed drastically. Many students, teachers, and parents of the new generation have never used a fountain pen,” he said, adding that he still treasures his collection as symbols of patience and craftsmanship.At the show organised in Pune in Sept, a young IT professional approached Ahmed with a pen his late father gifted him when he was four years old. His only request was that no part be replaced.“When I repaired it, the look on his face was priceless. For us, it’s never about the money, it’s about reviving memories,” Ahmed said, adding that he often repairs pens for free when there is no major work and no part has to be replaced.While he works only on weekends and holidays to craft alongside his IT job, Vinish quit his corporate career four years ago to pursue his passion. The duo said that only a handful of experts in India —”maybe six or seven at best” — can repair all types of fountain pens. Not many follow the profession as the work requires immense patience and passion.Ahmed learnt the skill while working at a pen shop in Mumbai around 13 years ago. He said it is common for them to receive pens that are 75 to 100 years old.“Most issues are related to sacs, tubes, or nibs. We handle minor cracks ourselves, but in many cases, when the parts need to be replaced, they need to be imported from the US or UK, as they are not available in India,” he said.The imported parts can be expensive. The sac alone, which holds ink in some models, can cost up to Rs 25,000. Yet, Ahmed said, people are willing to spend because “it’s not about the money, but the memories and legacies they want to preserve.”Vinish, who has always been fascinated by repairing mechanical items like watches, learnt to restore fountain pens on his own about eight years ago. “I used to buy old pens from Mumbai’s Chor Bazaar and repair them at home. I got to work on pens from various brands and models,” he said.He said in many cases the ink simply dries up when a pen has not been used for a long time. “The dried ink blocks the flow, causing the pen to stop working,” he added. The duo said that every pen has a different mechanism and requires different skills to repair.While brands like Parker have service centres in India, they don’t repair discontinued models, leaving the owners of these pens dependent on independent restorers. “Some companies like Montblanc don’t have service centres in India at all. Customers have to courier their pens to Germany for repairs, which takes at least 90 days,” Vinish said.The costs are high. Montblanc charges around Rs 12,000 as a service fee, and customers have to pay extra for replacements. Vinish said he repairs the same pen at Rs 4,000 hence people prefer to bring it to him.Once a common writing instrument, the fountain pen has now become a collector’s treasure, with companies releasing only limited editions to commemorate personalities or historic events.On Oct 2, German pen maker Pelikan launched a special limited edition fountain pen dedicated to Her Majesty Margareta, custodian of the Romanian crown. The exclusive pen was launched in collaboration with the Royal House of Romania. Only 700 units were produced worldwide with one reserved for ceremonial honour, while the remaining 699 pens are available for sale at EUR 965 (approximately Rs 99,000) each.Rashmi Nagarkar Pillai of ‘The Ink and Pen’ which organises The Pune Fountain Show, an exhibition exclusively dedicated to fountain pens since 2019, said repairing them is often challenging.“For most people, using a fountain pen is more than just a hobby, it carries emotions, feelings, and cherished memories. Collecting fountain pens is a popular passion among advocates and doctors,” she added.Nagarkar added that fountain pens are easy to handle, and studies indicate that they improve handwriting while offering a unique sense of joy to the writer.
