Kochi’s oldest pen shop is not just about selling pens, but about creating a rapport with them

Not so far from the entrance to a buzzing street at Broadway is one of Kochi’s oldest pen shops, standing face-to-face with the iconic Bharath Coffee House. Started back in 1964, the shop, simply called the Pen House, is now run by Sabu P M, who inherited the business from his father P M Joseph when he was just 16 years old. The charm of the place is that it is no bigger than a payphone booth and yet sees a deluge of regular customers who come to get their pens repaired or checked.

Amid a vast collection of pens, Sabu stands with his head held high as he speaks about his humble fortune. “Back in the day, my father used to work at a famous pen factory in Kozhikode and after he returned, he founded this store which was the first of its kind in Kochi. Today, I am grateful that I inherited this business from him and that I could study a lot about pens,” he says. Two quirky caricatures hang from the low ceiling of the store—of his father in the guise of a pen doctor tending to a long queue of injured pens. And pointing to these, Sabu says, “There were times when there used to be a long queue outside our store and we even had workers at the store to help us out with the customers. But the times have changed, and the rush is not as much as it used to be.” 

From the neon-coloured pens that cost just ₹2 to fountain pens that cost not more than ₹300, Sabu sells a variety of low-cost pens to his customers. Recently, he started selling eco-friendly paper pens which can be thrown out, guilt-free, after use. Another interesting variety exclusive to his store is the seed pen and pencil that contain seeds of plants. 

However, in a world underpinned by the digital, there are very few who faithfully write using pens and books, except students and the few odd birds. In this context, Sabu’s little shop is a tribute to the olden days when people considered it a pride to carry a pen in their pockets, just like how people flaunt their fancy phones or watches today. “Dupont Paris is my personal favourite among pens, but it is a rare sight today,” he says. There was a collection of pens which Sabu’s father had given to him for safekeeping. A few years back, a fire broke out at the store and some of the pens were destroyed. However, Sabu still carries a metal pen in his pocket and says it has been one of his favourite pens from the collection.

An ardent believer, Sabu swells with gratitude as he says god has given him something which he hasn’t given anybody else— a flair to understand and study the world of pens. He can talk and write endlessly about the magic of pens and it stands as a testament to his rooted devotion to pens. 

“Whenever I find time to write, I write about pens and their glory, because they’ve given me a life,” he says. Sabu claims that pens are often a remedy to most of his aches and pains. “Sometimes when I get headaches, I choose a pen from my collection to write with, which, I know, can alleviate my pain. I think everyone should choose a pen that suits them the most,” he adds, enigmatically. The tiny store that overlooks the busy street is open on almost all days throughout the year. Sabu, who has a family of four, says the business makes him a happier man. 

“On certain days, I come early to the store in the hope of finding new customers,” he says. “Even when the business hits a low, it still gives me enough money to make ends meet.” As computers, e-books, and e-pens flourish, Sabu’s dreams of improving his pen business are at stake and he voices his concern. “Is it really true what I hear about pens and papers going out of use?” he asks of anyone who picks up a conversation with him. 

“My school-going children are not old enough yet to take up responsibilities in this business. My elder one, studying in class 10, aspires to be an advocate and I hope I can support her in her higher studies as well,” adds Sabu. The positive person that he is, Sabu still believes he will start a new business when the time is ripe.  

Trivia

Price range of pens sold at Pen House

₹2 – ₹300

Best-selling pens

Cello ballpoint pens

Pen House timings

10am to 7pm

The story of what is perhaps the only community laundry space to exist not just in Kochi, but in God’s Own Country

Back in the day, dhobis and dhobi ghats were a common element in our neighbourhoods, and some of us may even remember a dhobi doing his weekly rounds on a bicycle in our colonies. But since launderettes and dry-cleaners took over, the dhobi community has been forced to take a backseat. Kochi has successfully housed a dhobi khana for several decades. We bring to you the story of what is perhaps the only community laundry space to exist not just in Kochi, but in God’s Own Country.

Waltz through Veli Street in Fort Kochi,and you’ll be greeted by the sight of clothes of different colours strung on a clothesline dancing over the green grass, and the sound of classic MGR melodies and Rajnikant tunes. Walk past the gate marked ‘Dhobi Khana’ and you’ll see posters of Thalaiva plastered on the walls. Against this filmi backdrop are a number of rather old, grey-haired, lungi-clad men and saree-clad women ironing clothes in 40-odd washing booths in the three-acre compound.

Kochi’s historic Dhobi Khana, nestled among quaint Fort Kochi streets, is run by the Vannar community from Tamil Nadu. It is widely believed that their settlement here dates back more than three centuries. While some part of history accounts that the Dutch brought in the Vannars from Tamil Nadu to manage their soldiers’ laundry, another states that the erstwhile King of Kochi brought them in from Tirunelveli and Coimbatore to take care of the Portuguese troop’s laundry. Yet another claims that the British brought in Tamilians from their native villages to Kochi to work as washermen.

However the case lies, the Vannars were formally organised as a community in the 1920s; over the years they have preserved their cohesive identity. While the earliest Dhobi Khana was put together under the Madras Presidency, the current establishment in Fort Kochi was built in 1976 by GCDA, the statutory body overseeing the development of Kochi city.

The Dhobi Khana laundry collective comprises around 50 families who work day in and day out. The community, which offers their services to hospitals, households, hostels, hotels, government organisations, and even a few cruise ships, still makes use of traditional methods to wash clothes.

“The washing booths are allotted to different families and water pools are provided for each. We wash clothes by beating them directly and repeatedly on stone slabs, mostly while standing ankle-deep in water,” says Shanmugam. “Prior to washing, we soak the clothes in bleach and detergent water. For starching cotton clothes we use rice water, and to get rid of stains we use a bit of chlorine,” adds Pratti.

Many of them, like Murugappan (77), Shanmugam (90) and Pratti (72), have been part of the community and have lived in Kochi since their childhood. “We leave the washed clothes out to dry in the sun for around 5 hours. As opposed to using clothes pegs to pin clothes to the clothesline, we use a technique which involves tucking in clothes between the ropes such that they aren’t affected by winds,” says Murugappan excitedly. “Many of us still use coconut shell charcoal to fire our 8kg traditional clothes irons. Some of the irons we use today are almost 50 years old and were brought in from Sri Lanka,” add Shanmugam and Pratti.

We couldn’t help but notice a huge washing machine in a washing booth, visibly unused. When asked about it, 72-year-old Kamalamma explains, “The washing machine is used only when people are sick and unable to carry out the washing procedures manually. People come to us because we wash clothes in the traditional manner and they trust us with it.”

The registered Vannar Sangham society has not only helped the dhobis organise their work, but has also been instrumental in shaping their life otherwise. All the families live as a community on Dhobi Street (opposite Dhobi Khana) in concrete houses, and some of them have even purchased their own vehicles. To keep their tiny tots engaged while they work, there is also a small park with swings, seesaws and slides. Restrooms, a badminton court, and a common area for indoor games are a few of the other facilities one can find here. “We also have a delivery van which is used to pick up and drop off big laundry orders, mostly from hotels, hospitals and cruise ships,” says Satheesh, secretary of the Dhobi Khana Association.

While most of us await the arrival of monsoon, the Dhobi Khana community usually wishes the rains would stay at bay. “The monsoon is a difficult time,” says Devadas (62), who started working at 15. “We do use dryers during the monsoon but without the sun it gets quite difficult,” adds Kamalamma. Apart from the fact that the dhobis here use traditional methods to wash clothes, they only charge a nominal fee for their services. “Their low rates are definitely their USP. While an average laundry in the city charges (a minimum of) INR 50 for washing and ironing a shirt or a pant, we, at the Dhobi Khana, only charge INR 25 for the same.” Satheesh goes on to say, “Just around 20 per cent of our community’s youth carry forward the familial job of being a dhobi. The rest get educated and find white-collar jobs.” And although Satheesh works as a software engineer at a private firm in Ernakulam, he does a fine job at balancing his city life and livelihood by doing community dhobi services whenever he gets a day off. 

And even though the Dhobi Khana is up and running now, the community believes their profession is dying a slow death. Shedding more light on this, Murugappan says, “Our children and grandchildren shy away from being dhobis in the traditional sense of the word. Literacy has brought about a new way of life and typically, they all (want to) pursue college education and start working regular outside jobs.”