KOLKATA: A polytechnic student who had lost two academic
KOLKATA: A polytechnic student who had lost two academic years to financial constraints during the pandemic is going the green way to continue with his studies and, at the same time, helping visually-impaired people make a living by selling eco-friendly ballpoint pens he makes at home. He is also financing the studies of his sister who will sit for Madhyamik next year.
Subhajeet Saha (22) from Noapara, a diploma student of electronics and communications at Shree Ramkrishna Institute of Science and Technology, Baruipur, has garnered attention from social organisations and environment enthusiasts for the paper- pens filled with seeds of saplings he makes. He also launched paper pencils and bamboo toothbrushes under his brand — Rohit Ecofriendly.
Saha has teamed up with around 100 visually-impaired hawkers, including 10 women, to sell these pens on trains, buses, and on the streets. These hawkers belong to 35 NGOs that also help Saha sell his green products at various events.
“The process of making the pens is simple. It takes a few seconds to wrap a refill with art paper and put a seed at the rear. At least six or seven pens can be made from one art paper. I have engaged around 50 women from NGOs to make the pens. My mother also helps out,” said Saha, who is now contemplating making fountain pens with bamboo, and looking for a deal with nib manufacturers.
The idea of making eco-friendly pens occurred to the youth out of a necessity to fund his studies, and it soon planted in him an entrepreneurship dream. “I passed HS from Jyotinagar Vidyasree Niketan with 60% in science in 2020. But I could not enroll in a college due to paucity of funds. My father works at a printing company in Salt Lake and his salary is inadequate for us to manage three square meals a day. To tide over the financial crisis, I started supplying LED lamps to shops in my neighbourhood. I then thought of making single-use pens that will transform into saplings after use. Since 2021, I have been making and selling these pens. Last year, I took admission in a college that also offers me a concession in fees,” he said.
Now, 7,000 to 13,000 pens are manufactured daily, depending on orders. “Each pen costs Rs 1.6 to make; I supply them to hawkers for Rs 2.1 per piece; they sell them for Rs 5 each. My monthly income hovers between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000. I have made Rs 85,000 in profit from sales at Kolkata International Book Fair this year. A professor of Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences in Germany buys in bulk and distributes them among his students there. My pens are also transported to schools in Egypt and USA through different organisations,” said Saha
Sumal Khan (60), a resident of Behala, has been selling Saha’s green pens since 2022. “Before the pandemic, I used to deal in stationery. When the business took a hit during the lockdown, I took to selling incense sticks. When I heard about Saha’s eco-friendly initiative, I accepted the proposal to sell the pens along with incense sticks. Every day, I sell around 100 such pens in Ballygunge, Tollygunge, Baruipur and Dum Dum platforms, and on local trains,” said Khan, who lost his sight to pox when he was three.
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