Manufacturer to now produce sharpeners for left-handed after knowing ordeal

The sharpeners for lefties that the manufacturer launched last month. Pic/Shadab Khan

Only those who are born left-handed will know the real struggle of trying to make do with 'right' products, which are completely wrong for them, including stationery. But in a win of its own kind, an emotional response from a Thane-based mother-daughter duo has managed to make Hindustan Pencils see the other side of things. Last month, the company launched sharpeners for left-handed people.

Last December, Shweta Singh, mother of four-and-a-half-year-old Isha, had written to Hindustan Pencils, saying that her child was facing difficulty in using sharpeners tailored for right-handed people. She'd added that although there were sharpeners available in the market for lefties, those cost anywhere between Rs 500 and Rs 700. In response, HP had immediately sent Isha a pack of five sharpeners from their R&D department made especially for left-handed people.

February saw the commercial countrywide launch of the new sharpeners. The company is now working on providing rulers, scissors, as well as specially branded pencils for the left-handed.

The trigger
"Isha and her mother Shweta's role was like a trigger point for us," said Sanjay Tiwari, group marketing manager, Hindustan Pencils. "When I first received the letter from Shweta, our immediate reaction was to help her daughter. Usually, customers call us to complain; but then, we had this customer who'd written to tell us that her daughter was unable to sharpen her pencils. I found that very unusual."

Also Read: Stationery makers send 5 sharpeners meant for left-handed to junior KG girl

"[After sending Isha sharpeners for lefties] we found that there is a big response coming from all over the country; so, we thought why not put this product on a priority basis. By January-end/February beginning, we were ready. As we are a pan-India organisation, we have launched these sharpeners in almost every state but have distributed them to only select channels. If one is unable to find the product, they can always write to us at feedback@hindustanpencils.com. We are also planning on tying up with Amazon to widen reach," he added.

More to follow
According to Tiwari, there is no sharpener meant for both lefties and righties. "Nearly 99 per cent sharpeners are made for the right-handed." Speaking about the price of the new sharpeners, he added: "They are made of plastic and cost only R5 each, pretty much on par with the price of the rest of our sharpeners. We are now working on introducing rulers, scissors, and even pencils for left-handed people. The branding on the pencils will have to be changed for lefties.

"There is a consumer segment out there - it might be a small segment - it needs to be paid attention to and requires a specialised type of stationery."

Shweta said: "It's nice that I was able to do something for my daughter, but now, this is going to help all left-handed children out there, and that feels great. The price too is very affordable. They (Hindustan Pencils) said they would soon launch pencils and scissors for lefties too; these things are available abroad, but not so much in India."

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