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\u201cCobbler, cobbler, mend my shoe, Give it a stitch, and that will do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The kindergarten poem lines reverberated in my mind as I noticed a small child in navy-blue tunic and crisp white shirt school uniform quickly got down from the scooter. She took out her left black ballerina shoe and extended it to the cobbler sitting at the corner of a busy intersection of the city. Her mother followed after putting the scooter on stands on the side of the road, on the footpath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWould you please mend the shoe? She has to attend tuition classes, and I am already late,\u201d the mother said, showing the gap between the upper and the insole close to the toes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cobbler was polishing shoes. He looked at the ballerina shoe. He took a length of waxed black thread lying on the torn mat spread over the newly laid red and white inter-locking concrete blocks and began to stitch. In his right hand, the cobbler held awl; in left hand the thread. First, he inserted awl into the sole, created a loop in the thread with his left hand, and pulled it up with the help of awl. Then, with his left hand positioned inside the shoe, he guided the stitches with rhythmic precision; poking awl and pulling out thread. Finally, he tied the threads and sliced them with cutter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe awl might hurt your fingers,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, working over the years, it becomes normal,\u201d the cobbler said looking at me and added, \u201cboth hands know what they have to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI guess different type of soles may create difference,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, some times the soles are very hard. The ones they make for the army personnel shoes. A different process is followed to mend those shoes. Stitching is for softer soles. Otherwise, these awls would break and I have to make new ones,\u201d he said as he completed mending shoe of the child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d The child\u2019s mother asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRs 20\/-,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the last three months, I am trying to understand lives of the cobblers working on the footpath or side walk of Anand, Gujarat. I was keen to know about them for a long time but my limited conversational Gujarati stood in the way. Since I planned to conduct this self-sponsored research, hiring a translator was a problem. Thankfully, a friend volunteered to assist me. I agreed on a term that he would accept a small gift from me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was the second time I came to meet this cobbler. Last time a pneumatic breaker was breaking the concrete road for a new construction and the scheduled meeting was postponed. The translator had already taken his consent for an interview. He was informed about the purpose and was verbally informed that he may refuse to answer any uncomfortable question or he may refuse without citing any reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After introducing my self I asked, \u201cWhat is your name?\u201d After a long wait for the cacophony of traffic and the incessant flow of customers to subside before speaking. Our deal was that interview will not stop him from attending to his business. There was a slight pause as the cobbler rubbed wax (called meed<\/em> in Gujarati) onto a thread. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMahendra Macwana,\u201d he said (pseudonym)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou sit by the side of the road with the constant movement of traffic,\u201d I observed. \u201cThere is so much dust and pollution here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, there is dust, but I cannot do anything,\u201d Mahendra responded calmly. \u201cI have become habituated to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSince how long are you sitting here?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMore than two decades,\u201d said Mahendra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre you from this city?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, I am from a nearby city named Nadiad\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou live here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, I travel daily from Nadiad to this place. I take morning train and reach here in the morning. I start arranging all the goods and tool box and by 9 AM the shop is ready. I start working,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou carry everything daily,\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, I wind up my shop and places everything in a box and keep it in front of that shop. A security person takes care of the box. I pay him money every month,\u201d he said indicating towards a permanent shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are you doing with the thread? I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am rubbing wax on the thread,\u201d he said as he held a small, around one inch diameter, wax ball in his right hand and held thread between toe of his left leg and right hand. He rubbed the brown wax quickly over a two-foot section, then pulled a fresh length of thread to repeat the process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre you making it stronger?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, the nylon thread is already strong,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWould you please explain the significance of rubbing wax on thread?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou see the thread? It is loose and supple. You cannot use it for stitching shoes. How would the awl hold it? The pointed end of the awl can pierce the unwaxed thread and break it while pulling. Waxing prevents fraying of the thread. It also stops tangling of thread,\u201d he said, demonstrating how untreated thread bunches up while waxed thread remains smooth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe wax coating creates a layer that makes thread tight and holds the strands of thread together. The awl picks up the tight thread easily. The wax also acts as a lubricant, making the pulling of thread easier. The coating of wax also protects the thread from decaying because it makes the thread waterproof,\u201d he explained as he continued rubbing the wax on the black thread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease tell me, what brought you to this city?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have two brothers. I was previously working at Nadiad. My father had a shop there. I worked with him for some time and I learnt shoe mending while working with him. After the death of my father, my elder brother also died. I gave that shop to my brother\u2019s son and decided to open shop here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour father had a shop in Nadiad,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, just like this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease tell me how you chose this location,\u201d I requested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen I first arrived to this city by train I went to a tea shop. There, I picked up a conversation. A man told me he hadn\u2019t seen the local cobbler near the cinema hall opening his shop for more than six months. I thanked him and came to this location. The nearby shopkeepers told me not to sit here. They mentioned about the cobbler who sat here. I promised that I will shift to another location if the previous cobbler returned. I was apprehensive but my luck helped me. The previous cobbler did not return,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you have to pay fees for sitting here?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo,\u201d Mahendra replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A person came and asked for insoles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRs 30\/- per pair,\u201d Mahendra said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat all do you deal in?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI polish shoes, mend shoes and bags, replace trolley wheels, zippers and runners. I sell insole and laces,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhich one is your favourite?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEvery work is my favourite,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI guess some work pays better?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cReplacing a runner pays more. However, a cobbler cannot afford to be selective. You must do all the work equally well,\u201d he insisted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease tell me about your daily routine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wake up early, have tea and khari<\/em> (a type of snack \u2013 plain puff pastry), and leave home. I told you earlier that I set my shop by 9 AM. I work whole day and return home at 6PM by train,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt must be very difficult during the monsoon,\u201d I suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes,\u201d Mahendra admitted. \u201cFor those two months, there is no earning. I have to depend on what I saved during the other months of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhich is your best month for business?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cApril and May,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIsn\u2019t it too hot then?\u201d I asked, thinking of the searing Gujarat summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes,\u201d Mahendra said, \u201cbut it is also the marriage season, and there are many more customers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat about lunch?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI only have tea and snacks here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou should have brought tiffin from home,\u201d I said looking at his thin, emaciated frame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy wife died during the corona. My mother has to go for work, and my children are in college. They have to go to college. I manage food here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTechnically, you only eat one full meal a day – at dinner,\u201d I remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He remained silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWho is in your family?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI, mother, and three children,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease tell me about your children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy eldest daughter is in the first year of MA in Economics. My second daughter is in her second year of graduation, and my son is studying for a diploma in engineering,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you have to pay fees for their education?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, education is very expensive. My mother\u2019s wages go towards their fees,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow much do you earn?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAround Rs 12000\/- per month,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat is your caste?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am caste Rohit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWould you please explain it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRohit is a Schedule Caste,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs it different from the caste Mochi?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cMochi is profession; Rohit is the caste. People call us Mochi, but we are Rohit,\u201d he repeated and further added, \u201cWithin Rohit there are various ataks<\/em> (surnames) like Makwana, Solanki, Parmar, and many more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow are marriages conducted in your community?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA Makwana can marry Solanki or Parmar or any other atak<\/em> within caste Rohit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow are marriages arranged?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI did not get you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to know whether brides father go to grooms house or vice versa,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, in our community there is a third person who knows both parties. He will speak to both the sides and in case there is an agreement the boy and the girl meet and marriage is solemnised in a ceremony. The third person is paid honorarium,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWho conducts ceremony?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe conduct the ceremony ourselves,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre you planning to marry your children?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy eldest daughter would complete her Master\u2019s in next two months. First, she should complete her education and then only I will marry her. I could not finish my education, but I want my children to study as much as they can,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease tell me about your education,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI completed BA in Economics. Then, I took admission for an LLB in a law college in Nadiad\u2026\u201d Before he could complete, I exclaimed, \u201cWow!\u201d. I tried my best to control my emotions but could not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI left LLB after the first year. My father died, and the conditions became too tough. By that time, I had also completed a course in CNC machine operation. The machine that runs on computer and cuts pattern in metal sheets,\u201d said Mahendra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can understand that you might not have got job after BA in Economics but CNC operation course is a vocational skill course. In state like Gujarat CNC operators get job easily,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith some difficulty I got a job of CNC apprenticeship. You know, the factory owners employ people of their choice. I worked in the factory for some time. My monthly wages were Rs 60\/-. It was too less to maintain the family for entire month. Money was required every day, and I already knew my father\u2019s trade. I decided to work as a cobbler,\u201d said Mahendra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/clearcut.sakchinursinghome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-135-1024x781.png\")
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