~ A Cobbler's Life...~

 He has been around for more than three decades doing the same work and always wearing the same smile as he always did when I used to see him as a kid. The shanty he made as his shop resembles the same emblem and also that nothing has changed in it either. As it is a small 6X6 meter makeshift space that he made it as his workplace, that time was different and that there was only a flower bearing a shrub which has not blossomed itself to be cascading all around his sitting, it does give a marvelous look.

I met ‘Salim after ages, I would say so, he still smiled on seeing me and always welcomed me the way he used to do when I was young enough. Salim is our local cobbler and he has been around since time immemorial, now that many of us don’t visit such places and repair our broken / wear-out footwear, the mall culture has tamed us to use and throw our buys in quick succession – after all it is the time of impulsive consumerism!

Coming back to my original theme, Salim sits in the same posture, on the elevated ground, cuddling himself to comfort – for that is the best posture for him to do his work type with precision, after all, there are some costly footwear repairs which comes his way and any scope of error would be a fallibility on his part and he would loose his customer and brand of a top cobbler in the vicinity – mind it , at his level too, the competition plays its part.

As I sat along with him in his shanty, the talk of good old times started to come up – as we exchanged our past lives and what we have been doing since years passed by, I was wonderstruck to listen to his story of life. His two sons were working in Gurgoan in top MNC’s in CAD (computer Aided design) and were English speakers, unlike him – his eyes widened up with profound honour when he thus spoke of them, I was seeing the proud feeling of a father who could not do much in his life but silently focused on his work and towards his aim to make both of his sons a English speaking gentlemen – his dream was almost fulfilled as he had one wish (which is the wish of a father across the globe) – to get his sons married and make them settled in life.

“What after that, Salimji?” as I asked.

“Nothing, life would be same again but with a difference, I will have the honour to take a break out of this shop!, I have chosen Sunday as the day when I wont come here and be at home.” – this opened a pandoras box for me as I asked “ So you have not taken any holiday or an off during these times?”

“Yes, Almost, I can count my days on my fingertips and tell you when I was on off, hearing about such commitment made me stand still – the man truly deserved honours, a silent worker just like India’s mountain man’ “Dashrath Manjhi” , a labourer from Gaya,Bihar, India - who silently worked for decades to carve out a way by manually doing labour work with a chisel and hammer.

As Salimji had repared my slippers, it was time to go and say goodbye – the penultimate gesture which touched me was his fees , still he asks his fee with a sentence “ Bauji, jo sahi samjho dedo!” [Whatever you deem fit for my work, give it.], the thought till now keeps me mesmerized with such souls in and around you, especially in the world of people insanely running about wealth and possessions , though they have done more harm to themselves that anybody else… Salimji is an example of focus of life and the way one should live it!