Life in the day of a cobbler
M. Pazhani, 60, a cobbler working on Conron Smith Road.
| Photo Credit:
R. RAGU
Every morning, M. Pazhani, 60, a cobbler living with disability, leaves his residence at Thomas Road at half past seven, and rides his disabled-friendly tricycle for a little over half an hour to reach Gopalapuram. He parks his tricycle in a corner of Conron Smith Road, rolls out a plastic sheet with six pairs of footwear over the footpath, opens his toolbox, and patiently awaits customers.
For the last four decades, Mr. Pazhani has been spending ten hours a day on the Conron Smith Road, trying to make ends meet by mending footwear.
Mr. Pazhani has been using a wheelchair since he was 18. Overcoming challenges, he chose to follow his father’s footsteps, and learnt to repair footwear. He recalls how the city and its people have been kind to him, helping him eke out a living.
“The prime example for it is how strangers helped me and my wife survive the pandemic. So, when COVID-19 struck, I was penniless. Be it sending food, rice, or vegetables, they came to our rescue, and that was the only way we could hold up during those testing times,” he says.
He consumes a humble breakfast before he leaves for work. If the business is reasonable, he can buy lunch; sometimes, people offer him lunch. “I manage to earn just about ₹150-₹200 every day. There is usually about 5-6 customers a day. It has always been a struggle,” he says.
Around 6 p.m., he packs his bag and navigates through the choked roads back home for a quiet dinner with his wife. “There is not much business anymore. I have managed to do it all these years, raised three daughters, educated them, and got them married. But it is getting tougher now. It’s just me and my wife, left for one another. With rising prices, affording rent for the house is the biggest challenge for me now, and I pin my hopes on support from people,” he says.
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