“We live in a generation where we believe in replacing everything that’s broken instead of trying to fix it, be it people or things. There was a time when every street had a cobbler, an umbrella repair person or a knife grinder, but now we barely see them and the reason behind it is that we do not have the time to stop and fix anything. We do not hold emotional attachments towards objects, we do not value things as everything is cheap now. I belong to a family that has been in the business of repairing and making shoes for several generations now, but it looks like it will end with me. I no longer see a stable income in this field. There are times when people come to me to have special diabetic footwear made, that is when I make some decent money. But that money isn’t enough to sustain and lead a good life, that is why I have parallelly started selling tender coconuts along with my wife. That fetches us money to keep going, but even that business takes a hit if it rains. However, we remain undeterred and continue to work in the shoe shop as that has been our identity for generations. I think seeing a cobbler like me at least in a handful of places in the city, would help the children learn about this profession outside their textbooks.”

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