“You do brisk business here?” I asked him with a glee. It was a sultry afternoon in mid September and I was on my usual business out to near by villages. Posing this question to the cobbler under the tree I stared at him for an answer. The place was completely deserted and it was an insane place for business to flourish. He smiled at me without taking concentration on his work stitching my slippers. His reflux for my question with a smile was a little insulting for me, but I decided not to go away without the answer for his survival there. I had to throw him 5 bugs for the cobbling he did and again I still stood beside to watch him work. He yawned sarcastically and took a small nap. My curiosity pressing, I still had no idea of moving from that serene environment. After 30 long minutes (for me) he again yawned out loud and woke up. Stood up and picked his bag. Shouldering it he checked for his belongings as if I would have grabbed something out of his treasure and started towards the road stretching west. He never minded to give me a look. But on the other side I never took my eyes out of him. I followed him without a clue of what he is up to for about an hour into the village. He gave a small bag containing 2 pairs of shoes to a passerby and spoke out some words. Then he reached a nearby river and washed himself and his clothes, took out his towel and caught some tuna fish from the fresh water. Cleaning them seriously he cut them into several pieces as people began swarming around him. After selling a good number of pieces he set aside some for himself and started his journey again. After reaching a considerable distance he called out loud at a hut nearby and the same man whom he had met sometime before handed over some amount of money for the pair of shoes he gave him in their last meeting. Chucking them into his pockets he lit a Beedi* and smoked scathingly into the air. Spitting occasionally on the road he at last ended his journey and stepped inside a moderately built house with his kids playing outside. As it was darkening already as the sun had bid goodbye to the day, I though I should return now from what stupidity am doing and started back tiredly thinking of how he made money effortlessly out of nothing. A balloon seller by profession I had all of them tied intact not earning a single penny for the day. Then I heard a voice at my back. Stepping out from his house, the cobbler stuffed 5 bugs into my pocket and snatched off 2 balloons for his kids. Then he asked “You do brisk business? atleast here?” with a glee. |
