Ordinary people are amazing आम लोग अदभुत हैं
22 July 2022
Ordinary people are amazing आम लोग अदभुत हैं
Photo 1: Women standing with loads of old clothes in front and on her back
Me: माँ, बर्तनवाली आई है (Mom, woman offering steel utensils in exchange has come)
Ma: उसे आने दे (let her come). काफी पुराने कपड़े जमा है (lot of old clothes are now with us)
And then begins hassles of bargaining between two. Mom tries to get more steel utensils for old clothes, and bartanwali (traditionally Boharin kalhaiwali or waghari community) aiming for best bargain. And in the end, the deal invariably is done, smiles on both faces, no matter how much time is spent.
The above incident occurred many decades ago and remains fresh whenever I see women dealing in old clothes. And the same was repeated with mine too, last to remember some years before I retired from IARI in 2015. Only difference is that my wife took place of my mother. This does not appear to be true for my next generation. But who knows that old clothes that my daughter donates, do land up in this market? Recycling is a way of life in India.
So, I am fascinated by the bazaar close to where I stay. It is exaggeration to call it bazaar. It is dirty muddy thatched covered space by the side of open sewage line with offensive smell that I sense every time I pass by. I am witness to this bazaar for more than past three years. Only change is shift of location from other side of sewage line to this side, as new road is built there for affluent people to pass through. It is exclusive for buying old clothes from these bartanwalis (women exchanging steel utensils for old clothes). Most bring their old clothes in the make-shift bags (gathadis) early in the morning (photo 1). Rows of autorickshaws (tuk tuk, three wheeled passenger vehicles) and even taxis line up with those buying these old clothes. And this goes on up to 10 am. It is daily routine, as I pass through for my morning walk.
This morning, I met Rafi (Photo 2) who came to buy old clothes despite rains. It has been raining for the past many days. I initiated conversation with him.
Me: Hello, are you in this business of buying old clothes?
Rafi: Yes. I buy these here and mend them before ironing.
Me: how much it costs you to re-stitch and iron them? How much do you earn?
Rafi: About Rs 5-15. I sell each for Rs 50 earning profit of Rs 20-25 on each garment.
Me: How much do you earn daily?
Rafi: About Rs 1000-1500/-. It is hard work as my day begins early at 4.30 am, reaching market for daily purchase and then getting each garment ready, and selling on the foot path elsewhere.
Me: How much is the turnover-sale every day here in this bazaar?
Rafi: About Rs 300,000/- or even more. This estimate exceeds far above of mine of Rs 50,000/-.
He also mentions nearby major bazaars including chor bazaar (thieves market in every major city; may be stolen items are sold and bought to some extent) where turnover could be many times that of here. Prior to Covid pandemic, he used to earn even up to Rs 200,000 a month as zari clothes were cheaply and easily available. These days, old zari clothes are costly as big merchants set the price. Rafi does not want to risk his investment [This is an eye-opener. I don’t need to read newspaper columns of financial experts or monitor Rs-$ exchange rate to know that Indian economy is in bad shape].
Me: Who are the people involved in the purchase of old garments?
Rafi: mostly Gujarathi and UP walas. Rafi himself hails from Palanpur in Gujarat.
As I complete conversation, Rafi offers me a cup of tea at nearby roadside stall, and we depart with handshake.
I am off mark of what I assumed of this business. [Photo 3].These recyclers cater to the needs of poor, earn their livelihood with hard work and honesty, do not lobby for the Government lollipops or pass on burden of bad loans to the ordinary citizens like me as unlike industrialists whose loans are often written off*; and over and above, have a courtesy to offer tea to a stranger like me.
आम लोग अदभुत हैं
Jai Hind, Jai Ho.
*Depressing news that SBI writes off Rs 1.45 lakh Crore ($18 billion) bad loans accumulated since 2014 and does not reveal names of defaulters as per moneylife.in/article/ of Yogesh Sapkale 21 July 2022. Your guess is right, as you start with alphabet.
PS: This morning 25 July 2022, I visited market, full of women and men, sitting with their clothes on the wet muddy floor some with scanty protection of umbrella or raincoat against rains. It is hard-core market of those who have been here for many years. I feel that there are at least one thousand people involved on any given day in the market. There is intersection of another sewage line that I did not know earlier. Most involved in the business were gujarathis. As I clicked some photos, I was taken to those who were collecting money at the beginning of market. These 5-6 people of mid-age groups, dabangs, were manning the market collecting Rs 10 from each who is leaving the market with clothes as some sort of fee. I had to delete all seven photos, as one asked me to do so. They fear that this kind of exposure of this market might harm them adversely as they may be again shifted and the open market space may be used by BMC for some thing else, other than the current eye-sore or criticism this exposure might generate. When I asked some as to why they are collecting money, I was told that it is meant for market keep-up as well as police. No need to guess further as to how mafia gains and our leaders turn blind eye to the needs of marginalised and lower class of society.
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