For a year, I have watched these folks--them who iron my clothes. I have watched them on burning Chennai summer afternoons, I have watched them on crazy rainy days when gutter-mixed flood waters rise, I have watched them late evenings when traffic jams gnarl the lanes of Chennai and exhaust fumes choke the Tamilian lungs. Yep, they were always there--someone or the other. Sharp from 9 am in the morning till 9 pm at night.
And I have wondered how they could run that steaming business day in and day out under such uncomfortable circumstances. You see, I am pathologically needy about some basic levels of comfort and although I can work intensely for few months, I collapse after that.
But I watched these guys keep shop for almost every day of the week and of the month and of the year. Fridays are half-days. And they have done this for 17 years.
The guy in blue shirt is Bhaskar. He owns the business, Tamil Nadu Dry Cleaners. His elder sister helps him sometimes. The guy in white checks is Suryakiran. He has been an employee for many years. No they don't take vacations. Bhaskar's son does miss his dad and wants to go to school with him and go for outings with him. Bhaskar sometimes manages, but often not.
Yes, that iron that they use to iron my clothes is heavy. I tried lifting it. It pulled on my shoulders. Yes, they do suffer from shoulder pain constantly. They have learnt to pace their work. But each one works for at least 10 hrs a day, easing out the creases, folding and refolding and ironing to make me, us, look good and professional.
Mom sometimes complains about their high prices. Hmmmm. Well, I couldn't do their work so consistently for so many years.
Nice to read your post.Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading as always!
DeleteNice post on the daily lives of these men, of their trails and tribulations.
ReplyDeleteYes, the men who toil away and leave no witnesses!
DeleteA wonderful tribute to all of them. I agree their prices are increasing, but now makes me realise it's after all their sucking physical energy. And yes, they do not take leaves. I have observed some of them too. There was a guy shankar downstairs the home my aunt lived who did the same work and Raj Kumar who comes homes, takes clothes and gets them back..
ReplyDeleteAah, so you knew their names! Sometimes we dont even know that!
DeleteOh yes, because Raj Kumar still comes to aunt's place and my sis took him a watch in the last India trip when we went to attend her wedding, and he was pleased :)
Deletekudos... a lovely post for hard working people who never get their due... we never thank them for a good job done, but criticise them if a small mark is still visible...
ReplyDeleteYes Roshan, we are quick to find their fault but never to appreciate them for a job welldone!
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ReplyDeleteOh yes! I have often wondered the exact same thing. How do they lift that heavy thing and work in such difficult circumstances.
Rachna, I still have no clue how they continue to do that kind of physically-difficult work and still be so balanced and consistent!
DeleteThese are the invisible workers -- though visible, they are not 'seen' by most. In Delhi, they are called Presswala. Many don't even know their names. It is sad because they make us look presentable, as you have rightly pointed out..
ReplyDeleteYes, Zephyr--they are invisible, socially excluded, not considered enough to be cared for and yet they are the backbone of Indian economy.
DeleteIt is precisely these type of businesses that help the sincere hard working Indians eke out a living!
ReplyDeleteYes, Magiceye!! I realize that--I realize how local economy works and how important this work is!
DeleteNice post. here I would like to introduce the man who irons my clother. His name is Moti. He and his wife are the example of a perfect couple, very hard-working and raising their two boys in the best of ways they can (both boys are studying). I have never heard him boozing or falling prey to any bad habit, which men from his community often do. he doesn't even own a shop, just a make shift arrangement by the road side.
ReplyDeleteI am feeling so happy that through the blog I found an opportunity to write about the couple I admire a lot and share a very warm relationship with them.
A big Thanks!
Thank you Meenakshi for introducing the laundryman who irons your clothes. How strange, na, to find warmth and inspiration in people who are not often considered eligible to provide the same!
DeleteVery nice observation. Thanks for sharing. Work hard - They need appreciation. Claps!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tushar!!! Yes, they work very very hard...
DeleteOnly you could have written about their plight in such a sensitive way ...
ReplyDeleteWell, I am meant to be a witness for others' life journeys--that is true. But I am merely the medium--the story and the inspiration is always theirs.
DeleteWell written!
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone could have thought of writing about them!
Sad to hear that they have shoulder pains... they say every profession has some form of health issue that people develop... din't know theirs was their shoulders!
I have a soft corner for the guys who iron our clothes too. But it's a woman down the road who really moves me. I don't want to drop a link here but a few years back, she went missing. I discovered she had been hospitalized and was subsequently struggling to pay off her loans. Thankfully, through my post I was able to find support to keep her out of debt. The long hours, the makeshift 'shop' and being at the mercy of the Municipal Corporation always move me.
ReplyDeleteBhavana,
ReplyDeleteUrge to make decent living and provide for family pushes a person to extremes of endurance. And we complain about our work.
Take care
Nice portrayal of the daily lives of blue collar workers like these men. They do hard physical labor in rough conditions!
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