A walk through the lively and animated streets of Old Lucknow can simply captivate you with its unique elements. Such, is a tale of a streetside ‘Raffuwala’ of Mohan Market. In the lively buzz of wedding card shops along Gwynne Road, this 80-year-old raffuwale chacha has been holding down that very spot for a good 40 years now.
The modest octogenarian makes his daily arrival at the stroke of 9 in the morning. Seated upon a simple wooden stool, he delves into his work with unwavering ardour. With nimble fingers and wrinkled hands, he meticulously tends to the delicate task of mending the rips and damages of each piece. Charging way less than fancy tailor shops for doing pretty much the same thing, he gets a kick out of patching up his customers’ clothes, giving them a new lease on life.
“…gareeb ki madad karne me mera kya hi nuksaan hoga”
The Raffuwala, seemingly immersed in his own world of mending clothes, reflects, “For the past 40 years, I’ve been occupying the same spot by the Ganesh Paper Agencies. I began this work as a means of livelihood. However, with my sons now carrying much of the burden, I find myself sewing with a sense of passion. I repair garments at a nominal fee of ₹10-20.”
At times, he opts not to charge any fee, from those who seem needy, “do paise ka taga, zara si mehnat, aese me kisi gareeb ki madad karne me mera kya hi nuksaan hoga” he humbly reveals.
Eternal passion within a finite lifetime
The humble raffuwala happily works until around 6 or 7 in the evening, as the daylight gradually fades. He simply takes solace in his job, dedicated to fixing worn-out clothes and giving them a fresh start, for as long as he’s able.
What remains wondrous is that in the poignant narrative of raffuwale chacha, his unwavering dedication to work somewhat challenges contemporary notions of being overworked. Chacha embodies a work ethic reminiscent of the industrial age, where the daily grind was the sole means of survival. In him, we witness a man weathered by age, with his back bent, but one who defiantly has kept his spine straight amid life’s challenges.
