Mangu's Shoe Clinic Author: Dr. K. S. Kang

Mangu’s Shoe Clinic

Author: Dr. K. S. Kang

Though his name was Mangal Ram but he was known in the neighbourhood and the town as Mangu and whenever any mail came by his original it was usually sent back saying that no such person by the name of Mangal Ram lived at that address given in the mail. One day even his money order was sent back by his neighbours as they could not imagine even in their dreams that there could be a money order for Mangu and they even did not know that his real name was Mangal Ram so they simply told the postman that no such creature existed there with the name written on the money order. Mangu, after completing his education decided to make use of his skill learnt at the school that was known by the name of leather work though it taught mainly to sew and repair shoes to earn his livelihood. So he opened a small shop for the repair of shoes with a brilliantly shining sign board Mangu’s Shoe Clinic.

As I was taking a stroll down the street I came across the sign board and decide to see it, so I decided to have a look into the shop. As I entered his shop there was a reception and behind the desk and table his multi-tasking assistant was sitting behind a glass topped table on a wooden chair. His name was Nandu who helped Mangu in all the capacities like peon, helper and even driver except collecting fees. Just behind Nandu’s desk there was a list of services provided by the clinic along with the cost of each service like Cloth dusting only, Bush service only, Brush and Polish, Brush and Cream and Brush, Cream and Polish. Surgical services were also provided but their cost depended on the extent of the damage to the shoe that was to be repaired. In one corner of the clinic there was a caption that read:

“Put new soul to your shoes by allowing us to put new sole to your shoes”

Another caption read “ Here we make nearly dead alive by making your shoes more comfortable and shining”. On entering the main room of the clinic I found Mangu sitting in white apron examining a shoe to estimate its cost of repair as per its damage. In a corner of the room there was a cabin marked Surgery Section where there was a table where Mangu worked on the shoes. On the wall behind the table there were a number of soles of different colours and diverse quality hanging in a line from which a customer can choose colour and quality of his choice. Similarly customer could also choose the tongue of the shoes of the quality and colour of his wish. On a shelf in a wall opposite the table were various tools concerned with leather work like anvil, cobbler’s round hammer, nails and stars of various sizes and shapes and of course different needles and diverse types of threads used in putting stitches to the shoes.

At the reception a customer used to be given another footwear and was asked to wait on a wooden bench opposite the table of Nandu till his shoes were repaired and the servicing to his shoes was completed. If customer was in hurry then he was given the time and estimate cost when he could come and collect his footwear and pay the cost accordingly. His assistant Nandu was a busy man who did everything in the clinic except collecting money from the people. Though Mangu was not earning much than a common roadside cobbler but I admired the way he was using his skill and knowledge learnt at the school to earn his livelihood in a dignified and organised manner.

 

Purely Public Enterprise Author: Dr. K. S. Kang

 

Purely Public Enterprise

Author: Dr. K.S. Kang

Though I was a natural born human being but unfortunately my mother passed away at the time of my birth of a strange ailment that had no remedy atleast at that point of time. My father, atleast he was my biological father,spent his day by earning some money by working in the canteen of an institute and spent that money in his booze,and debaucheries during the night at mysterious places. I was picked up or rather adopted by the inmates of the hostel of the institute where my father was working. They looked after my daily needs, including my education and I almost spent my entire life in one or the other room of the hostel’s inmates. Though the authorities were aware of it and they also knew that it was against the rules of the institute but they ignored it in the larger interest of human values and humanity. Like various dogs and cats that lived on various floors of the hostel and were patronised by the inmates of the hostel, similarly I was also patronised by the inmates.

Hostel inmates, who were mostly learners pursuing degree and diploma courses in the institute, collected money every month regularly to pay for my needs like books, stationery, conveyance and school fees. They had evolved a systematic modus operandi to ensure that my needs are cared for till I became financially independent. When one batch passed out of the institute they handed over me to the next batch so as to ensure that the continuity of my meeting my needs does not disrupt. They often took me to the outings along with them for a lunch or dinner outside the institute, so as to give me and themselves a change from the food of the hostel mess contractor, at some reasonably good eateries of the town. I was part of their celebrations of their birthdays parties and successes in life. Some of them even invited me to their weddings later too, long after they had left the institution. Today I am financially independent as I have become a manager in a multi-national company but I can never forget this public enterprise that helped an orphan child to get educated and carve a dinified place for himself in the society. So though biologically I was begotten by my parents but I was reared and brought up by the young and brilliant scholars of the institute that I can proudly claim that I am the child of the institute.