AN UNKNOWN COBBLER BOY

“Sir, polish”, the boy was shouting at the top of his voice. I looked through the corner of my eye and saw a boy sitting on the pavement and glee-fully watching at my shoes.

I was passing by him on my way to a restaurant for the break-fast. The place was Karol Bagh in New Delhi. I was with my wife and we were on a sightseeing tour. The sightseeing was planned as an added attraction to the main purpose of our tour, which was for my wife to attend a two days National Conference on “Innovations in Educational Administration”, scheduled to be held at Vigyan Bhawan. She was also to receive the national award in recognition of her meritorious service as an Educational Officer. She was required to remain at a hostel arranged by the organizers. We planned to start our trip three days in advance, so that the sightseeing could be completed before the main agenda of our visit.

Without paying any attention to the boy, I passed by.

“Sir, your shoes….”, He was again shouting. I looked back and found that he had stood up by now and was looking at me trying to draw my attention. He was pointing his hand at my shoes. I could not make out clearly what he was shouting, as his voice drowned in the buzzing sound of the traffic and the people.

I had polished my shoes well, before I started my trip. I had no intention to get them polished during the trip. A little bit of dusting out with some cloth or a paper would be sufficient, I had decided. Therefore I had not carried the polish and brush.

Two days were over and I knew that the shining of my shoes might have dampened a little. But, what did it matter? Who bothers about the shining of your shoes, or as a matter fact your dress or anything that concerns you, in a big city like this? You have no one known to you to even inadvertently tease you on that count.

We entered into the restaurant. The restaurant was air-conditioned and the breakfast was delicious. What was not so delicious was the bill for it. A tea itself was charged forty rupees. I had experienced that the food cost was quite high in Delhi hotels. But we were on a tour and we had to spend as required. One had to be very careful on the food while on a tour. Being miser and looking up for cheap hotels could cause abdominal problems, spoil your tour and land you up in spending more money to the doctor than what you intended to save. I had such an experience during an earlier tour to Chennai. Experience teaches. One can be miser on anything, but not on food.

As we came out of the restaurant, the boy was standing before us blocking our way. Dirtier was his attire and appearance than my shoes.

“Sir, see for yourself. The sole on one side of your left shoe has opened up”. He pointed to me the place where my shoe has opened up from the sole. I turned my leg a bit and saw that what he said was right. I considered over it for a moment. The tour bus I had got arranged would leave in another 15 minutes. The seats were booked. I had no time to wait for this boy to repair my shoes. I decided that I would get it repaired after reaching back in the evening. Till that time, I would manage to hold on to it. I told him so.

“Sir, it would definitely open up further and you would not be able to hold on to it till evening”, the boy warned. I remained confused.

“In two minutes, I can stitch it up and give you”, he said suggesting the solution.

“Okay, but how much will you charge for it?” I asked.

“Only thirty rupees”, the boy answered.  Less than the cost of a tea, I thought.

“Then do it fast”, I gave him the work instantly.

In two minutes, he did it. Then he showed me another two places where the sole was slowly opening up with its adhesiveness being lost.

“Shall I stitch them too?” the boy asked.

 I didn’t want to look miserly to that poor boy, as also I didn’t expect him to charge exorbitantly. He was doing fast. So, I allowed him without asking again on his work cost.

“How much now?” I asked, when he finished.

“Ninety rupees, sir.  I have stitched at three places”, he replied logically.

I took out a hundred rupee note. The bill for the breakfast was two hundred eighty rupees. I had left three hundred rupees on the platter and did not wait for the balance twenty to be brought back. That was a common practice. I should be a common among the commons. If I waited for the twenty, I was sure that the supplier would curse me from his heart; even if not openly.

The boy was in a much worse situation than the supplier. I gave him a hundred and did not wait for him to return the ten.

I was about to move, when the boy returned the balance and pointed at my other shoe. “That also is opening up”, he cautioned. “It is better if you change both soles. I will get it ready by tomorrow morning”, he suggested.

“And what will I wear today when I travel?” I asked disapprovingly.

“You can wear my slippers sir”, he replied and removed his over-sized slippers for me to wear. Those were a pair of old dirty worn out rubber slippers far worse than my shoes. I looked at his face. He was laughing. Was he mocking at me or was it his innocence?

The time was already running out. I was growing impatient. I just told him that we would see to it later. The bus was ready and waiting. People were getting in. We occupied our seats.

That evening, we were required to go to the hostel where my wife was to be put up for the next two days. After the sightseeing, we reached back a little late and immediately I hired a taxi and took her to the hostel. I returned to the room where I was to stay alone for the next two days.

Instead of sitting idle in the room for two days, I decided to spend my time roaming in the city, traveling in metro and buses. On the second day evening, I was walking down the road from Karol Bagh Metro station to our hotel which was just a kilometer away. My wife had rung up and told me that I need not go to pick her up as the organizers had arranged a taxi for her safe return to the hotel. I was walking briskly to be in time to reach the hotel to receive her, when someone tapped at my back.

The cobbler boy was all in smiles and struggling to walk along with me. On an impulsive instinct and to acknowledge my recognizing him, I put my hand over his shoulder.

“Sir, I can stitch your other shoe also and you can be comfortable while walking”, he said.

“How come you are here now? You were sitting in front of the restaurant”, I asked him.

“That is only till noon sir. In the afternoon I move to the pavement of the road to the metro station”, he replied. “I saw you walking down and then I followed”, he explained.

“Where is your home?”, I asked an unnecessary question, because I could easily make out the answer from his looks itself.

“I sleep on the pavement only sir”, he replied.

“Your parents?” I put another inconvenient question. I cursed myself for asking irrelevant questions to him. Why was I asking all that? Why should I not leave him free?

 “I don’t know.”, the boy replied.

“Sir, your shoes”, he was trying to bring back my attention to his main agenda; struggling to walk in quick steps to be with me. For reasons unknown, I had begun to like him.

“No time now, dear. More over, I have decided to buy a new pair”, I said and took out a hundred rupee note. "Think that you have stitched it", I said pushing the note to him.

“No sir, I do not want it that way”, he said. I could see the disappointment flashing on his face.

Before I could tell anything, he was already on his way back.

Hardly had I put a few steps more, when I felt that I shouldn’t have disappointed the boy. He had walked along with me all that distance expecting a work.  I turned around to look for him. I could see him still, at a distance. In quick long strides, I began to follow him.

I put my right leg on his shoe stand, as he was again settling down behind it.

He looked up at me and his face glowed.

“Be fast, please”, I requested.

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