Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

Bringing in the new, pedalling out old

— Photo: V.Ganesan

The job of those engaged in the business of selling plastic/stainless steel products in exchange for old clothes is not easy.

CHENNAI: Every household is a potential customer for these men, who give plastic or stainless steel containers in exchange for old clothes. With an oversized basket tied to their cycle carriers, they can be seen pedalling through residential localities, selling their wares.

The words, ‘silver saaman’ or ‘plastic saaman,’ beckon many a housewife wanting to dispose off old clothes.

The moment they are called into a house, they ask for discarded pants or silk saris.

The zari in the silk saris contains silver, which could fetch them a profit.

The pants, even if torn, are stitched up and made into bags by a different set of traders.

Weekends are the busiest days for these sellers, who do not work for two days a week: Tuesday and Friday.

“This is so because most customers consider it inauspicious to give away their old clothes on these two days. We respect their sentiment. Regular customers always know the time and day of our visits and keep clothes ready,” said P. Akbar, who gives stainless steel utensils in exchange.

P. Ravi, a resident of Kannikapuram, Pulianthope, who has been in the business for 25 years now, says the old clothes collected in Tamil Nadu are never sold in the State. “Our people do not like to wear old clothes. Even the poorest of poor prefer new clothes. The clothes that look fresh even after a couple of washes are purchased by traders from the eastern region. Those clothes are washed, ironed and, if need be, stitched before being sold off to people who cannot afford new clothes,” he explains.

The ‘silver saaman’ traders even take away torn and tattered cotton pieces. They are sold at Rs.4 a kg as scrubbing cloth for ships, and also in the local market.

Many of these traders, however, do not want the next generation to step in. The 54-year-old Z. Shahjahan has found jobs for his sons in an export unit.

“We cycle for most part of the day, sometimes skipping our lunch to cover more localities. Some people in our trade carry the plastic items on their heads and sell in such far-off places as Ambattur, Pattabhiram and Arakkonam. There are those who come into the trade quite willingly. I do not want my sons to get into this line.”

But it is being self-employed that attracts many newcomers to the business. A. Rajan of Pattabhiram, who has more than a decade of experience, says he enjoys the freedom of not having to take orders from anyone.

“If I don’t want to go to work, I can stay at home. But the only problem is that when we fall sick or have other major family expenses, we have nobody to fall back on for assistance. We are forced to go to the wholesale dealers to whom we sell the old clothes. Often they are reluctant to lend us money.”

Sometimes the “owners” make them wait for an entire day before agreeing to give money.

Underscoring the need to have an association, people in the business say the government should set up a welfare board for them, as it has done for unorganised workers. This will would pave the way for them to get old-age pension and other benefits.

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