As his cycle shop, standing on a pavement near the Abhiramapuram playground, lacks a roof, Babu relies on the branches of a peepal tree and a badam tree for shade. It is under these trees he sits for a good part of the day, at a makeshift shop, pumping air into bicycle tubes, fixing punctured tyres and tubes of bicycles and bikes, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., when the sun gets particularly unfriendly, he abandons work. He is running this shop in the same area for 15 years. Though his family lives only a few kilometres from his work spot, he does not go home at night for he has to protect his tools, which are essential for his survival. So he sleeps under the trees at night. Babu charges Rs. 20 to fix punctured tubes for bicycles and for tricycles he takes Rs 30. And for all the toil, he earns around Rs 200 to Rs Rs 250 a day.
Asked what he needs the most , he says, “I want a bunk where I can sit and work anytime, not caring whether it shines or rains.’’
(A column about the people in a neighbourhood who are readily recognised, but whose lives have remained a mystery.)
