A line of colourful umbrellas line the roadside, under the newly constructed Gandhipuram bridge. Under them sit tailors with their sewing machines. They are there through the summer, winter and rain. Last week, I took a kurta to one of them to alter. She corrected it for me in less than five minutes and charged me ₹ 20. As I waited many others came clutching bags of clothes to be altered.
Krishnaveni V, (40) beams at me as she says, “I wake up every morning at six, cook and board the bus from Podanur. I wanted to be a police officer as a child. My father was against it. So I joined a knitting unit in Tirupur instead, where I learnt the basics of tailoring.” She worked there for a year and shifted to Coimbatore after her marriage. “I did an M.A in history. But chose to be a tailor following my husband’s family profession.”
Krishnaveni, earns around ₹500 a day. But life is not easy for her, she says. “I sit under the scorching sun all day and I have breathing problems. And, if there is a public function, we are barred from sitting here.” She also has to deal with drunks. “I charge only ₹ 20 for alterations. Even then some people bargain with me and do not give me what I ask for.” Krishnaveni doesn’t have many dreams. “As long as I can work with this machine, I won’t starve. I am my own master and I am not answerable to anyone and that makes me happy.”
Mani
M.Mani (47) has been a tailor for 25 years. He has worked in Chennai, before moving to Coimbatore eight years ago. “My father was a tailor. As a child, I was fascinated by the sewing machine and learnt to use it by myself. I worked as a lorry driver for a while, and later gave it up. Tailoring is all I know other than driving”. He alters shirts, pants, kurtas and tops and charges ₹10- ₹80. “I don’t do the regular cutting and stitching as it will take a lot of time. I stitch tops for women if it is very urgent for them, but that is still rare. They do not take up too much time, unlike men’s shirts”.
Mani agreed that his business has seen better days. “Earlier there were small stalls on the pavement behind us that sold clothes. People bought them and came to me for alteration. With the shops gone, the business is dull.” He has a National Urban Livelihood Mission- Coimbatore Corporation card which he received “ With a promise of a small physical shop in the city. But, nothing has happened so far. I don’t know what to do with it or who to contact to know about it.”
He earns around ₹500 daily. “After tea and travel expense, I am left with ₹400. I have a family to feed with this money.”Even though he is happy as a tailor he doesn’t want his children to take up this profession. “I want them to be in well-paid jobs in a big office.”
Kalidas P
Kalidas. P (35) has been tailoring for 18 years. He was a driver, before he became a tailor. “The money I earned as a driver was not enough to sustain my family. So I went to Chennai and learnt the basics of tailoring from my brother before putting up this stall”. He is happy when his customers come back to him. “If they like your work, they will come back with more. It is all about perfection. He agreed that the ₹500 that he earns is barely enough to pay his rent and educate his children. “My biggest dream is to see my children in high-paid jobs. I don’t want them to take up tailoring.” He hopes to get financial support from the government to improve his life.
Ranjith.A
Ranjith A (27), moved to Coimbatore from Thoothukudi with his parents at a young age. His father also works as a tailor in the city. “I am working as a tailor for the last three years. Earlier I used to work as a driver. I learnt tailoring after putting up this stall.” He says he is not interested in learning anything more about tailoring. “This is enough now. My child is growing up. The money that I get being a tailor will not be enough in the future.” Ranjith has now booked an auto. “I believe I can earn better as a driver. Tailoring is only a temporary job”.
Latha .M, (40) attended a sewing class, before she became a tailor. With 10 years of experience she said, “Earlier there were only a few who did this job. The number has drastically increased now.” She suffers from breathing trouble, sitting in the open all through the day. “Dust is the main villain in my life. The time of bridge construction was a night-mare. In comparison, it is much better now.” She showed me a space next to her, and said, “My brother sat at that spot with his machine. He too had breathing trouble. But, he worked even when he was not well, and two months ago, his lungs failed him and he died.” Even though she is happy in what she is doing, she does not want her children to follow in her path. She hopes the government will give her some financial aid.
