Occupation: Roadside furniture seller
Welcome to Paathira furniture. Are you new in town? I can furnish your entire home with essential wooden furniture, all readymade, for around Rs. 3,000. I am not kidding. I have beds, both single and double cots [six feet by four feet in size], stools, tables of different heights and lengths, tables with drawers, chairs, benches, cupboards… all at reasonable rates.
As you can see, all our furniture is simple and of a standard design. The furniture is made of either Aanjili or jackfruit wood, both of which are readily available and relatively cheaper than say teak or rosewood. We don’t varnish/stain the finished products or do any sort of embellishment or carving whatsoever, because it will only increase the cost of production and consequently, the retail price. We’re aiming for practicality and affordability vis-à-vis comfort and elegance. Most of the benches and desks, for example, are bought for use in local teashops/restaurants and also in tutorial colleges, especially at the start of the new academic year. The beds and tables with drawers are sought after by people, especially bachelors and young families, who need to quickly furnish their homes/apartments. If we don't have an item in stock here on the pavement at Pazhavangadi, customers can order and we will get it to them within a day or so. We are able to deliver so quickly because the manufacturing process is almost fully mechanised at our small unit that’s situated behind Sreepadmanabha Theatre. Over the years we have built up a steady clientele.
Paathira furniture has actually been in business right here on the on the pavement, adjacent to Putharikandam Maidan, for around 60 years now. Initially it used to be inside the maidan, but we had to move to our current location after the maidan’s boundary wall was built. We now have a cosy spot under the shade of a tree, right next to the canal. The business was started by Raghavan Mesthiri, a well-known carpenter. He is also my master; I began my apprenticeship as a carpenter with him when I was 16 years old and took over the business after he passed away. I am now 55 and remember the time when Mesthiri used to sell a stool for Rs. 10! How times have changed. But, then and now, Paathira has remained the same. We call our stall Paathira because in the early days Mesthiri used to sell his wares only in the evening and late into the night. Nowadays, the stall is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. As of now I am happy on the pavement and have no immediate plans to move the business a proper store. I simply can’t afford to pay rent and money for utilities.
The business is the livelihood of some 30 families. We have on our rolls carpenters, delivery men, sales agents… I live nearby, in Manacaud, with my wife, Sreelatha, and my two children. My elder son, Sajith Kumar, is a medical representative and my younger son, Ajith Kumar, completed his undergraduate degree. Just because I chose to work with my hands and slog over wood, I didn’t want my children doing the same and that’s why I insisted that they find their own feet.
(A weekly column on the men and women who make Thiruvananthapuram what it is)
Published - June 10, 2015 06:55 pm IST
