When he was 18 years old, S. Ravi, a native of Tiruvallur, shut down his tailoring business. He chose a cost-effective alternative: Operating as a roadside tailor parking his tailoring machine under a tree on Park Road, near Tirumangalam junction in Anna Nagar Western Extension.
Forty-seven-years-old now, Ravi has become an integral part of the neighbourhood. He still operates from the same spot. He is supported in his work by his wife R. Sumathi. “Over the years, I have witnessed many incidents on this road. Two years ago, when a bike got stolen from the neighbouring apartment complex, the insurance company cross-checked with me," he says with a sense of pride.
A month ago, the tailoring couple saved members of a family returning from shopping at a mega retail mall in Padi. The autorickshaw they were travelling in had overturned when the driver tried to avoid hitting a two-wheeler on Park Road. Along with his wife, Ravi pulled them out of the autorickshaw and called an ambulance service.
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In the locality, especially at ‘B’ Sector where he plies his trade, many residents have requested him to have an eye on their house when they go on a vacation or during an emergency.
Twelve streets branch off Park Road. Six roadside tailors share Park Road with each tailor covering at least two streets leading off Park Road.
Most of them operate between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m on all days including Sundays.
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“During monsoon, we do our tailoring at apartment complexes on the road," says 43-year-old D. Subramani, who does tailoring on this road for a decade now.
As Park Road connects to key stretches such as School Road and East Main Road near Tirumangalam junction, it witnesses a continual flow of vehicles.
Tirumangalam police station functions in the vicinity of Park Road.
The Tirumangalam police are cordial towards these tailors as they provide information about the suspicious movement of strangers. Most of these tailors have the numbers of the local police station and ambulance services. In fact, beat policemen covering the locality stop over, every day, at these mobile tailoring units to enquire about general happenings of the day. Most of these tailors have their regular customers who also depend on them to deal with emergencies.
“There have been instances where we have been threatened by anti-socials as we had informed about them to the police. As we are being supported by residents and the police in the neighbourhood, we continue to care for the safety of the neighbourhood,” says R. Pakiriswamy, another tailor on the stretch.