An accident that happened 30 years ago broke his confidence and R.C. Murugan hasn’t ridden a two-wheeler, let alone a Royal Enfield Bullet, ever since. Nevertheless his calloused hands have restored and breathed fire into several old bikes and Bullets at his workshop near Government Fort Hospital on Thakarapparambu road. Reportedly, all he needs to do is start the vehicle, listen to the engine and feel the vibrations to find out what is wrong with it.
ADVERTISEMENT
There are several such master mechanics ( ‘mesthiri’ in Malayalam) in town, with the Midas touch. Another well-known mesthiri is Ravi Kumar, one of the most experienced car mechanics in the city, adept at restoring old models, while V. Sukumaran, fondly called Suku mesthiri, is someone who knows a Royal Enfield Bullet inside out.
Their workshops, blackened with years of accumulated oil and grime, have seen vehicles change shapes and engines, as lifestyles changed. Oil-smeared rags and cans still fill shelves while mysterious looking spare parts and tools litter the space.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Most of the masters learned the tricks of the trade as teenagers from iconic mesthiris of their time. “I began my career under the training of Sreedharan at Sasthamangalam in 1977. I spent almost 13 years there before opening this shop near Kachani,”says Ravi.
Murugan, a native of Nagercoil, meanwhile, trained under a renowned Bullet mechanic called Chockalingam. Murugan later shifted to Thiruvananthapuram and worked under Stephen mesthiri in Pettah for another 10 years before opening his workshop in 1996. Some like Sukumaran taught themselves the inner workings of bikes and cars. He is restoring a Bullet in the courtyard of his old house when we catch up with him. Greasy bike parts and tools are scattered around on the ground, perhaps trophies of his trade. “I am the younger brother of Sreedharan Mesthiri and I used to hang out at the workshop as a kid. So by the time I finished school, I was a pretty good mechanic,” says the expert bike mechanic, who has 40 years of experience in the field. Although he shut his garage near Kowdiar in 2008, he still does restore and repair bikes for close friends once in a while.
Over the years, they have seen both clients as well as the vehicles change in character. The generation gap is evident. If it was slow-speed riding comfort and mileage the customers of 80s looked for, today it has been replaced by speed and acceleration. “Today’s youngsters grow up watching the speeding bikes and that is what they want,” says Murugan. But Sukumaran says enthusiastic youngsters, nowadays, know a lot about bikes, thanks to the Internet.
Once a mechanic earns a client’s trust, usually he or she would remain their client for as long as the mechanic is in business. A huge chunk of Ravi’s income comes from clients who have been availing themselves of his service from the time he opened the shop. This relationship most often develops into friendship as in the case of Murugan and Malloor Balagopal, a lawyer. He is Murugan’s oldest client and a good friend.
Value of money
“Apart from being a brilliant mechanic, he is someone who understands the value of money. There are lot of small parts such as brake light switches that mechanics usually tell the clients to replace, if not working. But Murugan will try to fix it if he can and thus save a lot of money,” he says, sitting beside Murugan on a greasy work bench inside the modest workshop.
As far as work is concerned, there hasn’t been any major changes with the bikes and their working. But car mechanics have it tough as electronics have replaced many mechanical parts like plugs and screws. “I can rectify some basic electronic issues, but some of the latest cars have very sophisticated electronic systems that we can’t work on. You need modern hi-tech tools to find the issues and repair them. Even the spare parts of modern cars are hard to get. So most of the people nowadays repair their vehicle at service centres,” says Ravi a trifle wistfully while working on a 90s model Maruthi 800. He is in the process of restoring two-decades old Ambassador cars. Couple of others lie in a corner covered in dust. Even when it comes to restoration of old cars, Ravi only does it if the client gets him all the parts required. He adds that, due to all this, number of car workshops and skilled mechanics have fallen sharply.
Interest in learning the trade is all but dead, bemoan the mesthiris. “If you know the job, then bike mechanics will have good work. But youngsters today are not interested in learning it,” says Sukumaran. As the wheels of time move on, Murugan, Ravi and Sukumaran might as well be the last of their tribe of skilled, trusted old-world mesthiris.
My wheels
The pick of the lot for Ravi Kumar is the Ambassador. He drives a 1980s model. While Sukumaran’s favourite ride is the Bullet, he also owns a 1983 model Trishul Diesel Tourer that he himself restored.