Mahalingam has been hammering me for 15 long years. We met when he came from Tiruchirapalli to make shoes here in Coimbatore. Back then, working out of his shanty in Kamarajapuram, we could produce a dozen pairs a day. Even with a rudimentary anvil like me we could make a profit of 35 per cent.
But after our customers went away to the big footwear outlets, we had to shut shop seven years back. We now work, out of a room in Ramanathapuram, for a local businessman. We have a few direct customers but now we mainly supply shoes to the dealers. Mahalingam and his friend Velu often have to wait long before they get paid. After our boss gets his cut, we make a meagre five per cent profit. No wonder none of their kids want to become cobblers...
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