“Come, come. Please have a seat. We will chat while I stitch this dress material. My father began this tailoring shop about 75 years ago. Then it was, I think, the only such tailoring shop in this village, and people would come here for their clothing requirements. At present, this has become a busy area and there are many business establishments around Turkapally village. I cannot say it has impacted my business as I still have a loyal clientele who prefer to get their clothes stitched from me.

When did I first start stitching? Well, it’s a funny story indeed. My father was not in the village for one-week but I dared to take up their orders without my parent’s knowledge at the age of 9. I had managed to stitch the clothes perfectly and earned 2 rupees for my efforts. That was the most satisfying moment in my life. As a beginner, the first thing you learn in this job is to stitch the shirt’s buttonhole. I used to practice stitching for hours in the evening once the shop was closed and it had to lead me to run my tailoring shop for more than 55 years. Here, did you see this sewing machine? It is a Singer-38 machine which is more than 90 years old.

Having spent over four decades in this profession, I have seen many trends come and go. For instance, bell bottoms, sweaters, and bobby collars were the trend back then but people nowadays want me to stitch slim-fit trousers and collarless shirts. Now that I am alone, I only stitch shirts, trousers and turn away others. We have practiced this profession for the last four generations but my son is a little hesitant to take it up. I have requested him to join me and continue this legacy but he has other aspirations. Let’s see what God has in store for us in the future.”