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| Sunday, 21 November 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Cobbler, Cobbler what a house! by Prasad Gunewardene He is the oldest cobbler serving the workforce in Colombo Fort as early as 1952. The workers in the city rush to him for urgent repairs. Mainly the women working in Colombo look to him as their saviour whenever their slippers or sandals breakdown. Muniandy, now 72 started his profession first by the harbour side. Then he moved near Cargills and Millers. He lived in Narahenpita in a small house built on state land. Misfortune stepped into his life in 1995. When the government moved to expand the Narahenpita-Dematagoda Road, his shanty was overrun by bulldozers leaving him and his family of five destitute. Thereafter, he spent time to time meeting ministers and parliamentarians pleading to obtain an alternative place to live with his family. But his innocence fell on the deaf ears of all politicians who asked him to see them in their customary "Tomorrow" that never saw the light of the day. Muniandy began business when he was just paid three to five cents for repairing or mending a shoe or a slipper in the early 1950s. "I used to earn about 75 cents a day then and it was big money", this aging cobbler recalled with a proud smile on his face. Today there are days he earns nearly Rs. 150 and some days he is left with nothing, he claimed. Muniandy and his family destitute since 1995 went scattered. His children had moved out to other areas and they don't meet him now. He has lost track of his wife who was last seen by the pavement at Narahenpita a few years ago. Muniandy has moved to this little cabin made out of polythene sheets and some outdated timber which is located by the former Employment Exchange in Fort near the bridge beside Lake House. This cabin is two feet in width and six feet in lenght. He could hardly turn inside in sleep. His implements he use in his job is also kept for safety inside this cabin which even hardly enough for a street dog to take shelter. Having served thgousands in the city at times of emergency, Muniandy is left with one eye as one is badly affected by cataract. He performs his duty by the city workforce using one eye. How could this old man quite feeble and made destitute by the state afford a cataract operation is a vital question. Muniandy is intelligent. He has all documents pertaining to the demolition of his shanty he lived at Narahenpita. He is prepared to forward his case again if the state is ready to help him. Muniandy can perform more repairs if the state provides him shelter and a good samaritan could restore his 'cataract' eye. |
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