A day in the life of the cobbler
Life is not easy for V Ramesh, a cobbler from Sakkimangalam in Madurai district. He has to bear the brunt of the scorching sun and wait for customers from early in the morning till 9pm to earn his livelihood. Although, he comes to Goripalayam Junction everyday with a hope to earn a decent buck, his earnings hardly cross Rs 80 a day. With these meagre earnings, he has to fend to his eight-member family daily.If his luck fails, he would even return home with just Rs 40 to Rs 50. With the cost of living soaring rapidly in the city, his wife Muthumari tries her best to run the family within whatever her husband earns. Although the family is struggling to meet their both ends meet, the couple never thought of discontinuing its children's education. The couple has six children including two daughters, with the eldest son just having completed class 12.Despite the poor income, they never purchase rice in the PDS shop, as their children do not like eating it. They spend whatever earnings are there on the same day. For instance, the couple would leave the house with just Rs 20 just to meet the expenses towards the bus fare. They would reach home with Rs 80 to Rs 100 depending upon their luck. Before reaching home, they would purchase two kg of rice for Rs 40 and grocery items for Rs 20, which is enough to feed the family, says Muthumari."Since we are staying in our relative's hut there is no spending on house rent. We hardly spend for our children's education as they study in the nearby government schools. We have also never spent money on medical expenses as our only destination is the primary health centre or government hospital," said Muthumari.Ramesh has studied up to class five before he started helping his father who was also a cobbler. The life of Ramesh is routine. He comes to Goripalayam Junction at 9am accompanied by his wife and lunch box. Before leaving home, Muthumari has to ensure that their school-going children are handed over with Rs five each. Once they reached the workplace, both of them look for customers unmindful of the sweltering sun, Ramesh says.
