By Suganya Sundar
People are always intriguing. Different people handling the same situation. Same person handling different scenarios. It’s a binge watching worth show. There are every day people of our life- family, friends , colleagues that we meet; relatives and others we meet occasionally; and a once in a lifetime meeting someone who is lost in pages of history. There are a few down the memory lane for me personally, who were fascinating and endangered now.
The newspaper dropper, is officially a title in my place. The newspapers are sent in buses which is collected and kept in a usual place near the bus stop where it gets ready for distribution. There are brochures and notices, advertisement papers that are kept inside. Some people go to this very place and buy them. The newspaper droppers drop them off to the needed and earn a little something for the service. These people take up a few streets for each and drop the newspapers straight to home. They are obviously early birds, they remember each home and what paper had to be dropped among the variety of newspapers. They usually ride the bicycle which aids them to be efficient. A symbiotic service.
The milk man is usually the next to follow the newspaper guy in the mornings. The milk men I remember mostly rode bicycles which had either a bell hanging from the handle bar or the middle rod or a horn attached to the handle bar to signal people once he arrives. The carrier behind the seat usually holds the milk can, made up of aluminum or alloys with a cap on the top ; a brass pipe on the bottom that can be opened and closed to get milk with minimal touch with hands or other cups. The milk measuring cups of various sizes (800ml, 500ml,100 ml are the common ones) usually has handles that fit into larger ones are placed on the sides of the milk can. The milkman gets down from the bicycle and uses his measuring cups to give people the quantity of milk they want. A 200ml would be twice in the 100ml cup and so forth. The milkman always pours some extra milk. There was also this milk money note, which had columns to write down the quantity of milk purchased on the specific date. This helps maintain accounts and the money for the milk is given in accumulation at the beginning or end of the month. So the milkman almost always had a pen or pencil behind the top of his ear. People are attuned to the signal of their milkman and get their everyday fresh milk in the mornings and evenings.
Then comes the vegetable vendors in the streets. They usually carry a basket full of seasonal veggies and greens that is brought to the doorsteps. The basket also a balance and weighing stones. The vendor is usually a farmer slender and fragile has the basket above the head as they value their produce. A rolled towel to keep the basket in place to carry over the head. Then the valuable face of the farmer and a shirt pocket to keep the money if it’s a man or a drawstring bag in the hip if it’s a woman. A worn out slipper in most cases. The embodiment of agriculture in itself. The one people tend to bargain with or tend to exploit. They come to our home and sell stuffs to us there is no need for plastic bags or anything. Fresh produce at the convenience of home.
A “thandora” person. The thadora person occasionally comes early in the morning for any proclamation regarding the water supply, electricity or general rural stuffs. He usually has a drum that goes first to grab the attention of people , then comes the proclamation in a loud voice with elongated words that has a defined rhythm. People at the far end of the house could hear him. Imagine the voice test they would have had at the interview.
The mobile clothes pressing person is also a convenience at the doorstep. They are usually busy in the mornings and paced out throughout the day. They have a pushcart with all the necessities stored in them. They press clothes using a good old iron press. The heat comes from embers. So they have a stock of coal at all times. The process starts with heating the coal within the iron press. A hand fan is also used to encourage the fire and is set aside. The iron press will always have smoldering red or orange visible in the gaps. The iron press is heavier than today’s electric press so the clothes are easily pressed but needs muscle power. The pressing area on the pushcart is neatly lined with numerous layers of thick and thin clothes making it smooth for the press. There is always a bowl with water nearby to moisten the clothes before pressing to give a neat result. Anyone could bring a couple of clothes and get them pressed instantly in a few minutes and have them ready to wear. The ones I remember pressed shirts into a neat fold and pants with a crease in the front. Other pieces of clothing neatly folded into a square or rectangle. The money either goes into a box or a bag that hangs on the side of the cart near the pressing person.
The newspaper collectors are popular people. News papers the next day becomes multi purpose paper that serves in numerous ways. But a daily of 32 pages can’t be used in full so they are stacked up after reading the news for the day. This creates new business of exchanging these newspapers by weight for utensils and household things. The newspaper collector used to come riding a cycle when I was a child and later rode a two wheeler. The set up of his business vehicle remained the same just that the vehicle was upgraded.
The ice cream man from paradise to put into perspective.Residing in a hot village, an ice cream selling person is a blessed one from heaven if there is any such place. He comes with a bicycle, never seen him ride it, he always pushes it alongside him with left hand holding the handle bar and the right hand on the wooden box that is placed on the oversized carrier of the cycle. The handlebar is also home for a brown bag which has all the financial part of ice cream and a brass bell the fun part of ice cream which announces the coming from long, the bell has a small string attached to it which he uses to ring the bell. The man is dressed in white dress with stripes just like a waiter at a restaurant, wears a hat and slippers. The wooden box is painted with pictures of ice cream I guess never really noticed it always focused on the stuff inside. He was different from other ice cream vendors because unlike others who had popsicles kind of ice creams that are locally made he had ice creams that came with thick covers and a decent variety. Father always got cassata - which had three layers say vanilla chocolate pistachio and topped with nuts. Mother mostly slides with pistachios flavored cups or sticks but occasionally tried balls and others. Grandma always got a vanilla cup or stick , say any form of vanilla available. Me and brother went for varieties. We have tried almost all that he has got over the period of years. Choco bar that had an outer chocolate nut layer and vanilla ice cream stick inside which was little ticker than usual sticks and came in a box while other sticks are just wrapped in a parchment like sheet. A vanilla or pistachio stick. He had ice-cream balls- the container was in the shape of a ball with a cap to open and eat then the ball could be washed and used to play which had regular flavors along with a mango ball. There were usual cups in all flavor. Then there was the Indian Express and Italian express ice creams which came in similar kind of plastic cone like containers that was rather tall than stout. These two had series of layers made of vanilla ice-cream with orange and green color like in the Indian flag hence the name and a lots of nuts in them. Used to get the ice-cream just for the container. Still got a few used as pen stands back in native. It’s a fun day while hearing the ice-cream vendor’s bell.
It’s a rare treat to actually meet the designer along with the candy. The master, you could really call someone that when you could make watches out of sticky candy(javvu mittaai) in 30 seconds, has a pole higher than himself usually and the pink and white candy stuck to the top of the pole and covered in transparent plastic cover with just one line out from where he pulls he required quantity of candy. For few paisas he makes watches, rings, necklaces, bracelets or anything but the watch is most frequently asked because it’s convenient to lick I’m the candy and eat from one’s wrist. It gets all sticky and messy sometimes but ends up sweet.
A fancy store back in my childhood days had all kinds of accessories mostly for women and girls such as bangles, necklaces, clips, hair pins, bindis , rings, anklets which are mostly not precious jewelry but colorful and match the clothes with a huge variety to choose from. It’s a craze for most people to match accessories to their costumes to look elegant at the same time not costing a bundle. There are specific stores and small shops for these fancy items or sometimes present in groceries as a part. A small village such as mine had mobile fancy stores while are a pushing cart with four wheels generally with one side built like shelves and a roof with three sides open and often a rectangle so that two shorter sides and one longer side is open. The shelf structure has neatly arranged bangle boxes of different colors designs and materials. The shelves then extend to the top of the cart which also has sliding glass doors and have hair bands and and a variety of clips and pins . The roof of the cart has lines from end to end on which few accessory packets hang moving in the wind. The underside and behind the cart have storage spaces for the excess. The owner of the cart pushes the cart through the streets bringing fancy stuff to the people for his profit.
There are plenty of such people who colored my childhood and most of other’s too. It was joy seeing them around and growing up knowing them. Now all these things are modernized and said to be improved but the nuances of old times can’t be sold.
By Suganya Sundar
Commentaires