And slowly yet loud enough, he called out, "Katthi theetanuma, katthiii?" (Does anyone want to sharpen your knives?) the blacksmith at the doorstep
An uncommon sight yet so rustic to watch the knives especially those aruvaals (large knives famous in Tamil Nadu) send out those sparks as they twist and turn one after the other in his custom-made tools is a sight uncouthed... and as many uncouthed things go, a delight for me clicking off to my hearts content
He sharpened those knives we asked him to, he took a few new, shiny ones made at his pattrai (workshop) that were carefully tucked away in his bag of secret treasures, flashed them with pride and claimed that one particular one was his masterpiece and made a deal, followed by a bargain, deal sealed, he sipped a tea offered, brushed the sweat on his brow aside, smiled and trotted along as I stood there looking at all those sharpened knives, wondering, "Why this kolaveri dee?!"
4 comments:
a vanishing tribe
@magiceye: perfectly said. I did ask him for numbers and he said they were just 20 working in 3 districts-Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi down South, did think of taking another cycle behind him to tap the business opportunity...
I remember these set of people from back in Kochi,around a decade back...you don't see them here in Kolkata. It was a joy watching them. You post sent me years back...feeling pleasantly nostalgic :)
@Swarnali: I too was surprized to see them after a long time. These are days when people find it easier to dump than maintain and sustain... from knives to hard disks to flash drives to marriages. 'Its easier to dump than keep' generation will soon forget these people who once helped us keep.
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