At a time when people in their 50s wait for retirement or prefer to take voluntary retirement, three brothers in the Port City of Mangaluru - one above 80 years and two above 70 years - love to earn their livelihood, which they have been doing for more than 50 years.
“I started stitching (tailoring) at the age of 10 near Nandigudda and set up own tailoring shop --- Anchan Tailors --- at the age of 14 and still continue to stitch in the same shop for the last 70 years,” says 84-year-old Justine Anchan.
Born on January 8, 1932, Justine started to stitch after his 4th standard, near his home in Bolar. Subsequently, he set up his own shop, purchased a second hand sewing machine and employed two tailors to assist him. The present machine (Singer) he uses to stitch clothes was bought by him in 1968 for Rs 600. Incidentally, that was the last Singer machine sold in Mangaluru, he recalls.
Good old rates
Though he could not find his old bills, he has bills after 1971, when he used to charge Re 1 for half shirt, 0.75 paise for a jacket (blouse) / skirt and 30 paise for a saree (falls). At present, he charges Rs 150 for plain blouse and Rs 250 for stylish blouses.
“Earlier, women used to stitch only closed neck blouses. However, these days nobody likes such blouses and almost all including the old customers prefer open neck blouses,” he says.
He used to come to his shop from Thokkuttu on a bicycle. After he met with an accident on Nethravathi bridge in 1974, he travels by bus even to this date. He had four brothers. Two of them are no more. The other two --- 72-year-old Godwyn Anchan and 70-year-old Jayanand Anchan --- are both into soda making, independently.
Brothers soda makers
Though the soda bottles of yesteryears, popularly known as ‘Goli Soda’ were very popular, these days there are hardly anybody who prefers age old ‘Goli Soda’. Going down the memory lane, Godwyn, who also started soda making/selling sodas at the age of 14, said he used to charge 3.75 Ruwi per sweet / ginger soda (4.75 Ruwi = 1 Aana and 16 Aana = One rupee) and 3 Ruwi for plain soda. Now, he charges Rs 5 per soda and prepares on an average 200 sodas per day at his home and delivers to shops in Attavar and Kankanady areas on his bicycle.
Quite interestingly, his cycle does not have peddle or stand. He prefers to push the cycle to supply soda. “I like to work and walk and that is the secret of my health,” he said even as he was making soda at his home.
No retirement plans
His younger brother Jayananda Anchan too is into soda making/selling business, next to his elder brother’s tailoring shop here. All the three brothers are quite healthy and do not have any plans of retirement from their professions, though their sons / daughters are working abroad and settled well in life.
Published 30 September 2016, 19:05 IST