Maya’s view abut Mr. Nath was that she did not think him to be a poor man and was sure that he was a crook, because he did not talk to anybody and had no friends. She believed that his scars were the result of some shootout with police. He didn’t work anywhere and sat…
The next day when the school was to reopen after the summer holidays, monsoon broke out. The roads were flooded with water and an unexpected holiday was declared by the school. Therefore, Nishad and Maya got a holiday.
Mr. Nath was visited by the same man each Sunday. The man was tall, stout, fair and he wore spectacles, and was very talkative. And the two used to have lunch together.
Nishad gave Mr. Nath a bar of chocolate because he thought that Mr. Nath’s lean, thin appearance was due to starvation.
Mr. Gessler was full of resentment against big firms. The big firms depended on advertisement. They didn’t bother about the quality of their products. They produced shoes in bulk. They sold them quickly by getting them advertised. They sold ready-made shoes of all colours, shape and qualities. The quality of work did not seem to…
Mr. Gessler insisted on quality and not on quantity. He would never let anyone else share his work. Whenever he got an order, he took measurements of the feet himself. He used the best leather. He took quite a long time to execute the order. The customers had no time to wait for such a…
Mr. Gessler was having a tough time in his final years. First he lost his elder brother, then slowly he lost his customers because of the delay in delivery of his orders. He used to really work hard to make each pair of shoes. But still everything he earned went towards paying the rent of…
Once, Mr. Gessler’s shop was visited by the author and he ordered a pair of boots from him. So dutifully, he started measuring his customer’s feet. The author sorrowfully remarked that Mr. Gessler’s job was a really hard one. Instead of becoming angry at the remark, he simply smiled and replied “It is an Art.”
Mr. Gessler made boots only on orders. His boots were perfect in size. They lasted long and were made from the best leather. For Mr. Gessler boot making was an art which was exhibited perfectly in each pair of boots made by him.