Kingdom of Bahrain
30-Oct-2009
Celebrations, especially family functions remind me of two things - one, the paraphernalia attached to enjoyment, fun, reunion & merriment and; two, the dreadful running around, mostly till the eve of the function, transporting the dress materials (of the ladies in the family) for all kinds of alterations from tailor to tailor, back and forth ! Even if the tailor is the BEST in the town, I experienced, a last minute rush and eleventh-hour running is inevitable !
Let me share a tailor episode.
The most funniest episode of this genre, which I best remember is, the bride's mother herself anxiously waiting (on the eve of the wedding day) at the tailor shop, giving instructions to the tailor (or rather, shouting at him for his professional shortfalls) for possible alterations, just minutes before the "shop-close-time". The tailor - primarily, confused, now under tremendous pressure due to the customer LIVE in front of him had forgotten where he kept the raw stitching material when it was ordered for stitching a month back! Due to this "terrific environment", he wasted a lot of time searching for the material and thankfully, could start the related work a few hours before only ! An application of Boyle's law again, to make matters worse, probably because of this "bewilderment", he did the measurement and stitching on a wrong design, using a wrong material, at a wrong time, and delivered to a wrong customer ! Rest, like you guess, is the best history chapter for the poor tailor !!!
The below incident happened during one of our short vacations in hometown.
Due to some past bad tailoring experiences (or experiments, rather), this time, after a wide information exchange, Bindu aka my better half, decided to bank on a reasonable tailor in town.
Being the only driver available "on-call", I was "forcefully privileged" to take her to the tailor shop. Due to the parking restrictions, I preferred staying in the car, while Bindu stepped in to the shop for placing the stitching order. The order, I presume, must have been placed in detail, because it took more than half an hour for her to come back. Impatient and lazy, my nature have been, I waited in the car, counting each second, cursing my new mission !
Within a few days, there were a couple of follow on visits to the same tailor shop. This was, reportedly, done to ensure that the tailor's comprehension on the patterns/designs was error free.
Minutes, hours and days passed by. But, definitely, not weeks.
One Friday afternoon, when I was getting prepared for a quick slumber, post a sumptuous lunch, I received a call on my mobile - that call was from the tailor informing the readiness of the placed order. After some typical arguments, quite perturbed on the interrupted plans of a short nap, I was, once again, forced to take Bindu to the tailor shop.
This time, after parking the car at a comfortable place, I also got into the shop.
Minutes ticked by, there came the tailor, with the bag containing the stitched dresses.
Let me have a glass of water !
There was an absolute silence for a couple of minutes ! Then, Oh! my God!
A skirmish !!
The tailor, in spite of all these follow-on visits, had completely shattered his client's dreams. In a nut shell, the tailor had successfully stitched the dress materials in an unsuccessful manner ! Should I laugh out or burst out?
But, a silent spectator, I was !
When the pressure started to subside, the tailor produced the bill for this "catastrophe"! Yes, I admit, the amount displayed in the bill made me laugh and cry at the same time!
This "sarcastic" bill gave rise to further arguments. This time, I too joined, as I felt the pinch of it. I argued defensively, as my whole point was not to pay anything for this waste of time, energy and petrol !
My blood pressure shot up, on seeing the casual attitude of the main tailor.
Bygones are bygones! After a while, negotiations started, followed by bargaining. In order to accord a win-win situation, though not happy, we made the deal finally, to pay the tailor for his bad skills, but Rs. 150 less !
A mere Rs. 150??
Thoughts haunted, as we both felt that we could have bargained for more. We could have got the final price tag reduced a little more, but there were a few onlookers beside when the tug of war was in progress!
Frustrated and angry we were.
After a silent dinner, as a "routine procedure", Bindu started searching her mobile phone for setting the morning alarm.
Search continued, and, continued. Not in the dining room, not in the kitchen, not in the hall room, not in the car, not in the hand bag....
Hold on, "where is my hand bag"? she asked me.
In a typical male chauvinistic mode, I replied - "I don't know, I was not carrying it!"
Search resumed.
This time, a bonus search - for mobile phone PLUS hand bag. Again, not in the dining room, not in the kitchen, not in the hall room, not in the car ....
Frantic search, in vain !
I said with an experienced tone, "OK, OK, no problem, we will find it out. Just make a call to your number and see ..."
Dialed her mobile number, no response !
She told "I think, the phone was kept inside my hand bag"
To cut short the conversation and in an urge to hit the bed, I asked "Where is the hand bag, then? We will find out tomorrow! It should be somewhere here."
Not buying in my suggestion, Bindu continued - "I am worried on the missing hand bag."
"It is your carelessness! You should have always carried your mobile phone in hand and taken care of your hand bag. Anyway, we will find out." - I persuaded to stop the topic for the time being.
After a short while, Bindu told -"I think, the bangles we took from bank locker were kept inside the bag".
That comment had shot up my adrenalin. I shouted back - "What?"
"Yes, I think, it had some money also!"
This time, I blasted - "How much money is your some money? "
After arguments and exchange of "law points", it dawned on us that the hand bag in question, not only contained mobile phone, but also Rupees Twelve Thousand, some gold ornaments, and not to tell anyone, the ID cards too!
I am still unable to express my mind set at that point in time!
As an opportunity, I started to blame her carelessness and approach, but only for a very short time!
Bindu, then retaliated -"You were holding the hand bag while we were in the tailor's, you remember?"
I tried to remember and realized that she was RIGHT !
I reminisced. I ran through the events - yes, she gave me the hand bag when she went to the trial room ... and I must have kept it on tailor's cutting table, when I took my purse out from pocket for paying him!
I admitted my guilt and decided to act on it immediately, because the damage would be exorbitantly high, if I did not!
I rushed to the tailor shop, which was obviously closed. There were no contact numbers available with us - either of the tailor or of the shop owner. Thanks to the dim street lamp available, I noted down shop's telephone numbers from its sign board. But, what was the use of dialing the shop number at that part of the night?
Fortunately, I could see a mobile number on the right bottom of the sign board. Whose mobile number this could be? Tailor's or the shop owner's?
I was blank.
Very well knowing the implications of disturbing an unknown person, on his personal mobile, and that too, during late hours, I dialed out the number. After many rings, I heard a "Hello" from the other end. Lucky me, it was not the tailor, but the shop owner. If it was the tailor whom we fought with ....... I could not imagine how shameful would it have been!!
Myself, being at the receiving end, very humbly, narrated the whole story and my plight. He told me that there would not be any guarantee of the bag, as many customers could have visited the shop after we left from there. But, at the same time, he assured that if the hand bag was kept in the shop, and no customer had taken it, it should be safe. He conveyed his complete faith on his tailoring staff. To end the call, he pacified me and told us to come to the shop next day morning at nine itself, the time they open the shop for business.
Came home, quite disturbed, as the mission was incomplete. The only solace left, was just to wait patiently, for the sun to rise and the shop to be opened ! That particular night, both Bindu and myself felt each second like minutes; minutes like hours; and hours like years!! Pessimistic thoughts haunted us - how to make up the losses - money, gold, ID cards, Oh! my God!
Or, how sure were we, to say that the hand bag was kept at the shop itself? Was it misplaced somewhere on the road? Wild thoughts - but we held on to the belief that the hand bag would be in the shop itself; and nowhere else.
Govind, our son, continued enjoying the scene, not aware of the seriousness of the whole episode !! Lucky, kids!
For the first time during that short vacation, I woke up very early in the morning. I cannot say that I woke up, because I didn't sleep at all.
Killed time till 9 AM.
Restless, we were. Bindu and myself rushed to the shop before nine itself. The shop was just getting opened. I looked around for the main tailor.
"The main tailor normally comes only by 9.30 - 10, as he stays at a far off place" - the staff member who opened the shop told me.
"Whats the matter, Sir? Anything urgent?"
I did not want to tell the story again, but definitely, longed to hint him about the lost handbag.
"Well, we came here yesterday and were...."
The other person had a fictitious smile and stopped me - "Yes, I know.... I was here when you came to get the dresses ....."
"Brother, have you noticed any hand bag after we left from here yesterday?"
"I dont know, Sir".
We lost the little hope we had. Bindu and myself looked at each other. Did we feel dizzy?
"But I have seen the main tailor keeping something inside his almirah and locking it"
For a minute, I thought that I got my lost energy back. Was that our hand bag, or something else?
"Can you please check up whether that was our hand bag?"
"No, Sir. The almirah is locked and the key is with him. You will have to wait for the main tailor to come."
After a "long" wait for another 15 to 20 minutes, the main tailor came. To be honest, neither Bindu nor myself had the "valor" to face him, because of the acoustic exercise we had the day before. Also, we remembered, "announcing" that we would never ever step into his shop!
He smiled at us unconditionally, while fixing the stand of his motor bike. He must have forgotten our "announcement" we made, that we would never ever get into his shop!!
This is destiny!
I broke the silence - "Sorry, yesterday ..... well, we forgot to take our hand bag from here when we left. I remember keeping it on your table......"
The main tailor with another smile replied - "Yes, I noticed it, and by the time I came out of the shop to return it, you had gone..."
A "massive" sigh of relief. I got my missing breathe back! Bindu too.
He went to his room, unlocked the almirah and got us the hand bag.
"Please check everything is there. Madam, please be careful next time..."
Bindu respectfully got hold of the hand bag and had a "screening and security check" like we have in Airports.
Affirmative!
Thank God, and thanks, dear tailor. All the valuables were intact - money, gold, ID cards etc. etc.
"There are still some good people in this world", I said to myself.
That was definitely a bonus for our pessimistic thoughts. Wanted to thank the tailor profusely. But, then, it would not be nice to thank him alone, if it was somebody else who discovered the bag right there?
We must thank all of them. So, we gifted a bigger amount (much higher than Rs. 150, of course) and asked him to buy sweets for his team, as a part of our happiness!
Money matters? Or, is it happiness and peace of mind?
Yes, no, undecided, often, sometimes???
Every vacation, the tailor story continues....
We were happy and the tailor too!
Renjith Sarada
© 2009-2012 (Renjith P Sarada) All Rights Reserved
Due to some past bad tailoring experiences (or experiments, rather), this time, after a wide information exchange, Bindu aka my better half, decided to bank on a reasonable tailor in town.
Being the only driver available "on-call", I was "forcefully privileged" to take her to the tailor shop. Due to the parking restrictions, I preferred staying in the car, while Bindu stepped in to the shop for placing the stitching order. The order, I presume, must have been placed in detail, because it took more than half an hour for her to come back. Impatient and lazy, my nature have been, I waited in the car, counting each second, cursing my new mission !
Within a few days, there were a couple of follow on visits to the same tailor shop. This was, reportedly, done to ensure that the tailor's comprehension on the patterns/designs was error free.
Minutes, hours and days passed by. But, definitely, not weeks.
One Friday afternoon, when I was getting prepared for a quick slumber, post a sumptuous lunch, I received a call on my mobile - that call was from the tailor informing the readiness of the placed order. After some typical arguments, quite perturbed on the interrupted plans of a short nap, I was, once again, forced to take Bindu to the tailor shop.
This time, after parking the car at a comfortable place, I also got into the shop.
Minutes ticked by, there came the tailor, with the bag containing the stitched dresses.
Let me have a glass of water !
There was an absolute silence for a couple of minutes ! Then, Oh! my God!
A skirmish !!
The tailor, in spite of all these follow-on visits, had completely shattered his client's dreams. In a nut shell, the tailor had successfully stitched the dress materials in an unsuccessful manner ! Should I laugh out or burst out?
But, a silent spectator, I was !
When the pressure started to subside, the tailor produced the bill for this "catastrophe"! Yes, I admit, the amount displayed in the bill made me laugh and cry at the same time!
This "sarcastic" bill gave rise to further arguments. This time, I too joined, as I felt the pinch of it. I argued defensively, as my whole point was not to pay anything for this waste of time, energy and petrol !
My blood pressure shot up, on seeing the casual attitude of the main tailor.
Bygones are bygones! After a while, negotiations started, followed by bargaining. In order to accord a win-win situation, though not happy, we made the deal finally, to pay the tailor for his bad skills, but Rs. 150 less !
A mere Rs. 150??
Thoughts haunted, as we both felt that we could have bargained for more. We could have got the final price tag reduced a little more, but there were a few onlookers beside when the tug of war was in progress!
Frustrated and angry we were.
After a silent dinner, as a "routine procedure", Bindu started searching her mobile phone for setting the morning alarm.
Search continued, and, continued. Not in the dining room, not in the kitchen, not in the hall room, not in the car, not in the hand bag....
Hold on, "where is my hand bag"? she asked me.
In a typical male chauvinistic mode, I replied - "I don't know, I was not carrying it!"
Search resumed.
This time, a bonus search - for mobile phone PLUS hand bag. Again, not in the dining room, not in the kitchen, not in the hall room, not in the car ....
Frantic search, in vain !
I said with an experienced tone, "OK, OK, no problem, we will find it out. Just make a call to your number and see ..."
Dialed her mobile number, no response !
She told "I think, the phone was kept inside my hand bag"
To cut short the conversation and in an urge to hit the bed, I asked "Where is the hand bag, then? We will find out tomorrow! It should be somewhere here."
Not buying in my suggestion, Bindu continued - "I am worried on the missing hand bag."
"It is your carelessness! You should have always carried your mobile phone in hand and taken care of your hand bag. Anyway, we will find out." - I persuaded to stop the topic for the time being.
After a short while, Bindu told -"I think, the bangles we took from bank locker were kept inside the bag".
That comment had shot up my adrenalin. I shouted back - "What?"
"Yes, I think, it had some money also!"
This time, I blasted - "How much money is your some money? "
After arguments and exchange of "law points", it dawned on us that the hand bag in question, not only contained mobile phone, but also Rupees Twelve Thousand, some gold ornaments, and not to tell anyone, the ID cards too!
I am still unable to express my mind set at that point in time!
As an opportunity, I started to blame her carelessness and approach, but only for a very short time!
Bindu, then retaliated -"You were holding the hand bag while we were in the tailor's, you remember?"
I tried to remember and realized that she was RIGHT !
I reminisced. I ran through the events - yes, she gave me the hand bag when she went to the trial room ... and I must have kept it on tailor's cutting table, when I took my purse out from pocket for paying him!
I admitted my guilt and decided to act on it immediately, because the damage would be exorbitantly high, if I did not!
I rushed to the tailor shop, which was obviously closed. There were no contact numbers available with us - either of the tailor or of the shop owner. Thanks to the dim street lamp available, I noted down shop's telephone numbers from its sign board. But, what was the use of dialing the shop number at that part of the night?
Fortunately, I could see a mobile number on the right bottom of the sign board. Whose mobile number this could be? Tailor's or the shop owner's?
I was blank.
Very well knowing the implications of disturbing an unknown person, on his personal mobile, and that too, during late hours, I dialed out the number. After many rings, I heard a "Hello" from the other end. Lucky me, it was not the tailor, but the shop owner. If it was the tailor whom we fought with ....... I could not imagine how shameful would it have been!!
Myself, being at the receiving end, very humbly, narrated the whole story and my plight. He told me that there would not be any guarantee of the bag, as many customers could have visited the shop after we left from there. But, at the same time, he assured that if the hand bag was kept in the shop, and no customer had taken it, it should be safe. He conveyed his complete faith on his tailoring staff. To end the call, he pacified me and told us to come to the shop next day morning at nine itself, the time they open the shop for business.
Came home, quite disturbed, as the mission was incomplete. The only solace left, was just to wait patiently, for the sun to rise and the shop to be opened ! That particular night, both Bindu and myself felt each second like minutes; minutes like hours; and hours like years!! Pessimistic thoughts haunted us - how to make up the losses - money, gold, ID cards, Oh! my God!
Or, how sure were we, to say that the hand bag was kept at the shop itself? Was it misplaced somewhere on the road? Wild thoughts - but we held on to the belief that the hand bag would be in the shop itself; and nowhere else.
Govind, our son, continued enjoying the scene, not aware of the seriousness of the whole episode !! Lucky, kids!
For the first time during that short vacation, I woke up very early in the morning. I cannot say that I woke up, because I didn't sleep at all.
Killed time till 9 AM.
Restless, we were. Bindu and myself rushed to the shop before nine itself. The shop was just getting opened. I looked around for the main tailor.
"The main tailor normally comes only by 9.30 - 10, as he stays at a far off place" - the staff member who opened the shop told me.
"Whats the matter, Sir? Anything urgent?"
I did not want to tell the story again, but definitely, longed to hint him about the lost handbag.
"Well, we came here yesterday and were...."
The other person had a fictitious smile and stopped me - "Yes, I know.... I was here when you came to get the dresses ....."
"Brother, have you noticed any hand bag after we left from here yesterday?"
"I dont know, Sir".
We lost the little hope we had. Bindu and myself looked at each other. Did we feel dizzy?
"But I have seen the main tailor keeping something inside his almirah and locking it"
For a minute, I thought that I got my lost energy back. Was that our hand bag, or something else?
"Can you please check up whether that was our hand bag?"
"No, Sir. The almirah is locked and the key is with him. You will have to wait for the main tailor to come."
After a "long" wait for another 15 to 20 minutes, the main tailor came. To be honest, neither Bindu nor myself had the "valor" to face him, because of the acoustic exercise we had the day before. Also, we remembered, "announcing" that we would never ever step into his shop!
He smiled at us unconditionally, while fixing the stand of his motor bike. He must have forgotten our "announcement" we made, that we would never ever get into his shop!!
This is destiny!
I broke the silence - "Sorry, yesterday ..... well, we forgot to take our hand bag from here when we left. I remember keeping it on your table......"
The main tailor with another smile replied - "Yes, I noticed it, and by the time I came out of the shop to return it, you had gone..."
A "massive" sigh of relief. I got my missing breathe back! Bindu too.
He went to his room, unlocked the almirah and got us the hand bag.
"Please check everything is there. Madam, please be careful next time..."
Bindu respectfully got hold of the hand bag and had a "screening and security check" like we have in Airports.
Affirmative!
Thank God, and thanks, dear tailor. All the valuables were intact - money, gold, ID cards etc. etc.
"There are still some good people in this world", I said to myself.
That was definitely a bonus for our pessimistic thoughts. Wanted to thank the tailor profusely. But, then, it would not be nice to thank him alone, if it was somebody else who discovered the bag right there?
We must thank all of them. So, we gifted a bigger amount (much higher than Rs. 150, of course) and asked him to buy sweets for his team, as a part of our happiness!
Money matters? Or, is it happiness and peace of mind?
Yes, no, undecided, often, sometimes???
Every vacation, the tailor story continues....
We were happy and the tailor too!
Renjith Sarada
© 2009-2012 (Renjith P Sarada) All Rights Reserved
