Rafugar the Darner in Hindi they call him रफ़ू करनेवाला.. he darns your torn garments with the threads of the same garment and he does it precisely , patiently and silently .
Watching him at work is a cinematic experience , seconds stretch into minutes and sometimes a badly torn rich trouser made of worsted wool can take upto an hour.
This work was earlier called Kashmiri darning as it is very minute work and the Kashmiri darners were masters at this art , darning Kashmiri expensive Pashmina shawls.
And here you will see he is not bothered about my presence shooting him on my Motorola G.. I hardly take my DSLR unless it is for an event as it is a burden carrying it on my walks.
And honestly there is a lot of stuff to shoot on the streets if you apply your brains vision will come gradually , but first you should have the ability to see pictures and it is when you have shot them you will be able to enjoy another mans dreams ..darning holes in his unfulfilled dreams ..
And most important this Muslim darner has photogenic character , a sculpted face that adds to the simplicity of his life and the precision of his age old profession.
There are many questions I would like to have asked him.. his name , whether any of his children are in the same trade , whether he taught somebody this trade , ..When did he begin darning , was his father a darner but than I know if I ask so many questions I dont think I could have shot all these pictures .. a lot of Muslim professionals are very private about their lives and fiercely guard their privacy.
Maybe next time I will shoot his video.. silently as silently as he darns holes of the Wedding coat of Uncle Joe ..that beautiful cream Sharskin suit that he wore at his wedding 60 years back with wife Theresa at St Peter Church Bandra .. and blessed with the words of the Priest What God put together let no man put Asunder ,, Ashes to Ashes Dust to Dust ..
Yes I finally shot and captured the Soul of a Bandra Darner at Work as poetically as I could the rhythm of his heartbeats and synchronized it with the soul of my solitude ,,, as a street photographer ..
