I’m enough of a capitalist to be materialistic to an extent that I detest, but making friends with people who aren’t obsessed with all things flashy and fancy helps a lot (you know who you are, Ms S!). [break]
And so does coming across an article that showers praise on Nepal for its fixing skills (Do you guys remember that? About some guy hauling all his fidgety electronics to New Road? Maybe it was the New York Times a few months ago?).
Anyway, the frequency with which we are taught to value all things new is quite sickening. And recycling has been reduced to just dumping goods in a trash can for others to sort. Ecogeeks say: “Recycling is for devices that have outlived their useful lives” but I find it useful for everything else too.
So Nepal gets ten points for fixing things till they are just as good as new.
A few months ago my sister asked me to get her shoes fixed before she dashed out the door to work.
I didn’t know what she meant, how was I to “fix” her shoes? But as I left the house later that afternoon and stood at my bus stop I saw a man across the street.
He was crouched under a makeshift stall fixing shoes! I went over and talked to him and realized he may possibly be able to do wonders, so I ran back home.
Since then I’ve had about four sandals and three flats “fixed”. Two had the soles flapping about and one had beads slipping out of the string and yet another was beginning to tear on the side. A few months ago he even fixed the soles of my plain black flats which had somehow cracked in half.
He said it would take some time and work and money. I was wondering if I’d just be better off buying an entirely new pair but when I asked him how much time and money, he said, “It’ll only be ready tomorrow and it could cost you Rs 60”. Sixty rupees?! I was sold. Since then I am in awe of his skills and professionalism.
I hate buying new things. You’ll recall my phone is cracked and just this weekend my 13-year-old too cool for school cousin feigned horror and asked “Didi! Aren’t you embarrassed to use this in public?” No, I told her, the phone’s not as fast but it still works.
The screen hasn’t exactly obstructed its usage to me in any way. She didn’t seem convinced. But I was still impressed that this guy at the Apple store in Durbar Marg had seen mine and said, “I can fix your screen. Won’t cost you more than Rs 4,000.” Not bad, but so long as the phone works, I’m fine.
But it’s not about shoes and phones. My mom’s not much of a storage-er like me, if it’s broken she’ll trash it. But she did have a watch she was fond of, but one loop had fallen off so the strap just flapped about.
One fine day we were headed to New Road and we found an old gentleman (whose family had been in the watch selling and fixing business for three years!) he showed us a plate of loops and picked out the five closest to the shade and texture of Ama’s strap and fixed it on. I think it cost all of Rs 100 – a bargain!
My boyfriend’s bike seat once tore and the white stuffing from the inside was beginning to spill out.
One day on our way home he asked if I wouldn’t mind calling my mom to say we’d be about 20 minutes late for dinner.
He stopped at that junction between Thapathali and Tripureshwor and drove into a little shop I’d never noticed before.
As it turns out, the mechanic said it would take much more than 20 minutes but that he could have it ready by tomorrow.
We left it at the shop and guess what? The next day he had it replaced. Not entirely patched up (seeing as the cover was more plastic than leather, sewing it together wasn’t much of an option) but that’s better than buying an entirely new frame, structure, seat just to take care of the cover.
Nepal has many flaws, wish we could fix ourselves up like we can so many little but wonderful things.
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