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Tapan the Carpenter

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The woodwork in my small home used to be done by a very old carpenter named Motilal. You jmust be wondering why he was our family carpenter.It was because he could patch up wooden frames of windows eaten by termites by attaching a piece of wood after severing the termite eaten part. Changing the whole frame was too expensive for us to afford.He once repaired the decayed leg of a wooden dining chair by replacing it with a wicket  My uncle picked up a cheap three piece sofa set along with a centre table for a paltry Rs.350/- in 1981 or so. Motilal made them into a work of art by putting sponge cushions,laminates and with pale brown leather-like rexin covers ! That was his versatilityThey are still in my home though no one sits on them. My uncle asked me "Bishu kemon hoyeche? (how is it)"I had replied after sitting on it : "These are very uncomfortable and small..." To this my uncle had replied "Guests won't stay long".Dear old Motilal is now dead and gone.

Even a few years ago carpenters used to walk through the streets on foot or on a bicycle with a small cloth bag containing a saw,hacksaw,chisel,hammer,awl,plane and of course a few nails & screws of different sizes.

Just a loud shout of "O mistry.. !! " and he'd look and come waddling into the house.Scrawny,lean-boned and tanned brown skin these useful carpenters were wanted and ill-paid.Plenty of haggling used to ensue after the work was done  These "wandering carpenters" are almost extinct on the streets of Kolkata now.

But as you know the small house in which I live is a very very old one and very often the wooden frames need repair. Frequently during the monsoons our doors cannot be closed.What a testy situation ! Bathroom doors cannot be closed  They are made of plywood pasted on cheap wooden frames which expand due to moisture  Yes .. funny for you readers but not for the bath/toilet visitors  The members of the family used to announce his/her presence before going in  So I began hunting for a carpenter who must have the following attributes : (1) Must not charge much money (2) Must come as soon as summoned (3) Must give an unwritten warranty for work done. 

Tapan ,I discovered , in a small rented shack on my way to the local bazaar.Pot-bellied,reasonably plump, avid smoker of beedis but with a genial semi- toothless smile which I fell in love with. He worked nicely and was happy at being treated to a cup of hot sweet tea and biscuits.The doors were shaved off and they now closed nicely. We could even have the luxury to enjoy a "bolted bath"  His charges were very very reasonable and affordable. Further visits he put up curtain rods, god's shelves, picture frames on walls and many other work which a carpenter would refuse to do.

A few months back he modified a wooden table using plywood ,hinges and bolts.The table can now be used as a lockable chest of drawers.He even put brown paint on it.When he visited us he told us that he had been asked by his landlord to quit the shack. Tapan sold his wife's ornaments, raised some friendly loans and purchased a small room on the ground floor of a new apartment. He now works there with his son assisting him. All I can say "Tapan is good at his job and a nice man too" God bless him and his family.Talking of wizards and fairies who was Motilal and who is Tapan ?? May God bless them for a prosperous future.