With his boots on

If you are a regular visitant to M.G. Road, then there is no way you can miss Vasudeo N. Vanarasi, the boot polish' guy. Yes, he's the same...

If you are a regular visitant to M.G. Road, then there is no way you can miss Vasudeo N. Vanarasi, the boot polish8217; guy. Yes, he8217;s the same guy with that huge, frizzy hairdo. The one who has been providing this boot polish facility for the last 40 years outside the Bombay Mercantile Co-operative Bank. Sixty-five-year-old Vanarasi has been sitting on the same spot all these years, quietly going about his work.

Born in Pune, he was afflicted by polio and hence handicapped at the age of nine. When very young, he lost his parents. Being left a destitute, he took to begging on M.G. Road. He continued with this till someone exhorted him, 8220;Why are you begging? It8217;s only your legs that have been affected, your hands and the rest of you are intact! Why don8217;t you do some work?8221; Vanarasi paid heed to this piece of advice and decided to do something with his life. That8217;s when the idea of polishing shoes struck him8230; and he has been ardently following this profession since then.

Vanarasi lives in Mangalwar Peth. He has no brother or sister but he points with pride to his wife sitting beside him and informs us that his was a love marriage 8211; he met her in Mangalwar Peth and married her in 1964. They have no children8230;it is just the two of them.

He has been mentioned by the District Governor of Rotary Club as an institution on Main Street, a man who has been providing yeoman service to the public. He has been presented its Vocational Excellence Award. The Rotary Club has also requested the president of the Pune Cantonment Board to keep in mind Vanarasi8217;s condition, permitting him to stay at the same place and not shift him to the hawkers8217; zone.

Vanarasi8217;s day begins at 9 a.m. After 1 p.m., he takes a long break and returns at 4.30 p.m., with his day winding up at 8.30 p.m. Retracing his days spent on the road, Vanarasi says he used to charge one anna for the polish when he began. That was when everything was inexpensive and easy on the pocket. Vanarasi has a small collection of polish boxes 8211; some are almost 18 years old. He says, 8220;I would still love to charge one anna for polishing but the price of polish has gone up. What cost Rs 3 in those days, costs Rs 15 to 18 today.8221; As for his trademark hairdo 8211; which is what most people remember him for 8211; he says, 8220;It is not the same anymore. I have grown old, and my hair has turned grey, so I had to cut them off8221;.