Chinese bespoke shoemakers in India cling to their trade despite rise of online shopping and competition from foreign brands
- Handed down from generation to generation, the tradition for making high-end custom-made footwear and leather goods is still going strong
- Famous customers include former India prime minister Indira Gandhi and king of Kashmir, Karan Singh
“Which is the place famous for guavas in India?” Chun Powhughe asks when I visit his small shop, sandwiched between others in Delhi’s upscale Jor Bagh market.
Powhughe, 68, polishes a belt while one of two shop assistants works the same magic on a shoe. One of a dwindling number of ethnic Chinese bespoke shoemakers in India, his store smells of shoe polish and leather, its shelves stacked with custom-made footwear. Behind the counter is a gentle anarchy of unfinished leather shoes, belts and bags.
“My maternal grandfather lived in Allahabad back then. He had made up his mind to leave India and go back to China because he wanted to marry off his young daughter, my mother, who was 13 or 14 years old.”
He made his way to Calcutta, 800km (500 miles) to the east, to catch a ship back home, but there were none leaving right then so he decided to wait. To pass the time, he played mahjong with other ethnic Chinese in the city, and told them of his plans.
“His friends, upon hearing him out, told him the solution to his worries was in Calcutta itself. My father, who was then living in Calcutta, was recommended to him as a suitable groom, a teetotaller, and someone who was in the same profession: shoemaking.”