Thread on dying profession of Delhi / North India :
1) Cotton fluffers ( Rui pinjane wale) - They used to travel from colony to colony on their cycles , carrying the fluffing instrument called Dhuinki that looked like a music instrument and made strumming noise
1) Cotton fluffers ( Rui pinjane wale) - They used to travel from colony to colony on their cycles , carrying the fluffing instrument called Dhuinki that looked like a music instrument and made strumming noise
Sitting outside the house, they will fluff out old cotton and fill it back into mattress and rajai . This used to be annual ritual before onset of winters 
2) Knife Grinders- Churi tez karva lo was a very familiar sales cry as they travelled across the city on their cycles , grinding knives with a instrument that was attached to the pedal of the cycle to control the speed of grinder. Every house had those big ass
Knives with wooden handles that proudly displayed grinding marks on the blade
3.Tinning or Qalai wale - They will come to each colony once a month and collect all dirty copper / brass utensils set up temp bhati or furnace . Then the magic began , fun it was to watch ! Tinning is the process of pouring hot tin on copper / brass utensils to prevent them
From oxidizing. The process is detailed to describe but after series of steps the last step is to put the utensil in water and it will make this dramatic , hissing sound and the utensil will rise from water shining like anything ! Magic !
4. Manji/ Charpai makers or Badai
Although badaii techinically is a carpenter , these ones are mostly from Punjab who went from colony to colony worked specifically on Charpai . Mostly re roping either jute ones or later cotton / synthetic ones
Although badaii techinically is a carpenter , these ones are mostly from Punjab who went from colony to colony worked specifically on Charpai . Mostly re roping either jute ones or later cotton / synthetic ones
5.Typing and short hand classes - Ahhhh . All of us who were never good enough for UPSC were told to give Lower division clerk ( LDC) and upper division clerk ( UDC) exams with typing and short hand being key part of exam . Every evening host of young people went
For these classes in hope of landing sarkari naukari . These tests were finally phased out in 2017 .
6. Rafu wale - All neighborhood used to have a rafu wala . The magician who would mend small holes and tears in the clothes . That’s right , we didnt throw the clothes away if they had little tear or burn but as our mother would say “ Rafu ke liye de aa” .
7.Katib or calligraphers of old Delhi - Once the Katib of Urdu Bazar of old Delhi were the pride of the area - doing intricate Urdu calligraphy. Now barley couple of them are left mostly writing Lal Khaat -The first invite which is sent from bride’s family to the grooms
8. The street dentist of old Delhi - The lane next to red fort once had 30-40 “ dentists” performing everything from tooth extraction to fitting dentures . Mostly illiterate - the trade passed from the family . Hardly 1-2 remain now I guess . ( None is the photos are mine )
