“It was like God himself descended on my kiosk,” said Ramchet, a cobbler, as he defined Rae Bareli MP Rahul Gandhi’s visit to his small shop at Vidhayak Nagar crossing along the Ayodhya-Prayagraj highway.
On Friday, Gandhi was in UP’s Sultanpur where he appeared before the MP-MLA court regarding a defamation case linked to remarks about Union Home Minister Amit Shah. After the proceedings, while enroute to Delhi via the Purvanchal Expressway, the Congress MP’s convoy halted for five minutes at Vidhayak Nagar crossing — granting a memorable moment to Ramchet.
Speaking to News18, Ramchet said the convoy’s halt caught his attention, but he quickly returned to his work, mending shoes. “I thought the convoy must be of some rich man or of some politician. I never thought that it was Rahul-ji’s convoy,” he said. Soon, Ramchet noticed a bearded man in a sky-blue polo T-shirt, black pants, and sandals. However, it was only when Gandhi stood before Ramchet that he recognised the Congress leader who asked him: “Is it you who made all these chappals and shoes?”
Ramchet, who is in his late 60s, said he took a little longer to respond to the question since he was still finding it hard to believe that it was Rahul Gandhi who not only visited his shop but also sat beside him and enquired about his work.
“He asked me to show how I mend shoes. Within no time, he too picked up one slipper and asked me to teach him how to stitch. I showed him and then offered him a cold drink, which he accepted,” he told News18.
Ramchet said the Gandhi scion then enquired about his work and earnings. “I told him I don’t have enough money to expand my business. I earn Rs 5,000-Rs 6,000 a month, which is too less to meet the financial expenses of my family. I asked him for help.”
After lending an ear to Ramchet and enquiring about his work and family, Gandhi left the kiosk with a promise to help the man and strengthen his voice in Parliament.
Ramchet, who has been mending shoes for the past 40 years, called the experience surreal. “Meeting Rahul-ji, sharing my work with him and having a cold drink together was the most memorable moment of my life. I actually don’t have much expectation from him. Bade log hain, bade logon ke paas kai kaam hote hai, kahan yaad rahega Kurebhar ke Ramchet [They are big people who have a lot of responsibilities. Where will they remember me?]. But what touched me to the core was the fact that he was respectful towards my profession and wasn’t hesitant in mending a shoe along with me at my kiosk,” said Ramchet.
Ramchet said it was for the first time in 40 years that he felt mending shoes is not a menial job. “And I owe this feeling to Rahul-ji,” he added.
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