Cobbler Back in Business
When the going gets tough, the tough get going rings true for Labasa cobbler Riteshwar Prasad. Mr Prasad started from scratch after resuming his business after the COVID-19 pandemic.
He had to close his five-year-old Prasad’s Shoes and Bags Repair shop due to the several restrictions imposed by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services then.
The 35-year-old father of two children of Tuatua Housing, Labasa had to do ordinary jobs to survive for four years. A few months ago, when he saw the same shop space vacant; he decided to reopen his business.
“Even though business has been slow in Labasa Town since crushing season has started, I continue to open my shop from 7am to 5:30pm waiting for customers to come,” Mr Prasad said.
“After completing Year Ten at Labasa Muslim College I worked as a sugarcane labourer in Wailevu”
Later he developed this passion to repair shoes because he saw that not many chose this career.
He worked at three different shoes shops in Labasa Town to gain knowledge and skills.
These were Chand’s Footwear, Hira Lal and Sons Limited and Umesh Footwear.
Although he didn’t have the same privilege as other children to access education, he worked hard to be different from others.
“Whether we have degree or not we all work to earn money to survive and feed family,” he said.
“What matters is that we are able to do something good instead of getting involved in criminal activities.”
Today his Friendly Shoes and Bags Repair shop is the only one found along the main road of Labasa Town.