Disposable

I bought the kids each a backpack. They were cheap – 275 rupees ($5.80). Not surprisingly, after a couple weeks, they were both badly ripped and one zipper was broken. I had noticed a guy at a little stall with a sewing machine surrounded by backpacks in my meanderings, and I went to him. I had to wait about half an hour because there were so many people needing his services. But, in about five minutes, he had sewn up the backpacks and fixed the zipper for a total of 20 rupees (55 cents). At home, I would have thrown both of them out and bought new ones – more expensive and built to last. Here, a man makes a tidy living with his heavy-duty sewing machine, which looked like it was built before the war, and backpacks get fixed. He said it was not even a busy night.