It was towards the end of November this year, early morning, with a clear sky above, waiting for the morning glow of the sun to spread its arms below, when I began my walk at the library end of Mussoorie. 

The town was still very quiet, except for a muffled roar of an engine coming from the direction of the nearby bus station. The Mall Road remained in a sleepy state, unwilling to break free from its inertia. The air was crisp, teasing my nostrils, and after taking in the milieu around me, I inched ahead, making my way to Landour.

From this end of Mall Road to the other (Picture Palace), it’s an almost flat walk of roughly 2 kms. This is the most happening part of the hill station and is always buzzing with human activity 365 days a year. But at this hour, the people had yet to emerge from their reverie, and I had the time to absorb what nature had to offer. I enjoyed the thick silence floating through the air, could clearly hear the melodious chatter of the avian creatures scurrying around, and occasionally, if I happened upon a fellow human, we would exchange a welcoming smile before continuing on our respective paths.

Beyond the Picture Palace end, the road winds up the mountain, and continues to ascend in a zig-zag manner, passing through settlements, the famous Landour clock tower. As the gradient increases, you pass the oldest residential building in Mussoorie (the Mulingar complex) and then continue on to the char dukan and the loop around it. If you wish to explore the rich history of Landour and understand this quaint little neighbourhood of Mussoorie in more detail, please check out my dedicated posts on it (www.travelindevbhoomi.in).

In this post, I wish to introduce my readers to the skilled artisans, the unsung heroes, who, through their skilled craftsmanship, have been part of the glorious history of this town, but are now somewhere lost in this era of high-tech machines, and fast paced life. Just around the bend that leads to the Mulingar complex is a tiny shop (probably a 4ft by 5 ft area), and the signboard above proudly displays ‘Ashok Shoemaker’.

Ashok Kumar, comfortably seated cross-legged in his shop, greeted me with a brief smile. I had met him a few months ago in Dehradun during a workshop that celebrated the work of shoemakers from Dehradun and Mussoorie. Of short height and a slender frame, Ashok appeared to be around 57 years old. His grandfather, Shri Juni Prasad, first came to Mussoorie from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. The family, for generations, had been in the business of making leather shoes, and somehow, his grandfather ended up in Mussoorie before Independence.

Over the years, when Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) was established in the 1950s, Ashok’s father, Shri Prem Lal, started making shoes for the officers of the academy. Horse-riding was a sought-after sport at the institute, and Prem Lal made special shoes for the officers. ‘Work was good and abundant during that time, but then in the late 1970s/early 1980s, the work reduced significantly,’ said Ashok Kumar. Ashok’s father set up this shop around 1978, and it has been 46+ years of service. Ashok himself began assisting his father here in 1980. When asked about the future of his shop, his pensive look, muffled voice, and averted gaze explained it all. The end is near, or so it seems.

Ashok went on to explain the challenges he faces now in his trade. It takes him 3-4 days to make a single pair of handcrafted leather shoes, but nowadays, people are more interested in buying shoes online as it offers them more variety, costs cheaper and can be ordered through their handheld devices from the comfort of their homes. Accessing raw materials has become a struggle, as the supply chain route from Agra to Saharanpur to Mussoorie now takes longer, and the supply is intermittent. Finding labour for the intricate work is also tough nowadays, as it requires patience and skill. He mentioned that several shoemakers near the clock tower, as well as two near Picture Palace and one near the Rialto Cinema, have all closed down.

While Ashok still has some loyal customers who prefer custom-made shoes, it’s not enough for a decent living. Looking ahead, Ashok, who has two daughters and one son, is sure that none of them are interested in taking this family business forward. He is already thinking about shutting down the shop, and with it, the legacy will be lost. Though a few shops in Landour still operate, uncertainty looms for them as well.

We have come to the end of this post, and I sincerely hope you liked it.

• If you are visiting Landour, try to stop by Ashok’s shop. Google map link to his shop – click here . The shop is located very close to the mark on the map.
• Wish to read another post of an unsung hero of Landour / Mussoorie – the man behind the iconic Garhwali Topi – click here