India - Day 1

The buttonhole guy in his corner (hes always smiles, unlike most of the employees who just stare me down, especially the teenage packer guys up in the loft).

Saturday

Kunal came by with breakfast around 8:30. 

Then we drove through all the crazy traffic to their office and factory in Andehri West. Kunal’s dad owns the industrial park premises, which he rents to other small factories. One makes industrial steel bristle brushes, another has a printing press for making business cards and hang tags, and a few others that I couldnt figure out.

The factory is smaller than I expected, with about 30 workers total between 2 rooms. They have about as many machines of various types (chainstitch overlock, double chain stitch, single chainstitch, single needle machines, buttonhole machines, bartack machines, cover stitch machines, irons, table cutters, etc.)

One room is for cutting and sewing, and the other for finishing and packing.

They cleared a table for me to draft on. I had to clean up the block patterns by making all seam allowances 3/8” (1cm). Unfortunately they dont have dot paper, only this brown board thats thinner than our oak tag board. But its ok, because its so humid here that anything thinner becomes damp and hard to work with. 

We went back to Vile Parle for lunch around 2 or 3, his mom cooked us some Dhal, steamed and spiced potatoes and cauliflower, and rice and Roti. 

I tried fixing the shirt block pattern at home, but was too tired so I took a nap. After about an hour the AC guys came to service my AC, then went back to bed and knocked out till 8. 

Kunal came by and told me to get showered and dressed, and his friends picked us up to go to the 31st birthday party of a set of twins. It was at a club/restaurant and was all paid for and open bar. I had some Whiskey & Cokes there, some fingerfoods (grilled chicken pieces (which were awesommmeeee), fried goats cheese balls, and some green curried fish that Kunal forbade me to eat for fear of my stomach not handling it). His friends were all very nice and open, and all spoke english when I was around so I wouldnt feel left out. They were all calling me Gerard Butler too. Whatever works works i guess.

Later we ended up at his friend Ragu’s house, about a block away from my place, where we stayed talking, smoking cigarettes, listening to music, and drinking Johnnie Black and Grey Goose till we left at 3.

Then I came home, drafted some more seam allowances, and then fell asleep till 8, when Kunal came to take me to work!