Tiny <i>Sandals</i>

Salam and his creations. Photo: Ihtisham Kabir

I saw them for the first time near Dhaka's Suhrawardy Udyan on Victory Day, 2011 as I was walking from Art Institute towards the TSC. Arranged for sale on the sidewalk, they shimmered like exotic jewels in winter's amber afternoon sunlight: tiny but realistic sandals, full of colour and style. The largest sandals were about an inch long; smaller ones fit on my fingernail. I wanted to speak with the seller, but there were several customers waiting for their turn. Reluctant to interfere with his sales, I took some quick photographs and kept walking. When I returned after half an hour, the vendor and his offerings were gone.
Exactly a year later - on Victory Day last week – I saw those sandals again at the same place. This time I waited and talked with the seller between customers.
Abdus Salam has been making toy sandals for ten years. He sells them during the winter fairs and festivals. A pair costs around 30 Taka. The sandals are made of foam and assembled from ten different parts.
While we were chatting, a customer stopped by, looked at the shoes and pondered. “But... but what practical use are they?” he asked, confused. “You buy them because they are fun,” replied Salam. A few minutes later, a group of college girls stopped by and picked up a few pair.
Salam says he does good business on Bangla New Year's Day (Pohela Boishakh), as well as other fairs and festivities. On New Year's he sets up shop near the Art Institute and sells up to 20,000 Taka worth of tiny shoes.
Who buys them? Mostly young people, says Salam. Sometimes a couple stops by and the shoes bring a smile to the girl's face. The boy then buys a pair for her. It certainly makes for an unusual gift.
Salam learned the craft from his master. He used to work in a shoe factory in Bongshal where his Ustad taught him how to make real shoes and sandals. But after a few years, he learned how to make these toy shoes, which have become his source of earning.
This year, Salam has added several new items. They are colourful sandal-shoes which can be worn by children. Sized for one- to five-year-olds, they sit next to his toy shoes. On Victory Day, expecting bumper business, he has brought along his son-in-law, Zohirul Islam, to help with the selling.
This brought up the matter of his family. Salam has two sons, two daughters and three grandchildren and lives with his family in Bikrampur.
The next time you are attending festivities in town, you might want to keep your eyes open for Salam's creative offerings.

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