What’s in a Shoe!
I’ve no idea when I bought a shoe for the first time. When I was in the high school, perhaps. I do remember the NCC boots, but that was supplied by the school, hence I didn’t have to buy it. I don’t recall shoes being mandated in the high school where I studied. If at all, it would’ve been a regular black shoe with laces on Mondays (contrasts well with the white & white uniform, which will invariably turn into some shade of brown before the evening) and a simple ‘canvas’ shoe for the days in which ‘sports’ was present in the timetable. In all probability, my dad probably bought whatever shoe the shopkeeper recommended, when I was about to become a competitive sprinter. During such an event, the only things discussed were colour, size & cost. Nothing more. Nothing less.
During college time, I’ve probably bought a few shoes – casual & formal. Casual would’ve been from some multi-brand shop on townhall road. Formals would always be from Bata, since there were no other choices. I remember one particular brown (or was it ‘tan’) colour formal shoes that had some kind of pattern all over it. My maternal uncle bought it at a ‘factory seconds outlet’ in Madurai (my unabated enthusiasm for ‘sale’ events probably got seeded then). I wasn’t too fond of that shoe then, but later realised they were considered super formal, even overseas. In an unnecessary expression of nostalgia, I’ve even got a similar ultra-formal shoe (in blue, no less) for my son (also an engineering graduate – from CEG, Anna University, no less), which he probably wore just once – for his graduation ceremony, may be! Such is life.
Oh btw, Bata is still around & thriving, despite extreme competition from hundreds of brands. I also vividly remember ruining a perfectly good sports shoe by painting over it, in order to make it appear like a pair of shoes worn by some movie star in a recently released movie. Yikes, you may say. But hey, what’s living without exploring & experimenting – especially when you’re an engineering college student, studying at a rural place (between Virudhunagar & Sivakasi) and living in an un-city like Madurai (it still is, in many ways – thankfully)!
During the career phase, I’ve bought and used a variety of shoes – both domestic & overseas. It won’t be an exaggeration to say I indulged in collecting footwear. And belts. And watches – all analog, btw. Most of the shoes I’ve bought were worn to the workplace. The IT services industry’s not-so-strictly-formal, aka ‘business casual’ dress code (which became even more informal towards the end of my career) suited me well & encouraged me to explore a variety of shoes to go with my monotone choice (mostly in blue-gray & brown-beige combination or any colour shirt with khaki trousers) of clothing. My preferred workplace shoe style was the slip-on. In the personal space however, I was always the sandal person, though the range varied from nondescript brands picked in some random sale, all the way to super premium ones like Woodland.
Since my sporting aspirations came crashing down at high school itself (thanks to a sports accident, not a person or any other passion), I haven’t really explored the ‘sports’ side of shoe business for a long time. Until, the Chennai Marathon started going viral and self & Mrs also started participating, to support my Guru’s (spiritual, obviously) rural education initiative. I still can’t run (certainly not a marathon – used to be sprinter a long time ago, btw), but started exploring shoes that are suitable for brisk walking, that too on an unforgiving surface like our public roads (where the marathons happen).
Interestingly, my foot sizes are different, thanks to that sports accident, which required two surgeries, that most probably resulted in the size difference – not just in foot size but also in the length of my legs. In essence, my left leg & foot are slightly shorter than their right counterparts. Not many people notice such anomalies in their own physical form. So, unsurprisingly, none of the shoe salespersons too have ever noticed or discussed this.
Until, one person not only noticed that difference but mentioned that they can make custom shoes of different sizes for my two feet. That place wasn’t a fancy shoe store where they not just measure your feet size & shape, but also record your gait / running style, before recommending the right type of shoe for you (yep, such stores exist even in #NammaChennai). As incredible as it may sound, I met such a truly knowledgeable shoe salesperson in a makeshift tent near our regular ‘chai’ outlet within MEPZ (where one of my company offices was located), where a ‘footwear sale’ was happening. It was a #MakeInIndia company who manufactured shoes right here. Unfortunately I’ve forgotten the brand name. But I probably bought a couple of pairs of footwear there. Of course I remembered to thank that smart salesperson profusely.
Anyway, back to ‘marathon walking.’ Only after I walked the first Chennai marathon (just 10 kms – not the whole length), I realised it was essential to get a good pair of walking shoes, before the next event. Though I’ve managed to complete the first walkathon with whatever sports shoes I had then, and even got the customary completion medal, my feet & knees (especially those on the vaama bhaagam) were really accusing me of attempted murder, post that event. That’s when I started looking for quality shoes for serious walking.
And I came across Skechers ‘Go Walk’ series. They are bloody expensive, but one doesn’t even feel like wearing a pair of shoes, when one walks around wearing them. In all likelihood I bought them in an annual or bi-annual ‘sale’ (no surprises there) at a multi-brand footwear outlet (Inc 18, perhaps) located in the Phoenix mall, Velachery. We both walked the marathon next year, wearing Skechers ‘Go Walk’ shoes. My feet felt much better perhaps, even after completing the walkathon, since they didn’t cry ‘murder’ this time around.
Anyway, fast forward to 2021 and I’ve started ‘seriously’ walking once again. The space is limited to the mottai maadi (open terrace) of our apartment, thanks to a wily virus that has changed our world upside down, for well over an year now. And I’ve started looking for a good pair of walking shoes once again (those old Skechers are still around, gathering dust in the shoe rack, but my preference has changed to a pair of convenient slip-ons now).
The choices available – compared to my school days – are way too many now, in both brick & mortar and click & mortar formats. Yet, good ol’ Bata is still around, selling ‘Power’ brand sports shoes. And global brands like Skechers, Asics & New Balance are available right here, for anyone willing to pay through their nose. There’s also the usual global sportswear brands such as Reebok, Adidas, Puma, et al. And homegrown brands like Liberty (which was once the ‘Premier Padmini‘ to ‘Ambassador’ Bata, on footwear land) and Sparx. As I browse the options available on Amazon (the ‘Freedom Sale’ is on at present & how can a long-term ‘Prime’ member miss that!), one thing is clear.
Even if I find a very good deal online (there are quite a few, actually), I shall buy a new pair of walking shoes only in a store, where I can actually wear and try them out, before paying for them. I know I need them (after diligently clocking 15000+ steps a day for almost a ‘mandalam’ now) and I’m aware I can’t indulge in an expensive pair just like that during good ol’ career days (when I won’t mind buying even 2 or 3 pairs of shoes in a ‘sale’ like ‘Aadi Thallupadi’), without doing the mental math on the limited income with perennial expenses of a private-sector retiree (it’s been a little over 6 years now & both my father & father-in-law certainly earn more than me as public-sectore pensioners ;). So, we’ll have to wait & see which pair adorns my feet this time around. Don’t stay tuned, though, for unless I’ve an interesting tale to share, there won’t be another post on this subject for a while!
Nevertheless, despite unprecedented availability & affordability (not in terms of cost, but purchasing power of people, in general, despite the see-sawing economy) of footwear (just like any other thing such as clothing, phones, cars/bikes, electric/electronic equipment, house, etc.), most buyers seem to still look only for colour, size and of course, cost (‘Adi thallupadi’ like festival discount). Hmmm… Unless, they’re a professional marathon runner like my younger brother, that is!
Apparently, buying a shoe is way more complicated than picking just the colour, size, cost & brand. Here’s some useful insight, much of which even I got to know only today!
https://youtu.be/cum6xWaJssk
Happy walking.. or running.. or whatever!
Be Joyful & Spread the Cheer🙂
~Swamy | ‘@PrakashSwamy
Swamystery 