For Delhi's VIP tailor, a stitch in time saves more than nine politicians

It has been a good season for Manzoor Ahmed Siddiqui, a tailor who specialises in stitching the kurta pyjama.

His clientele reads like a veritable Who's Who of Indian politics and he has become popular for stitching garments that prove lucky for the wearer.

The small nondescript shop, Siddiqui Tailors, being run from a garage behind the apartments of Members of Parliament in North Avenue, has been in business since 1973. VIPs to grassroots level workers of major political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress, have been visiting Siddiqui not only during elections but also on other special occasions.

From early last month, those seeking to fight the Assembly elections have been placing orders with Siddiqui to be able to don his clothes that they believe play a pivotal role in deciding their fate. The shop that normally stitches half-a dozen kurta pyjamas daily has been churning out 35-40 sets per day. Hs two sons, Javed and Nishat assist the master along with a dozen other helpers.

"The work pressure during both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections is such that we have to employ extra work force to cope with the rush," says Siddiqui. His expert hands are at work even while he talks and about the speciality of clothes stitched by him. "The luck factor is something the politicians talk about and I cannot comment on it. But yes, apart from the right fit, it is the collar of the kurta stitched by us that is the talk of the town," he divulges.

None of his clients, high profile or the common masses, hold a grudge against him for having to at times wait for even a week before the clothes are delivered. Several metres of khadi cotton pile up at the shop as Siddiqui shows immense patience and perseverance, giving due importance to the fabric, irrespective of whether it belongs to a VIP, member of the Legislative Assembly or Member of Parliament.

"I do my job sincerely and honestly and charge a fixed price of Rs175 for stitching a normal kurta pyjama or a sherwani suit," Siddiqui said. And for him all his clients are equal. Although his shop is very close to the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee office on Talkatora Road and not very far from the BJP's office on Pandit Pant Marg, Siddiqui has always steered clear of politics.

But ask him about his VIP list and he rattles off names with equal finesse as that of the scissors he uses. People from several states, including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, are his regular clients. Former President K.R. Narayanan, Rajiv Gandhi, Narasimha Rao, Madhu Dandavate, Yashwant Sinha, Sharad Yadav, Om Prakash Chautala, Nitish Kumar, Digvijay Singh, Ashok Gehlot, Moti Lal Vohra, Salman Khursheed, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah are a few names that come to Siddiqui's mind instantly.

A Congress politician said: "I can vouch for the luck factor as regards Siddiqui's clothes. During the last Assembly elections for some reason I could not visit him to get my clothes stitched and missed getting a ticket. This time I was so superstitious that even before the rush at his shop started, I was certain to face the elections with a new set of clothes by Siddiqui Tailors. And it did not come as a surprise to me when my name cropped up among the fortunate ticket receivers."

The tailor recalls the time when Farooq Abdullah had to make a sudden visit to New York to represent the country at one of the UN sessions. With barely any time to go to Srinagar to collect his suits, Abdullah visited Siddiqui, who managed to stitch a bandhgala within 24 hours.

Siddiqui's tryst with tailoring began when he arrived in the capital with his brother Ayub Ahmed in the early '70s as a migrant from Etah in Uttar Pradesh. Prior to that Ahmed had stitched a suit for his brother-in law who worked in the Rashtrapati Bhawan (President's House) during mid-1960s.

Admired by all, the news about the suit reached Dr Zakir Hussain, who summoned Ahmed by sending his official vehicle to pick him up. An order for a sherwani was placed. And Ahmed became a family tailor for Dr Hussain having moved into the Rashtrapati Bhawan premises for five years.

By then the Siddiqui brothers had earned a good name. And the present premises, the garage, was officially allotted to them.