ਮੋਚੀ

Mochi (ਮੋਚੀ) is the Punjabi word for a cobbler: a craftsman who makes and repairs shoes and other leather goods. In Punjab the word names both the trade and the families who have followed it for generations, from the village shoemaker stitching new juttis by hand to the roadside cobbler who mends a torn sole while you wait.

Meaning

In its plain sense, a mochi makes and mends footwear. He cuts, stitches and soles shoes, sandals and the curled toe Punjabi jutti, and he repairs other leather goods too, from a broken strap to a worn school bag. Punjabi word lists give ਮੋਚੀ as the direct equivalent of the English word cobbler, and in everyday speech the village shoemaker is simply called the mochi, the way every craftsman is named by his trade.

The cobbler's craft

The traditional mochi works sitting on the ground or on a low stool, his tools spread on a mat around him: an awl for piercing leather, strong thread, a hammer, a wooden last that holds the shoe's shape, and polish for the finish. Much of the work is stitching by hand, pulling each seam tight so that a farmer's jutti can stand a season of field work.

In the old village the mochi served the same families year after year. In rural Punjab, mochis worked for local landowners who acted as patrons, and they were often paid from each cash crop at the end of the harvest, under a customary system called seypi. The jutti made for a wedding, often embroidered, was part of the celebration dress of the whole region.

The trade today

Factory made shoes changed the mochi's world. Cheap manufactured footwear cut the demand for hand stitched shoes, the seypi payments faded, and many mochi families in Punjab left the trade, some for farm labour and some for other work. Yet the repair side of the craft survives everywhere: the cobbler at the bazaar corner or under a tree by the bus stand still re-soles, stitches and polishes, keeping good shoes alive far longer than a machine made pair would last.

Origin and the name

Mochi is also the name of the traditional shoemaking community found across North India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, described as the traditional shoemakers of South Asia. In Punjab the community includes families of more than one faith, and the same word serves for the shoemaker in Hindi as well. Wherever it travels, the word keeps one meaning: the person who works in leather and looks after everyone's feet.

What does mochi mean in Punjabi?

ਮੋਚੀ (mochi) means cobbler in Punjabi: the craftsman who makes and repairs shoes, juttis and other leather goods. It is also the name of the traditional shoemaking community of Punjab and South Asia.

What does a mochi do?

A mochi cuts, stitches and soles footwear by hand, and repairs leather goods such as straps, belts and bags. In the traditional village he served the same families for years and was paid at harvest time under the seypi system.

Is the mochi's trade disappearing?

The making side has shrunk because factory made shoes are cheap and everywhere, and many mochis in Punjab have left the trade. The repair side survives: cobblers still re-sole, stitch and polish shoes in every bazaar and town.

ਮੋਚੀ ਦਾ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਕੀ ਅਰਥ ਹੈ?

ਮੋਚੀ ਜੁੱਤੇ ਬਣਾਉਣ ਅਤੇ ਠੀਕ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲੇ ਕਾਰੀਗਰ ਨੂੰ ਕਹਿੰਦੇ ਹਨ੤ ਇਹ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਰਵਾਇਤੀ ਜੁੱਤੇ ਬਣਾਉਣ ਵਾਲੇ ਭਾਈਚਾਰੇ ਦਾ ਨਾਂ ਵੀ ਹੈ੤

ਮੋਚੀ ਕਿਹੜਾ ਕੰਮ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ?

ਮੋਚੀ ਚਮੜਾ ਕੱਟ ਕੇ ਜੁੱਤੀਆਂ ਅਤੇ ਜੁੱਤੇ ਸਿਉਂਦਾ ਹੈ, ਤਲੇ ਲਾਉਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਚਮੜੇ ਦੀਆਂ ਹੋਰ ਚੀਜ਼ਾਂ ਵੀ ਠੀਕ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ੤