Home Cities Chennai Mittai Thatha — A 113-year-old who left behind his bitter past to make candies

Mittai Thatha — A 113-year-old who left behind his bitter past to make candies

“Don’t lie, don’t steal and work with confidence is my life mantra. I don’t want to increase the price of my products, I am happy that children like my candies," says Abusali.

Mohammed Abusali, aka Mittai Thatha, wakes up every day at 4:30 am to prepare his coconut, ginger, and glucose candies. (Express Photo: Janardhan Koushik)

He says he is 113 years old, he lives alone, he came to India fleeing conflict, and for the past 60 years, has been making and selling candies for a living. He is Mohammed Abusali, popularly known as ‘Mittai Thatha’.

Originally from Myanmar, Abusali lives in a rented tenement smaller than 10×10 ft in Aadakaratheru, in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. The place has a table fan, a trunk, a couple of plastic boxes and bottles. There is an almirah, with some old, torn bags and a couple of silver vessels. Outside his place, a plastic cover is left hanging with a couple of newspaper cuttings inside it.

Abusali is full of energy — he still walks kilometers to sell his products, and says one should work hard to achieve anything in life.

He wakes up every day at 4:30 am to prepare his coconut, ginger, and glucose candies. A person who stays a street away helps Abusali in grinding the coconut and cleaning the vessels. The prepared candies are then placed in a bamboo plate and tied to a rope for Abusali to carry. He pulls up a shirt from his trunk box, drapes a lungi, and sets off to work.

The candies are cheaper than those in retail stores because Abusali wants to sell his products the way he likes. (Express Photo: Janardhan Koushik)

‘Mittai….Mittai…Mittai…’ he shouts, and the young ones from nearby areas circle him to get their hands on the candies. The candies are cheaper than those in retail stores because Abusali wants to sell his products the way he likes. He even gives a piece of advice to children about the benefits of consuming naturally prepared candies as opposed to chemical-induced artificial products.

“Don’t lie, don’t steal, work with confidence is my life mantra. These principles have kept me going. Whatever I earn is not enough, but I don’t wish to increase the price of my products. I am happy with my work, I am happy that children prefer to eat my candies. I don’t have any regrets, I thank God for keeping me away from any illness,” says Abusali.

The ever-smiling centenarian has a difficult past. He says he lost his entire family, including his wife and three children, in a war that took place in his home town in Burma. Abusali was running a grocery store till then, but was left without a penny at the age of 50. He says 3,000- 4,000 people were brought in a ship as refugees to Tamil Nadu under the regime of former PM Jawaharlal Nehru.

Abusali is now living in a rented tenement in Aadakaratheru in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. (Express Photo: Janardhan Koushik)

“We landed near Gummidipoondi and from there I went to Vyasarpadi, to Puducherry and then came to Thanjavur. Can you believe it? I went to all these places on foot. It took a day for me to reach Puducherry and two days to reach Thanjavur,” Abusali says.

“After landing here, I joined a tea shop and re-started my life. After a couple of years, I left the job and became an assistant to a man who came from Nagoor and was had a candy business. One candy was sold for 3 paise then. After learning the process, I started selling candies on my own and gained good revenue. From then, there was no turning back. I have been to different places in Tamil Nadu, like Tindivanam, Cuddalore, Madras, Coimbatore, etc. In recent years, I have been unable to visit other districts. Now I do my business only in Thanjavur, but even that is becoming difficult due to the rising price of all products,” adds Abusali, who has started selling coconuts too to manage his expenses.

The 113-year-old still walks for kilometers to sell his products. (Express Photo: Janardhan Koushik)

Abusali didn’t get any support from the government until some local papers wrote on him. Following the reports, Thanjavur Collector Annadurai acted. Officials visited Abusali’s place and handed him a ration card along with a government order promising a pension of Rs 1,000 per month.

“After my story was published in a couple of papers, many people have started visiting my house. They are all surprised to see me working at 113 years. Some of them have taken me to their houses and provided food, I was also taken to a couple of events where they wanted me to prepare candies. People who come to see me give me money. Though I refuse, they insist I keep it. I accept it as a token of love. People in this town have accepted me as a family member. Everyone is affectionate towards me and I thank God for that,” he says.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest Chennai News, download Indian Express App.

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd