|
 Incredible
it may seem but the Hyderabadis know of a doctor
of medicine who took to altering imported jeans.
In fact the cosy little shop Jean Jail
that he set up in Narayanguda, opposite the Shalimar
theatre, is the first in the city to exclusively
deal in altering jeans, that too imported ones.
After acquiring a M.B.B.S. degree, Kondula
Srinivasa Rao and a few of his close firends
tried hard to go to America. When everything was
almost finalised, Kondula Srinivasa's grandmother
would not let him go. He stayed back. His friends
went away. They frequently wrote letters and often
sent him gifts. Mostly a pair of jeans. Srinivasa
Rao found that every time, without fail, he had
to get the jeans altered. "Why not set a
tailoring shop exclusively for altering foreign
jeans?" he thought and, in 1978, he set up
the Jean Jail. In no time this exclusive and pioneering
shop clicked. Imported jeans began to line up
at Jean Jail as Dr. Srinivasa Rao doctored them,
initially with his own hands and later, by employing
trained
assistants.
Today, the shop is managed, single handedly,
by his son Abhishek who is just 21. Also
helping him is his mother Krishna Veni. Surrounded
by heaps of neatly folded and well stacked jeans,
I talk to them.
What about studies?
In Daddy's absence, I had to take over the shop
and for last three years I am managing it.
How did your daddy, a doctor, get to learn
tailoring?
We belong to the tailoring community. Earlier
we had a regular tailoring shop. But when Jean
Jail was set up, it was closed down.
Any idea how and why the name Jean Jail?
No. But he was very intelligent. Always reading
books. He decided on the name.
Do you take up only foreign jeans?
We did that for some time. But now we even take
locally made ones. For some time we even kept
cloth and stitched new jeans. But, for the time
being, we are only into altering.
What kind of customers do you get? Say, of
what age group?
Almost 70 percent of them are students. College
and school students. There are also the middle
aged ones and about 10 percent are above 65.
Do you have only male customers ?
No, ladies also come. But we ask them to go home
and take a 'trial'. You see, we don't have a dressing
room for them.
What are the most popular foreign brands?
Edwin of Dubai, Bugle Boy, Lee, Levis and Dockers
of USA and Veraces of Germany. There are also
some good brands from France and Australia.
What about Indian jeans?
There are several brands like New Port of Arvind
Mills.
What difference do you find between the imported
and the Indian jeans?
The quality of imported jeans is better. The
finishing, the neatness and the acessories used,
they are all better.
The best achievements of Jail Jeans?
We got First Prize at the All India Industrial
Exhibition of Hyderabad. But the best achievement
is our customers. For years together they are
patronising us. They don't want to go anywhere
else. What more can a shop want?
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3:16:39 PM 
