I came to know about a radiator in my childhood days when the cane lorry driver lifted the bonnet and let out heated smoke and water splashing all over the engine. I feared there would be an explosion but saw the man grinning over the plastic cap turning it anti-clockwise to give a kind of release to a suffocating body. He held a blue cloth smeared with grease which I understood was used to protect his palms from burning. Then the passers-by remarked the lorry was too drunk as compared to a man with a strong hangover and upset stomach. But over and above the circumstantial humour there was human drama. How to replace a vomiting radiator in less time than required so the lorry could be driven to the factory with its overload of canes. Pouring water over a somehow cooled radiator was an emergency remedy to get over the trouble. The road traffic though with very low density in the ‘60s had to be cleared fast of all obstacles.

Several decades later with a revised knowledge of cardiac functioning I am additionally blessed. The radiator man makes a clinical comparison exercise for me. I understand from a demonstration of Azeem just as coolant flows through the engine and radiator in the same way blood circulates throughout the body transporting heat away from vital organs. The heart acts like a pump similar to the water pump in a vehicle to ensure continuous flow. Like the heart, like the pump. This is where I compare Azeem to a surgeon receiving a sick patient for a diagnosis, close examination of the parts through a magnetic resonance imaging and recognizing the part affected. He takes the sick radiator, lifts it, turns it upside down, and as if to say he knew what was the calamity calls the attention of the radiator’s owner. The holes are blocked and water leaks could be the cause of an imminent risk of a breakdown on the road.

But how did Azeem embark on this specialized branch of mechanics? He has attended the Rajcoomar Gujadhur Primary School in Central Flacq and completed secondary schooling at the Camp de Masque State College. At that stage he decided to make a choice: pursue academic studies or embrace his pater’s profession, a professional who repairs radiators. There are several generations of vehicles in the region of Flacq ranging from lorries to cars and buses. So, there is a critical mass amid a geographical proximity where the name and fame of his father resonate. The reputation of quality service has accompanied the workshop for decades. Young Azeem joined the university of his father within the familiarity of the workshop exchanging with clients who came with eagerness to obtain a lasting solution to their misfortune. Some blame the make of the radiator rather than an absence of regular servicing. All in all, Azeem, like his father, is a respected radiator repairer today.

Inside the workshop in total order, there are several specialized sets of hand tools including pressure testers, closing and opening pliers and the omnipresent hammer and blowtorch like in almost all workshops, tinsmiths, ironsmiths, goldsmiths and woodsmiths. Young man Azeem knows how to be savvy gaining the confidence of his clients who would unhesitatingly recommend him to their fellow vehicle owners. His is the place to go for a quick examination, analysis, water tests, and repairs.

The village of Flacq has got talents and Azeem is one of the artisans, nay, artists.