Pappu Chauhan presents a pair of jootis to Prince Charles. Picture by Sanjay Arora

Jaipur, April 23: When the master batsman who has made flawless footwork his signature style puts his feet up tomorrow, they might be shod in Jodhpuri jooti.

Sachin Tendulkar has been sent a pair of traditional camel-coloured jooti or mojri all the way from the Sun City for his 35th birthday.

Jinger Pappu Chauhan, 30, a mojri maker and an ardent Sachin fan in Jodhpur, has sent a specially crafted jooti for his birthday. But he will not be able to attend his hero’s birthday celebrations as he will be writing his MA exams.

Says Chauhan: “I met Sachin in 1999 in Mumbai and was enamoured not only by his cricket but his humility as well. As we have been making mojris since ages, I presented him a special pair designed by me. He immediately took a liking to it. Now whenever he comes to Jodhpur, I get the privilege of meeting him. I have been sending him mojris every birthday.”

Sachin sends him invites for his birthday bashes every year, which Chauhan attended in 2005 and 2006.

Not only Sachin, but several other Indian and foreign cricketers are said to have become fans of Chauhan’s jootis. Sreesanth, Yuvraj Singh and a host of others have bought mojris from Chauhan. Some have even placed orders for their yet-to-be fixed weddings. He is said to have designed Parthiv Patel’s mojris for his wedding.

With players becoming more than acquaintances, Chauhan now has a whole lot of cricket memorabilia, including gloves, T-shirts, bat, pads, caps and many others, gifted to him by the stars themselves.

Sachin Tendulkar

The USP of his shoes lies in their being light-weight, each weighing nothing more than 70gm. The designing and thread embroidery is intricate, colourful and eye-catching and requires hours of hard work. But they are affordable, starting at Rs 100 and going up to Rs 500 a pair.

Picturesque and colourful Jodhpur with its magnificent forts and palaces has always attracted ad filmmakers. So when Sachin and Amitabh Bachchan shot here for the Pepsi commercial a few years ago, Pappu got to meet the film star as well.

But it was Abhishek Bachchan who took a liking to his jootis immediately and is a privileged customer. It not just Bollywood’s prince who is impressed with this unique Rajasthani art form. Even Prince Charles took back a pair with him.