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

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.