Shiv Shakti Ornaments

Our workshop is tucked away at 1177, Devant Sheri, inside the Mandavini Pole area of Manekchok. This is one of the oldest parts of the city, and the lanes are very narrow and winding. You can’t really get a car down here, so it’s all about walking or two-wheelers. Manekchok is famous for many things, and we are right in the thick of it. Our space is small and cozy, filled with the tiny tools and benches we use for working on ornaments. There is a lot of fine dust on the tables, and the lighting has to be very bright so we can see what we are doing. We spend our days hunched over these benches, often with a magnifying glass in hand. The atmosphere in the pole is very traditional; you can hear neighbors talking from their balconies and the smell of food cooking nearby. It’s a very different vibe from the modern parts of town. We’ve been in this same spot for a long time, and the history of the place is something you feel every day. We don't have a big showroom with glass cases everywhere; it's more of a place where the actual work happens. Usually, someone brings us some chai in the morning, and we sit on the small steps outside for a few minutes. It’s a quiet, focused kind of life in the middle of a very busy city center.