Agra Popular Handicrafts

At Agra Popular Handicrafts, we are lucky enough to be right by the Western Gate of the Tajmahal. Being in this part of Agra means there is always noise and people everywhere. It is a very busy spot. We spend our days surrounded by the things we make. It is dusty work and your hands usually end up pretty dirty by the end of the shift. We do not have a big corporate office or anything like that. It is just a shop and a workspace where we keep the old traditions going. You can hear the tourists outside and the rickshaws honking all day long. Sometimes it is hard to hear yourself think, but you get used to it. The Western Gate is a landmark everyone knows, so we never have to give much direction to people looking for us. We just tell them to come towards the Taj. We focus on the craft itself. Some of the guys have been doing this since they were kids, learning from their fathers. It is not a fast process. You have to be patient with the materials. The shop is filled with various items we have finished, stacked up on shelves wherever they fit. We do not have much room for fancy displays. We just put things out so people can see the work. It is an honest way to make a living in a very old city. People sometimes stop in just to escape the heat for a minute.