Aleena Marble Handicrafts

We are based at Plot No-24/32 in Taj Nagri, which is part of the Tajganj area in Agra. It's a busy neighborhood because we are quite near the Kira Mandir. Living and working in Tajganj means you are always surrounded by the history of marble work. We have a small workshop where we make different types of handicrafts. It’s not a large operation, just me and a couple of guys from the neighborhood. We spend a lot of time sitting on the floor with our tools, working on small pieces like bowls or inlaid boxes. The marble we use comes from Rajasthan and it’s heavy to move around. Our workshop is often a mess with stone chips and water used for polishing. The noise of the grinders can be a bit much, but we are used to it by now. Sometimes the neighbors complain, but then they come over for tea and it’s fine. We don't have a professional storefront, just our work area and a small shelf where we keep things that are finished. It’s a bit cramped in here, especially when we have a lot of material delivered. We just keep our heads down and do the work. The temple nearby provides a nice atmosphere, and you can hear the bells ringing in the mornings. It’s just a normal life for us, making things from stone and trying to get by.