Sukhdev Ruber & Computer Stemp

Our shop, Sukhdev Ruber & Computer Stemp, is a small spot over at Madar Gate in Gandhi Bazar, specifically at number 10. It’s a narrow space filled with the smell of rubber and ink. I spend most of my day sitting at the bench with small tools, cutting out letters or setting up the computer to layout a new stamp design. My fingers are almost always stained with red or blue ink, no matter how much I wash them. We have stacks of wooden handles and those plastic self-inking cases everywhere. It’s a bit messy with scraps of rubber on the floor. People come in with bits of paper where they’ve written down what they want their stamp to say. Sometimes it’s a government office or just a local guy starting a small business. We also do the newer computer-made stamps which are faster, but the old way is still what I'm used to. The light isn't great in the back of the shop, so I have a small lamp right over my workspace. Outside, Gandhi Bazar is always moving, but inside it’s just the sound of the machine and the clicking of the stamp pads. We’ve been in this same spot for a while now. It’s just a place to get your official markings done. We keep things simple and try to get the spelling right every time someone asks. It is repetitive work but it pays the bills and keeps us busy.