Gauri Shankar Murti Bhandar

We've been at Shop No-15 on Rajgarh Road for a long time now. If you know where the State Bank of India is in Malakhera, we’re just right there near the post office in Kothari Ka Bagh. Most days here start early with the sound of chisels hitting stone. It gets pretty dusty inside the shop, but that’s just how it is when you’re working with these materials. We don't have a big fancy showroom or anything like that. It’s just a regular workspace where we keep the finished pieces on the shelves and the raw ones on the floor. People from the village and nearby areas stop by while they’re out doing their banking or picking up mail. Sometimes the traffic on Rajgarh Road gets a bit loud, especially in the afternoons, but we’re used to it. My hands are usually covered in white stone dust by lunchtime. We don't really do much advertising. Most people just see us as they walk past the post office. It’s a simple life here in Malakhera. We drink a lot of tea while we work and talk to the neighbors who wander in. The shop isn't huge, so things can get a bit cramped when we have a lot of stock ready. We just try to keep things moving and make sure the work is solid. It's a bit of a mess sometimes, but that’s what happens when you’re actually making things with your hands every day.