J. R. Mehra & Co.

If you walk down to number 14, Bazar Batti Hattan, that is where you will find J. R. Mehra & Co. It is an old building and the stairs are narrow, so you have to be careful when you visit. We have been here long enough that we know every shopkeeper on the block. The market has changed over the years, but our spot stays the same. We have these old wooden desks that have been around since my father’s time. Sometimes the ceiling fans make a lot of noise, but they keep the place cool enough for us. We deal with various goods that people need for their daily work. It is not a glamorous place at all. You will not find any velvet chairs or fancy carpets in here. We just have shelves piled with stock and a couple of wooden stools for people to sit on while they wait. We usually start the day with a quick sweep of the front step. The traffic in the bazaar is a nightmare in the afternoons, so we try to get most of our heavy lifting done early in the morning. If a customer comes in looking for something specific, we usually have to dig through the back room to find it. It is a bit of a mess sometimes, but we know where everything is kept. We do not worry about being modern. As long as the work gets done and the records are right, we are okay with how things are.