Pravin B.Sompura

You can find me over at Shital Farm House, number 78, right across from the Yevala Bidi Dharamshala in Ambaji. This is a place where we work with stone and traditional designs. Ambaji is a holy place, so there is always a lot of energy around the town. My work is mostly about the physical stuff—carving, measuring, and looking at blueprints. It’s a dusty job, and I’m usually covered in white stone powder by the end of the day. I don’t have a big office with air conditioning. I prefer being out where the materials are. People come to me when they need something specific done for a temple or a house. I learned this from my family, and I just keep doing it the way I was taught. The farm house is a quiet spot most of the time, away from the main temple rush. I don't spend money on marketing or big signs. My name is on the gate, and that’s usually enough for people to find me. I spend a lot of time just looking at the stone before I even start cutting. It’s slow work, and you can’t really rush it or the stone might crack. I just take it one piece at a time and try to do an honest job for whoever walks through the gate.