Gokul Engravers

Our engraving shop is at 454 A on the 1st Main in Shardamba Nagar. It’s a quiet part of Jalahalli compared to the main roads. We spend most of our time hunched over workbenches with magnifying glasses and small carving tools. We engrave all sorts of things, from nameplates for houses to trophies for the local sports clubs. It takes a steady hand and a lot of patience, so the shop is usually pretty quiet. We have a radio playing in the corner to keep us company. The space is small and filled with the smell of metal polish. We have drawers full of different letter styles and templates we’ve collected over the years. Most people find us because they live in the neighborhood or someone told them we do a good job. We don't have a computer doing the work; it’s mostly done by hand with our old machines. Sometimes we make a mistake and have to start all over again, which is frustrating but part of the craft. We drink a lot of tea and watch the people go by outside the window. It’s a slow-paced life, but we like the detail of the work we do. We’ve been here for a long time and our neighbors know us well. It’s just a small shop where we try to get the letters straight.