Durga Das

32 Bansdroni Garden is a place that feels like it’s been there forever. Durga Das has been operating from this Kolkata address for a long time. The year 1977 mentioned in the records is even part of how we think about our presence here, though the building itself has its own quirks. Being near the Bansdroni post office makes things easy for mail, but the garden area itself is where we spend our days. It’s not a garden in the way some people think; it’s just the name of the locality. It’s quite crowded with houses and small shops. Our space is on the third floor. There isn’t an elevator, so we get our exercise every day. By the time you reach the top, you’re usually a bit out of breath. The rooms are filled with old wooden shelves that hold years of records. We don’t like throwing things away if we think they might be useful later. The windows look out over the rooftops of other houses. It’s a very Kolkata view—lots of laundry hanging out and water tanks on every roof. We don't have air conditioning, just a few ceiling fans that hum all day long. We sit here, handle our business, and watch the seasons change. In the monsoon, the rain hits the window panes so hard you can’t hear yourself think. We just pause and wait for it to pass. There's a stain on the ceiling from an old leak that we finally fixed last year.