Jayraj

The place we call Jayraj is tucked away at 96/4 Lalbagh West 11th Cross. We are on the second floor of this building on Old Madras Road. It's a bit of a maze getting here if you don't know the cross streets well. We deal with various things here, mostly keeping track of items and making sure the shop runs okay. The building is older, so the walls have a few marks, and the floor creaks a little when you walk near the back. We have a small staff. Usually, it's just two or three of us. We spend the morning sorting through what came in the day before. The 11th Cross gets quite crowded in the afternoons. Sometimes we have to park the scooter a block away because there’s no space left in front. We don't use any big machines or fancy technology. It’s mostly just pencils, paper, and a lot of talking. We know the people who live in the houses nearby. Sometimes they stop in just to say hello or ask about the weather. It's a quiet life for the most part, except for the trucks on Old Madras Road. We’ve thought about moving to a bigger place, but we like it here. The light comes in nicely in the evening. We keep the doors open to let the breeze in, even if it brings in some dust. It’s just how we do things every day.