N Mohanlal Rathi & Brothers

N Mohanlal Rathi & Brothers is on the second floor of B V Mansion, which is at 542 Avenue Road. If you have ever been to Avenue Road, you know how packed it gets. There are booksellers and paper shops everywhere you look. B V Mansion is an old building, and you have to climb up to the second floor to find us. The stairs are stone and a bit worn down from years of people walking up and down. We have been in this part of Bangalore for a long time. My father used to say that Avenue Road is the heart of the city’s trade. It’s noisy outside with all the honking and the people shouting, but once you get up to the second floor, it’s a little quieter. Not much, but a little. Our space is filled with ledgers and boxes. We don't really have a fancy reception area. People just walk in and we talk across the desks. It’s a very traditional way of doing things, I suppose. The light coming through the windows is usually filtered by the dust from the street, but we don't mind. We know our way around the building even when the corridor lights are off. It is a practical place for us to work and stay connected to the rest of the market traders nearby. We just do our thing day by day and try to stay organized.