Pankaj Steel

We are located at 18/A Mavalli Rama Rao Lane. It’s a steel business, so as you can imagine, it is a very physical environment. We have stacks of steel bars and sheets everywhere. The building is old and the lane is quite narrow, which makes it a nightmare when we have to get a delivery in or out. We’ve been at this address for quite a long time now. Most of our days are spent checking inventory and talking to customers who come by looking for specific materials. It isn't a clean job. There is always dust and bits of metal on the floor. We wear heavy boots and try not to stub our toes on the inventory. It gets very hot in the summer under the tin roof. We usually have a radio playing in the background to keep things lively. The neighbors are mostly other traders, so we all know each other. Sometimes we sit on the stools outside and have tea while we wait for a customer. We don't do any big marketing or have a website. People just know where we are. It’s a straightforward way to earn a living. We just sell steel and try to keep the measurements right. Some days are slow and we just tidy up the racks, and other days it is non-stop from morning until we close the shutters at night. It’s just how the steel trade goes in this part of town.