Arati Silks

You can find Arati Silks over in Dwarikapuri Colony, right on Dr. R. P. Road. It’s a busy street, especially in the evenings. We deal with silks, which are beautiful but a lot of work to keep clean and organized. The shop is small and we’ve packed it with as much as we can. Sometimes it’s hard for two people to pass in the aisle. We’ve been at this for years. It started with my grandfather and now it’s our turn to keep it going. We don't have any fancy lights or mirrors like the big malls. We just have good fabric and a couple of stools for people to sit on while they look. Dr. R. P. Road is always full of noise—horns honking and people shouting—but once you step inside, it’s a bit quieter. We spend a lot of time folding and unfolding. It’s a slow process. We know most of our customers by name. They came here with their parents and now they bring their kids. We don't do any big advertising. If people like what we have, they tell their friends. That’s enough for us. The roof leaks a tiny bit when it rains really hard, so we have to move the stock, but we’ve got a system for it. It's just a regular life in a regular shop. We keep the counter clean and the tea hot for whoever walks through the door next. It is not much, but it belongs to us.