Hajee M.A. Shahul Hameed & Sons

Our address is New No: 21, though some people still use the Old No: 10, on Quaide Millath Road in Triplicane. This is an old part of the city and it feels like it. We have been here for generations, passing the work down from father to son. The building has thick walls and stays relatively cool even when the sun is beating down on Triplicane. Inside, we have old wooden cabinets and desks that have been used for decades. There is a specific smell of old paper and ink that stays in the air. We start our day early, usually before the heat gets too bad. People come in and out all day, some just to say hello and others for business. We don't have a fancy sign or a big glass front. It’s just a doorway on a busy road. The traffic on Quaide Millath Road can be quite something, especially with the buses going by. We usually have someone sitting near the front to keep an eye on things. It’s a family atmosphere here, so there is often some talking and laughing going on in the back while work gets done. We handle our accounts manually for the most part, writing things down in big ledgers. It might seem slow to some, but it works for us. We just keep the tradition going as best as we can every single day.