Rahmania Unani Dawakhana

Rahmania Unani Dawakhana is over on Ellis Road in Chennai, right near the Srinivasa Hotel. If you know Mount Road, you know how crowded it gets with cars and bikes. Our shop is at number 46. You can usually smell the different herbs and powders before you even step inside. It’s a very distinct scent that stays in your clothes. We have rows of jars on the shelves, some glass and some plastic, all filled with different things. The counter is wooden and smooth from years of people leaning on it. The light inside is a bit dim, which keeps it cool when the Chennai sun is beating down outside. People come in from the hotel next door sometimes just to look around. We’ve been at 600002 for a long time. There is a lot of talking going on, people explaining what they need and us looking through the containers. It’s a bit cramped when more than three people are inside at once. We don't have fancy air conditioning, just a ceiling fan that hums. The street noise is constant, but once you are inside, it feels a bit slower. We spend the day weighing things out and paper-wrapping them. It’s a simple process that hasn’t changed much over the years. We just keep doing what we know how to do on Ellis Road. Even when the traffic is at its worst, we are here behind the counter, just waiting for the next person to walk through the door with their needs.