Sri Lakshmi Body Works

If you come down Avadi Road and turn onto Palani Mudaliyar Street, you’ll see our shop. We are at number 72. It’s a lot of metal work here. We spend our days fixing dents and trying to get the paint to match up just right. It’s noisy because there is always some sanding or hammering going on. The air usually smells like paint thinner and old dust. Kuppuswamy Nagar is a quiet enough area, but our corner is always busy. We have a few guys working here who have been with me since the start. We aren't a big factory. It’s more of a shed where we get things done. We don’t have a website or anything. If someone needs body work, they just show up. We look at the damage, tell them what it’ll take, and get to it. Sometimes we are backed up for a week, especially after the rainy season when everyone seems to have a bump or a scratch. We try to keep the tools organized, but it never lasts long. By noon, everything is all over the floor again. We take a break under the tree out front when it gets too hot inside. It’s simple work, but it takes patience to get the lines of a car back to how they should be. We just keep at it until the sun goes down.