Rahman Steels & Paints

Our shop, Rahman Steels & Paints, is over at 4/52, Ramalingam Pillai Street, just off Trichy Road. It’s a spot that’s easy to miss if you aren't looking for the number, but usually, the stacks of steel outside give it away. We carry a lot of heavy metal rods and big cans of paint, so the place is always a bit cluttered. The floor is concrete and has plenty of paint spills on it from over the years. We don't mind the mess much; it’s just part of the job. Trichy Road is always busy, so we hear the traffic from morning until night. We spend a lot of time mixing colors or cutting steel to the right lengths for people. It’s noisy work, and we usually have to shout a bit to be heard over the machines. We are just a small group of people working here, trying to get the orders out on time. There’s no corporate ladder or anything like that, just us and the tools we use. Sometimes a customer comes in not knowing exactly what they need, and we spend some time figuring it out together. It’s a practical kind of life. We close up when the work is done and head home, then do it all again the next day. Sometimes we have a cup of tea together before we start the heavy lifting in the morning.