Sri Balamanikandan Vaadhya Kala

Our place is on the Main Road in Podanur, right across from the Lakshmi Vilas Hotel. If you’ve ever had a meal there, you’ve probably seen our door. We focus on Vaadhya Kala, which is just a big part of how we grew up. The shop is filled with instruments and the smells of wood and polish. It’s not a very big space, so things are tucked into corners and stacked on shelves. We spend a lot of time just working with our hands, fixing things or getting them ready for people to use. Podanur is a busy area, especially with the main road right there, so there's a constant sound of horns and buses passing by. It keeps us awake during the slow afternoons. We don't really do much in terms of advertising or having a big online presence. Most people just find us because they live nearby or someone told them where we are. Sometimes the floor gets dusty from all the work, and we have to stop and sweep it up. It’s a small operation, usually just a couple of us here. We keep our own hours for the most part, though we try to be around when people need us. It’s a nice way to spend the day, surrounded by music and the local community. We’ve been in this spot for years and don't plan on going anywhere else anytime soon.