Bharat Thapa & Co.

Down in Neerpani Basti, near Belgachi, things move at their own pace. We are in the Naxalbari area of Darjeeling district. It is a different kind of place compared to the hills, but you can still feel the dampness in the air during the monsoon. Our yard is where we spend all our daylight hours. We deal with various building materials and have been doing so for years. The police station is the main landmark people use to find their way toward us. It can get pretty messy when it rains, with the tracks from the heavy trucks turning into deep ruts. We spend a lot of time just moving piles of stuff from one side to the other. There is a small wooden bench where we sit to take our lunch breaks. We do not have any fancy brochures or a sales team. It is just us and the customers who come in looking for what they need for their homes. The work is physically demanding, and there is always something that needs fixing or moving. We have a few regular drivers who know the roads around here well. It is a basic life, surrounded by the sights and sounds of the basti. We just keep our heads down and get the orders ready as they come in.