Ashok Verma

New Rajinder Nagar is one of those places where everyone seems to know everyone's business. My spot is at F 274. It is an old building, the kind you see all over this part of town. I have been operating out of here for quite some time. The stairs are a little steep, so I tell people to watch their step when they come up. We have a small space where we get our work done. It is not fancy. There are piles of papers and some old furniture that has been around since I started. Ashok Verma is the name on the door, but most people just call out when they walk in. The morning starts with the sound of the milkman and the local vendors shouting their prices. It is noisy, but it is the kind of noise you get used to after a week. Sometimes the power goes out in the afternoon, so we just sit by the balcony and wait for it to come back. It gives us a chance to breathe and look at the trees outside. I like being in this part of Delhi because everything is close by. You can walk to the market in five minutes. We just keep our heads down and do what needs doing every day. No big fuss about it. We just keep moving along and getting through the pile of work on the desk.