Rajiv Silk & Sarees

Finding us inside Katra Hira Lal can be a bit of a challenge if you aren't used to the narrow lanes of Chandni Chowk. We are located at number 661 in Katra Hira Lal, which is tucked inside Katra Hardayal. The streets are always crowded with people, rickshaws, and guys carrying huge bundles of cloth on their shoulders. Our shop isn't very large, but we have shelves that go all the way up to the ceiling. Most of them are packed with silks and sarees that we’ve gathered over the years. It gets quite warm in the summers, so we have a couple of old ceiling fans that hum loudly all day. We spend a lot of time unfolding fabrics for people and then folding them back up again. It’s a slow process and your hands get tired by the evening. Rajiv sits near the front most days, greeting the regulars who have been coming to this part of the market for decades. We usually have a pot of tea going, and we share it with whoever is around. The lighting inside is a bit yellow, which gives everything a bit of an old-fashioned look. You can hear the noise from the main market outside, but once you step into our katra, it feels a little more tucked away. We’ve stayed in this same spot because this is where the heart of the cloth trade is. It's dusty and noisy, but it’s home to us.