Ram Zari Palace

If you’ve ever been down Kinari Bazaar in Chandni Chowk, you know it’s a tight squeeze. Our shop is at number 2037, right in the thick of it. Most days I’m just sitting here surrounded by rolls of thread and different types of zari. It gets really hot in the summer, especially with so many people pushing past each other outside. My father used to be here before me, and not much has changed since then. We have the same old wooden shelves that have been there for years. The walls are a bit stained from the damp during the monsoon, but we don't mind it much. We spend our time looking at patterns and talking to the workers who bring in the finished stuff. It’s a lot of manual work, sitting on the floor and checking every inch of a border. Sometimes the tea man comes by twice a day, and that’s when we take a small break. It’s not like those big malls you see nowadays with the air conditioning and the glass doors. Here, you can hear everyone shouting and the bells from the temple nearby. We just handle the zari and try to get things out on time. People come in looking for specific things for weddings or festivals, and we just show them what we have on the shelves. It’s a long day, but being part of the bazaar feels right. We don't have a website or anything, just this physical spot where the work happens.