Rana Carpets

Being at Shop No 24 near the Delhi Gate is good because there is always something happening around the Dr Ambedkar Nagar Stadium. When there is a big event, the whole street fills up with people. Rana Carpets isn't a giant showroom like the ones you see in the city center. It’s more of a stacked-up space where you have to move one thing to see the next. I’ve been working here for years. The smell of the wool and the fabric is something you get used to after the first week. We have a lot of different patterns piled up high. Sometimes I forget what is at the bottom of the stack. It’s a bit of a workout moving the heavy rolls around. The light comes in through the front window and hits the dust motes dancing in the air. I usually sit on a small bench near the entrance. The floor is covered in scraps and thread most of the time. People come in looking for something for their homes, and we just talk about what might fit. It’s not a high-pressure kind of place. If we have it, we show it. If not, we tell them where else to look. The stadium lights look bright in the evening when we are closing up. It’s a steady way to make a living. We just keep the shop open and wait to see who stops by.