Madaan Tailors & Drappers

Our shop is at number 341 in Rishi Nagar. It’s a busy little corner of Rani Bagh, not far from Shakur Basti. We spend most of our time at the machines or measuring out fabric. There’s always piles of cloth around, some for suits, some for curtains or drapes. It gets pretty loud with the sewing machines going all at once. Sometimes a customer brings in a piece of cloth they’ve had for years and wants us to make something new out of it. We do our best to get the fit right, even if it takes a couple of tries. The chalk marks and thread snips are everywhere by the end of the day. My hands are usually a bit tired by evening, but that’s just how it goes. People around here know us because we’ve been at this spot for a good bit of time. We don't have a big sign or anything fancy. Just the work we do. Sometimes the power goes out and we have to wait a bit, but there’s always something to cut or pin while we wait. It’s a small space, and we share it with rolls of fabric that reach the ceiling. It can be a bit of a mess during wedding season when everyone wants their clothes finished at the same time. We just keep our heads down and keep sewing until the job is done. The iron stays hot most of the day.