The Imperial

This place is actually a hostel for working girls, located at Swati on Mandir Marg in New Delhi. We’ve been here at 110001 for a long time. It’s a very central location, right near the heart of the city. We have a lot of girls staying here who move to Delhi for their first jobs. It’s a big responsibility keeping everything running. We have a shared kitchen and some common areas where everyone sits in the evening. The building is older, so it has some character, but it also means we are always fixing a door or painting a wall. We have rules about who can come in and what time the gate closes, mostly just to keep everyone safe. It’s not like a hotel where you just come and go without anyone noticing. We know most of the girls by name. We have a lady who helps with the cooking and someone who cleans the hallways every morning. It gets busy during the start of the month when everyone is paying their rent and moving in or out. Mandir Marg is a good street, usually pretty safe and easy to find. We just try to provide a decent, affordable place for women to live while they work in the city. It’s a practical, no-frills kind of place that feels like a little community.