Urooj Zari Arts

Urooj Zari Arts is based in New Ashok Nagar. We don't have a specific house number on the main sign, but everyone around here knows where we are. It’s a residential area mostly, so it feels a bit more relaxed than the big markets in the city center. We do zari work, which is basically embroidery with metallic threads. It takes a lot of patience and good eyesight. I’ve noticed my eyes getting a bit tired lately, but that’s part of the job when you do this for twenty years. The room where we work is filled with frames and spools of thread. It’s not the most organized place in the world. We have bits of thread all over the floor by the end of the day. We don't really have a boss who sits in an office; we all just sit together and work on the pieces. Sometimes we listen to the radio while we sew. People from the neighborhood stop by to drop off work or just to say hello and ask about the family. We don't have a big fancy sign outside, just a small one that my nephew painted. We aren't trying to become a global brand. We just like making things that look nice. My neighbor’s kids sometimes pop their heads in to see what we’re doing. It’s a very local kind of business. We take things as they come and try not to stress too much when things get busy.