Kedarnath

Living and working around the Tahsil Compound in Modi Nagar is always a bit of a chaotic experience. Being at number 43 means we hear the shouting and the typing sounds from the government offices all day long. My father started this under the name Kedarnath, and we just stayed in this same spot because it’s where everyone knows to find us. The walls are stacked high with papers and files that have been there since I was a kid. It’s not the cleanest place in the world, especially with all the dust that blows in from the main road, but it works for what we do. We usually have a small radio playing in the background, though you can barely hear it over the noise of the traffic outside. Most people who come in are in a hurry because they have meetings at the court or the tehsildar’s office. We don't have a big sign out front, just the one painted on the door that’s starting to peel off a bit. In the winter, it gets quite cold in this building, so we all sit around with our sweaters on, drinking hot tea. There is a specific smell here, like old paper and ink, that never really goes away. We don’t try to be anything special. We just open up the shutters, sit at the desk, and get through the day's tasks until it's time to go home.