Nagari Lace Industry

Begum Bazar is a maze of shops, and 15-8-350/1 is where we are, right across from the Jagdamba Temple. It’s a tight space, but we pack it with lace. The noise from the temple bells and the market crowd is constant throughout the day. We’ve been here since my father's time, and the building shows its age. We deal with rolls of lace, buttons, and all sorts of trimmings. It gets really cramped when a big shipment comes in and we have to stack boxes to the ceiling. We spend our days measuring and cutting and talking to the tailors who come by. It’s a lot of manual work. The temple is a good landmark because otherwise, people would get lost looking for us in these narrow lanes. Begum Bazar isn't for everyone, it’s crowded and hot, but this is where the business happens. We don’t have an HR department or anything; it’s just me, my cousin, and two workers. We eat lunch together in the back room amidst the boxes of thread. The lace business is old-fashioned in many ways. We still use paper ledgers for some things because it is easier for us. People come from all over the city to this market. We just keep our heads down and get the orders ready. It's a busy life, but it's what we know. The lace colors change with the seasons, but the way we run things stays pretty much the same.