Alok Saxena

You can find me at 894 Mohalla Meer Buxji in the Dariba Pan area of Jaipur City. My name is Alok Saxena and this place has been my base for a long time. Jaipur is a beautiful city, but this part of the old city is where the real life is. The streets are thin and filled with the sounds of scooters and people shouting to each other. My building is old, like most of the ones around here, with thick walls that keep the heat out quite well during the peak of summer. I work from a room that faces the street, so I can see everyone passing by. It is a very local vibe, where everyone knows everyone else’s business. I have a lot of old books and registers stacked up on the shelves because I haven't quite moved everything over to the computer yet. There is a certain smell to this area, a mix of old stone and cooking spices from the neighbors. I usually start my day with a cup of chai and a look at the newspaper before getting into the tasks at hand. It is not a corporate office by any means. It’s just a practical space where I get things done. Most of my visitors are locals who have been coming to this spot for years. It’s a very grounded existence here in Jaipur.