Archana Fancy Rakhiyan

Our place is at B-599 in the Murlipura Scheme. If you find your way to the Mataji Ka Mandir, we are just right behind it. It is a quiet residential area mostly, which makes for a nice atmosphere to work in. We spend our time putting together rakhiyan and dealing with all the colorful materials that go into them. Our rooms are often filled with threads, beads, and little decorations. It can get a bit messy, especially when we are in the middle of a big batch, but we find our way through the clutter eventually. It is a family-sort of feeling here. We aren't a big factory or anything like that. Most of the work is done by hand, sitting around and making sure things look right. We listen to the temple bells in the morning and evening, which is a nice rhythm for our day. Sometimes neighbors drop by just to say hello or see what new designs we are working on. We don’t have a big storefront with glass windows. It’s more of a home-based setup where work and life kind of blend together. We don’t use any fancy machines, just simple tools and our own hands. It’s a seasonal kind of life in many ways, but we stay busy all year round getting things ready for the right time. We just enjoy the process of making something small and traditional in this quiet neighborhood.