Gokuldas Kotawalas

We are tucked away inside Gokul Bhawan, located at No. 530. The place is right near the intersection of Hanumanji Ka Rasta and Gopalji Ka Rasta. If you are familiar with this part of the city, then you already know it is a real maze of narrow lanes and very old stone buildings. Our place is a small part of that long history. We have been operating here for several generations. The name Kotawalas has been recognized in these streets for a longer time than I can remember. We do not do much differently than our fathers or grandfathers did before us. The workspace is fairly small and always filled with various items. It is usually a bit dark inside the rooms because the lanes outside are so narrow that they do not let much natural sunlight reach the ground floor. We have our set of regular visitors who know exactly where to find us without looking at a map. We do not feel the need to put up big bright posters or advertisements. People just know we are here. It is a quiet, steady kind of work that we do. We sit on the floor for most of the day on white cotton sheets. It is comfortable and it is just how things have always been done in this building. The tea man comes by twice every day.