Govind Gems

Johari Bazar is always crowded, and we’ve been at Shop 323 for quite a while now. You have to walk through Lalaniyon Ka Chowk to find us. It’s tucked away in Gopalji Ka Rasta. Most days, the street is packed with rickshaws and people looking for something specific. We just sit here with the stones and the work. It’s dusty sometimes, and the noise from the market never really stops until late. Our space isn't huge, but it fits everything we need. We spend a lot of time sorting through things under the light. Sometimes the power goes out, and we just wait it out. People come in mostly because they know someone who came here before. We don't have a big sign or anything fancy. It’s just us and the gems. The morning starts with opening the shutters, which are a bit stiff these days. Then there's the tea from the guy around the corner. We talk to the other shopkeepers while we wait for the day to pick up. It's a living. We’ve seen the market change over the years, new shops opening and old ones closing down. The stones are always there, though. We just keep doing what we do. It’s a lot of sitting and looking closely at small things. If you find yourself in Johari Bazar, you’ll see how busy it gets. We are just one small part of that whole mess.