Karuka By Nikita Rastogi

This is our little space in Bapu Nagar on Mangal Marg, specifically at number 15. Nikita usually spends her time at the big cutting table in the middle of the room. It’s usually piled high with different fabrics—cottons, silks, and some heavier materials too. The shop is a bit of a mess most of the time because there are threads and scraps of cloth all over the floor. We do a lot of sketching on bits of paper that get scattered around the desk. People from around Bapu Nagar come in to see what’s being made or to talk about a custom outfit for a party. It’s a very personal way of working. We don’t have a big factory or anything; it’s just us and a few sewing machines that hum away in the back. Mangal Marg is a nice street, fairly busy but not too crazy. You can hear the machines from the sidewalk sometimes. We have some hangers with finished pieces near the window, but most of the work is tucked away in bins. Sometimes we spend hours just trying to get a sleeve right or finding the exact shade of thread to match a piece of embroidery. It’s a slow process and we don’t like to rush it. It’s just how we like to work, one piece at a time, right here in the neighborhood. We stay late most nights because there is always one more thing to finish.