King City Bandhani

To find King City Bandhani, you have to head to Johari Bazar and look for Ratnashree House. We are on the 1st floor, in units 5, 6, 7, and 8. Being upstairs means we do not get the random foot traffic from the street, but it gives us a bit more room to breathe. The stairs are a bit steep, so we often hear people huffing a little when they reach the top. Ramalalla Ji Ka Rasta is a busy lane, and from our windows, we can look down at the sea of heads and umbrellas below. Bandhani work is a messy business sometimes, with all the dyes and the tying of the tiny knots. We often have stained fingers by the end of the week. The rooms are filled with the smell of new fabric and a bit of the vinegar used in the dyeing process. We spend hours sorting through the finished pieces to make sure the patterns are right. It is a lot of sitting on the floor on white sheets, which is the traditional way we like to work. The light coming through the windows is good for seeing the colors properly. We have a small corner where we keep the water cooler and a few tiffin boxes for lunch. It is a quiet atmosphere up here compared to the shouting in the market below. We just focus on the cloth and the colors, day in and day out, making sure everything is ready.