Rakesh Bag Company

You can find us right at the corner of 144 Bhindo Ka Rasta, which is right by Indira Bazar. Being on the corner is good because people see us from two different directions. Rakesh Bag Company has been here for years, and most of our neighbors know us pretty well. We have all sorts of bags hanging up—backpacks, travel bags, and the small ones people use for groceries. The shop smells like leather and nylon most of the time. It’s a bit dusty because of the road work that always seems to be happening nearby, but we try to keep the bags clean. I spend a lot of my time sitting near the front, watching the crowds go by while waiting for a customer. Sometimes someone comes in with a broken zipper and asks if we can fix it, and if we have the tools out, we usually help them out. It’s a small operation, mostly family. We don’t have a website or anything like that; we just rely on people walking past and seeing what we’ve got in the window. The tea stall next door brings us chai twice a day, which is a nice break. Indira Bazar is a loud place, but this shop is where we feel at home. It’s just honest work, selling bags to people who need them for school or travel. We close up when the street lights come on and head home to rest for the next day.