Lakhraj Forging

Lakhraj Forging is out in Basti Shiekh, right near where Vishal Tools is set up. If you reach their gate, you’ve basically found our place too. Forging is tough and dirty work, and there is really no way around that fact. It stays hot in the workshop because of the furnaces and the heat, even when it’s cold or raining outside. We spend the whole shift dealing with the heat and the constant sound of the hammers hitting the metal. It’s a rhythm you get into after you've been doing it for a few months. Most of the guys have been here for years and they know exactly how the machines are going to behave when the weather gets humid. Basti Shiekh is a busy area with a lot of small shops like ours tucked away in the narrow lanes. It’s not the cleanest place in the world, and there is always some metal dust on everything, including our tea cups if we aren't careful where we put them. We don't spend much time worrying about how the front office looks because we are usually out on the floor getting things done. The walls are stained with soot and oil, but that’s just part of the job here. We keep a water cooler in the corner that gets a lot of use, especially in the summer months. It’s just a group of us trying to make a living and getting the forging done as best as we can. We aren't doing anything fancy.