Roman Tarmat Ltd., Mumbai.

Even though the company name mentions Mumbai, this office is actually located in Kerala. We are based at Meenchira House in the Kannur district, near Mambaram. It’s a bit of a different setup than your typical corporate office. We use this house as our base for managing the local road and tarmac projects that Roman Tarmat handles in this region. It’s a much more quiet and green environment than the city. We have a lot of space, and the vibe is very casual. Most of the staff are from the nearby villages, and we all know each other’s families. We don’t have any formal dress codes or big corporate meetings. We just sit around the large wooden tables and go over the work plans for the week. The house is old but sturdy, and it keeps us cool during the hot Kerala afternoons. We do a lot of our coordination over the phone since the project sites are spread out across the district. There’s usually a pot of tea going and someone might bring in some snacks to share. We don’t have a big sign out front, just the address for people to find us. It’s a very grounded way of working. We focus on getting the tarmac laid properly and making sure the local crews have what they need. It’s a simple life here, but we take the work seriously and keep things moving at a steady pace.