Kanpur Footwear Co.

Our workplace is at 36/56, Ram Narain Bazar. It is a very old part of the city and the lanes are quite narrow, so getting large deliveries in can be a real headache sometimes. The building we are in is quite old and has a lot of history to it. We use the ground floor for most of the heavy work and have a small mezzanine where we keep the paperwork. It is always a bit dark inside because the buildings are so close together, but we have plenty of lamps. There is always the sound of hammers or machines going in the background from the neighbors. We have stacks of leather and rubber everywhere you look. It’s not the tidiest place, but we know our way around the piles. Most of the guys here have been doing this for decades, so they don’t need much direction. We take a break in the afternoon when the sun is at its peak and sit out on the step for a bit of air. The walls are covered in old calendars and notes we’ve scribbled over the years. We don't have a formal dress code or anything; we just wear what’s comfortable for working with our hands. It’s a simple life here in the bazaar, and we just keep our heads down and do the work that needs doing.