Umar International

Down in Chaman Ganj at 88/21-C, things stay pretty busy from Monday to Saturday. It’s a tight neighborhood, and everyone sort of knows what everyone else is doing. Our building is right in the thick of it, so there is always a motorbike idling outside or someone calling out to a neighbor. Inside, it’s a bit of a maze with all the materials we have stored away. We try to keep things in order, but when a big shipment comes in, the hallway gets blocked and we just have to climb over things for a day or two. The office part is small, just enough room for a couple of chairs and a phone that rings more often than we’d like. We spend a lot of time on our feet, checking things and making sure the orders are moving out. The air is always a bit dusty, and the lightbulbs flicker sometimes, but nobody really minds. We’ve got a routine that works, starting with a quick sweep of the floor and a glass of water before the first delivery arrives. It’s not a glamorous job, and the building is older than most of us, but it’s home for the workday. We don’t put on any acts here; we just do the labor that needs doing and try to stay out of the heat as much as possible.