Abdul Hussain Hassanbhoy & Co.

Netaji Subhas Road is always a mess of people and trucks, and we’ve been right here at 63/2 for as long as anyone can remember. It gets really loud outside with all the horns and the guys loading crates on the sidewalk. Inside the shop, it’s a bit quieter but usually dusty because the windows don’t close all the way. We spend most of our mornings just sorting through things and making sure the stock is where it’s supposed to be. Sometimes the tea man comes by twice if we’re having a particularly long day. It isn't a fancy office with air conditioning or anything like that. We have wooden desks that have been here since my uncle’s time, and the floor is a bit uneven in the back corner. People come in looking for specific parts or just to ask questions about how something works, and we do what we can to help them out without making a big fuss. It’s mostly just us working through the pile of paperwork and making sure the orders go out before the traffic gets too bad in the evening. There are days when the power goes out and we just sit there talking until it comes back on. That’s just how it is here in this part of town. We don’t have a big team, just a few of us who know where everything is kept. If you look at the walls, you can see where the paint has peeled over the years, but it feels like home to us.