H. s. Marble

Our yard is in Unsani Majhera over in Howrah, right near the State Bank. If you're looking for us, just look for the place with all the stone slabs leaning against the walls. Working with marble is heavy, dusty work. Every time we move a piece, there’s a bit of a worry about chips or cracks. We spend a lot of time out in the open, so we're at the mercy of the weather. When it rains, everything gets slick and we have to be extra careful with the machinery. We have all sorts of marble, some with lots of veins and some that’s just plain white. People come by to pick out pieces for their floors or counters. We don't have a showroom with fancy lights. It’s just the slabs sitting out there in the sun and dust. I usually have a layer of stone dust on my clothes by midday. It’s a simple life here in Howrah. We know the bank staff and the tea stall guy nearby. Sometimes we have to cut the stone to size, which makes a lot of noise and even more dust. We don't use any fancy sales talk. We just show the slabs, tell people what they cost, and help them load it onto their trucks if they buy something. It’s hard work, but there’s something nice about seeing a piece of stone polished up. The slabs are heavy but they look good when they are finally installed.