The Banayan

You will find us over at No 11 Heritage Madurai, which is on Melakal Main Road in Kochadai. We are situated right across from the new passport office. That means we see a lot of people waiting around for their documents every single day. Madurai is a city that gets very hot, so having a spot with some shade is important. The name of the place refers to the trees, and it feels a bit more relaxed than the middle of the city. We spend our time looking after the grounds and making sure everything is in its place. It is not a high-pressure environment. We like it that way. Most of our staff are locals who have been with us for a bit. We don't have any grand statements to make about what we do. We just keep the doors open and manage the daily tasks. Sometimes the road outside gets really jammed with traffic, especially when the passport office is busy. You can hear the horns and the motorbikes from the entrance. We just go about our business regardless. The building has its own history, and we are just the current people looking after this part of it. It is a quiet routine. We wake up, prepare the space, and wait for whoever walks in. It is a simple way to run a business in this part of Madurai.