Ravitheja Slate Works

Our workshop is at No. 6-45 on Naidu Street. This is where Ravitheja Slate Works has been for a while. Working with slate is a bit different than other stones because of how it splits and flakes. We spend our days on Naidu Street cutting and shaping the pieces. The floor is always covered in small grey chips and dust. It’s a small operation, really. Just a few of us making sure the pieces are the right thickness for whatever they're being used for. The street is usually quiet, except when we have the saws running. We have a small area in the front where we keep the finished pieces stacked up. It isn't a fancy place. We have a roof over our heads and the tools we need, and that is about it. Sometimes people walk in off the street asking questions, and we do our best to help them out. We don't have a secretary or anything. If the phone rings, one of us just wipes our hands and answers it. The work is steady, and we like it that way. We've been on Naidu Street so long that we know all the rhythms of the neighborhood. It is just a regular local business doing its thing day in and day out. We just try to get the slate cut right and shipped out.