Hotchand Kamleshkumar

We’ve got our place set up in Utara Dan Mandi, not too far from the Sadar Bazar Road. Being in the mandi means things get started very early in the morning, often before the sun is even up. It’s a rough and ready kind of area, full of trucks and people carrying heavy loads. Our space is mostly just a big storage area with a small corner where we keep the books. It can get pretty cold in the winter and very dusty when the wind picks up in the summer. We’ve been working this same spot for years, and not much has changed about how we do things. We deal with people face-to-face, mostly over a cup of tea or while standing out in the lane. There’s no fancy marketing or big slogans here. We just provide what people ask for and try to keep our prices fair. The neighbors are all doing the same thing, so there’s a sense of being in it together. Sometimes the mud in the mandi makes it hard for vehicles to get close, but we manage to get things moved anyway. It’s hard work and your hands get dirty, but that’s the nature of the business in this part of town. We just keep our heads down and get on with the daily chores of running the shop. We aren't doing anything special, just working hard every day.