Mohd Afzal Engg

The workshop is located in Gali Number 11 in Zakir Colony. It’s a busy part of Meerut and we’ve been working out of this D Block spot for quite a few years. It is mostly metal work and repairs that happen here. The floor is usually covered in some iron filings and there is always the smell of machine oil in the air. I spend most of my day at the lathe or dealing with someone’s broken engine parts. It is noisy because of the welding and the grinding, but that is just how an engineering shop is. My hands are usually stained with grease by ten in the morning and they stay that way until I go home. We have a few assistants who help with the heavy lifting and the simple cutting jobs. Sometimes a job takes longer than we thought because the parts are old and hard to find. People bring in all sorts of things, from small household items to bigger machinery from the local factories. We don't have a fancy office, just a small desk in the corner with some old ledgers and a few rusted tools. It can get very hot in the summer with the machines running, but we have a big ceiling fan that helps a little. Dealing with the scrap metal dealers is another part of the week. It’s just honest hard work in a crowded street. We also keep a stock of some common bolts and nuts for when someone needs a quick fix. You just learn to deal with the heat and the noise after a while.