A1 Maimoon Glass Enterprises

If you head down to Mumbai Central, specifically Gala No 69 over at Plot No 242 in Hussa, you’ll find A1 Maimoon Glass Enterprises. This part of Mumbai is always loud and crowded, with trucks moving in and out and people everywhere you look. Our place is a "gala," which means it’s more of a functional workshop and storage space than a fancy office with air conditioning. There is glass everywhere, as you might expect from the name. We have large sheets leaning against the walls and small offcuts in boxes tucked under the workbenches. It gets quite dusty because of all the activity on the street outside and the work we do. We usually have the metal shutters half-open to let some air in, though that also lets in all the constant noise of the traffic and the horns. It’s a place where we wear old clothes because you’re bound to get a bit dirty or dusty by lunch. We don't have a receptionist at the front; if you walk in, you just shout for one of us and someone will eventually come out from the back. The phone rings a lot and it’s usually someone asking about a delivery or a specific glass size. We write things down on scraps of paper or directly on the wooden desk surface sometimes. It’s a bit chaotic, but we know where everything is kept. It’s a real, hardworking spot in the middle of a very busy city. We just focus on getting the glass cut and moved out.