Abdul Latif Batliwala

My name is Abdul Latif and this is our shop, Batliwala, located in Vile Parle West. We are right on the 100 Feet Road, specifically Shop-2 in Chawl No-111. It is a very old structure and has a lot of character, though the roof sometimes leaks a little bit when the monsoon gets really heavy. Being in a chawl means you are always surrounded by people. There is always someone chatting outside or kids running past the door. The shop itself is quite small, but we have been here long enough that we have figured out how to use every inch of the walls. 100 Feet Road is always moving. Cars, rickshaws, and people walking to work make for a lot of noise throughout the day. We keep the front door open to get some air, even if it brings in a bit of dust from the street. Our neighbors are mostly families who have lived in the chawl for generations. It feels like a small village inside the big city. We don't have a website or anything like that. People just walk in or call us. The floor is made of old stone and it’s worn down in the spots where people stand the most. It’s not a polished place, but it’s where we do our business every day. It's just a simple life here and we've been doing it this way for years.