Ashwalekh Clearing Agency

Ashwalekh Clearing Agency is located in the Ashirwad Building on N.M. Joshi Marg in Byculla West. It’s an old part of Mumbai, and you can really feel the history in the walls here. Our office at 501/A/122 is often filled with the smell of old paper and the sound of the ceiling fans spinning overhead. We do a lot of clearing work, which means a lot of trips to the docks and dealing with various officials. The traffic on N.M. Joshi Marg is always a nightmare, especially during the monsoon when everything slows to a crawl. I usually take the train and walk from the station, dodging the puddles along the way. Inside the office, there are stacks of documents everywhere. We use a lot of staples and paperclips. It’s a small team, and we’ve worked together long enough to know how everyone takes their tea. We don't have fancy leather chairs or a coffee machine that does lattes. We just have a kettle and some local biscuits. The phone rings constantly with people asking about their cargo. We explain things as best as we can, even when the rules change halfway through a job. It’s honest work, and it keeps us busy from morning until late evening. Sometimes we stay late to finish a file if the deadline is tight. It’s just how the shipping business goes in a city as busy as Mumbai.