Bhairav Padmavathi

Our place is at 68 Marine Drive, but it’s on Nagras Road in the Kansara Chawl area. It’s right near the Surati Hotel, which is a good place to tell people to go if they get lost looking for us. Living and working in a chawl means you’re never really alone; there’s always someone talking in the corridor or the sound of a television from the next room. Bhairav Padmavathi is a small operation, and we’ve been in this spot for years. The room is small, and we have to be careful with how we stack our supplies so we don't run out of space. It’s a very different vibe from the fancy buildings further down Marine Drive. Here, it’s all about the daily grind and keeping things moving. We get our lunch from the hotel nearby most days because it’s easier than cooking in the small space we have. The walls are a bit thin, so you can hear the traffic and the people outside quite clearly. Sometimes it gets a bit hot in the afternoons, so we just keep the door open a crack to get a breeze. It’s not a glamorous setup, but it’s practical for what we do. We know everyone on the floor, and we help each other out when needed. It’s just a regular life in a busy part of the city, keeping the business going one day at a time.