Bombay Engineering Syndicate

Number 17 D N Road in Fort is where you’ll find Bombay Engineering Syndicate. Being in such an old part of the city means we are in a building with high ceilings and thick walls. It’s a very different vibe from the newer parts of Mumbai. We deal with engineering supplies and various metal components. The shop is filled with the smell of oil and iron. Most of our customers are people who have been coming to Fort for their technical needs for decades. We have these old wooden counters that have been worn smooth by years of use. It’s often dark inside even during the day, so we keep the overhead lights on all the time. We spend a lot of time looking through catalogs to find specific parts for old machines that people are trying to keep running. Outside, the sidewalk is always crowded with people walking to the station. We don't have a website or do any online stuff; we just take calls and talk to people who walk in. It’s a slow-paced way of doing things compared to the rest of the world, but it suits us fine. There’s a lot of history in these walls, and we just feel like another small part of the Fort area. We close up exactly at six and head home with the rest of the commuters.