Gajanand Furniture Polish Company

Our workshop is right at the Bhardwadi Corner in Andheri West. It’s a bit of a walk from the main Pimpri Colony road, but most people find us because of the smell of varnish and wood polish. We are in Shop No. 1. It is a dusty place because of all the sanding we do on the furniture. We have stacks of wood and half-finished chairs taking up most of the floor space. There is always a layer of sawdust on the workbench no matter how many times we sweep it. We wear old clothes because the stains never come out. Usually, we are busy with brushes and cloths, working on whatever piece of furniture came in that morning. It’s not a quiet shop; there is always some noise from the street or the fans we use to dry the finish. People drop off their old tables and we spend hours trying to make them look decent again. The walls are covered in tools and different types of oils. We keep a small stool near the door where we sit when we take a break. It is hard work and our hands are usually covered in some kind of chemicals by the end of the shift. We’ve been at this corner for years and the locals know us by sight.