Laddan Leather Art

Laddan Leather Art is a small shop, specifically known as Shop No 6 A on Kalabadevi Road. We are right in the middle of the Dharavi area, where everyone is busy making something with their hands. Our shop isn't much to look at from the sidewalk, just a simple door with some leather samples hanging nearby to show what we do. Inside, the space is always filled with the sound of sharp knives cutting through thick material and the occasional hammer strike on a rivet. We don't have a lot of room to move around, so we have to be very careful not to trip over the scrap bins and rolls of hide. The walls are covered in various paper patterns that we’ve used for many years. It’s dusty work, and there is always a thin layer of fine particles on the work tables by noon. We usually keep a pot of tea going on a small electric heater in the corner to share. Most of the people who walk by our door are also workers from other small shops in the same building. We don't do much in the way of fancy talk or trying to sell things with big speeches. We just sit at the benches and do the leather work as it comes in. The lighting is a bit dim inside, so we have to lean in close to see the tiny stitches. It’s been our daily routine for a long time now, and we don't plan on changing much.