Lakshmi Candles

Working at 34 Avalahalli, you get used to the smell of melting wax almost immediately. Lakshmi Candles is located right in the G.E.F. Post area of Azad Nagar, and being part of the Bhandup Industrial Estate means there is always a bit of a buzz around us. The heat from the vats where we melt the wax makes the summers pretty tough, but you just get on with it. We don't have any big corporate machines; it’s mostly just us using our hands and the molds we've had for years. The floor is always a bit slippery with wax drips, no matter how much we sweep it. Azad Nagar is a busy place, and getting supplies in through the Bhandup traffic is the hardest part of the day. Sometimes the power goes out, and we just have to sit and wait because you can't pour wax in the dark. We make all sorts of candles here, mostly the plain ones people use every day. It’s a simple life in the industrial estate. We know the people in the next unit over, and we share some tea when things are slow. There is no big marketing team or anything like that. Just some people making candles in a hot room in Bhandup, trying to keep the orders moving and the stock piles ready for the festival seasons.