Mallikarjun Engg. Works

Mallikarjun Engg. Works is tucked away in Ratan Mahal on L.J. Road. The building number is 193/2, but most people just look for the sign near the entrance. L.J. Road is always moving with traffic, so there is a constant hum of cars and buses outside our door. Inside the workshop, things are a bit different. We have our machines set up and there is usually a layer of grease on just about everything. It’s not a place where you’d want to wear your best clothes or worry about getting your hands dirty. We handle various engineering tasks as they come in. Some days are slow and we spend time cleaning the equipment, and other days we can barely keep up with the walk-ins. We don't have a mission statement or a fancy philosophy. We just fix things and make parts. If someone comes in with a problem, we look at it and see what can be done. The lighting isn't the best, but we know where every wrench and bolt is kept. We’ve been in this part of the city for a long time now. The neighbors know us, and we know them. It’s a small operation, mostly just a few of us working together. We take our lunch breaks together and talk about the news or the local cricket scores. It’s a simple life and we are happy to keep things that way for as long as we can.