Manoj Vira

Masjid Bunder West is a place where you really have to know where you’re going. Our shop is on Shahpur Road, inside the Chhotalalni Chali at number 83/85. It’s part of Supariwala Bhav, which is an old building with a lot of history and very thick walls. The streets around here are always crowded with handcarts and people carrying heavy bundles on their heads. It’s a very noisy and hectic area to work in, but we’ve become used to it over the years. Inside the shop, things are a bit calmer, though we don’t have much extra space. We handle a lot of goods every day, so there’s a constant cycle of things coming in and going out. We don’t have a big sign out front or any flashy lights. Most of our business comes from people who have been dealing with us in this market for decades. We know the other shopkeepers on the road and we often share a cup of tea in the afternoon when things slow down for a few minutes. It’s a lot of sitting on wooden benches and writing out bills by hand. The air feels heavy with the smell of the market and the exhaust from the trucks nearby. It’s not a glamorous life, but it’s how we’ve always done things here in the heart of the city. We keep the doors open all day.