Nihal Steel

Our shop is number 61/A in Indira Nagar, right on JP Road in Andheri West. If you’re looking for us, we are quite close to the Gurudwara. You can usually hear the shop before you see it because there is always the sound of steel being moved or cut. It’s a loud, busy place. We sell all kinds of steel items, from rods to sheets. The floor is always covered in tiny bits of metal shavings. It gets very hot in Andheri during the summer, and being around all that metal doesn't help much. We have a few big fans, but they just push the warm air around. People from all over the neighborhood come in for small bits of steel for their own repairs. We spend a lot of time weighing things and cutting them to size. It’s heavy work, and your back usually hurts by the end of the shift. The shop is small and packed with inventory, so you have to be careful where you step. We don't have any fancy displays. The steel is just stacked up where there’s room. JP Road is always jammed with traffic, so getting deliveries in or out is a bit of a struggle. We’ve been here for years and know all the other shopkeepers around Indira Nagar. It’s a gritty, honest way to make a living, and we just keep the doors open and the saw running. Lunch is usually a quick sandwich eaten while standing up.