Raj Incorporated

Raj Incorporated is located at 5, Shamsheth Street, which is right in the middle of the Chippi Chawl area. This is just off Abdul Rehman Street in Masjid West, so as you can imagine, it is incredibly crowded every single day. The streets are so narrow that trucks cannot really get through, so everything comes in on handcarts or on people's shoulders. Our shop is small and packed from floor to ceiling with stock. There is barely enough room for two people to stand behind the counter at the same time. The walls are lined with shelves that are bowing under the weight of the boxes. We have been in Masjid West for a long time, and we are used to the shouting of the vendors and the constant ringing of bicycle bells outside. The air smells like spices and diesel and old paper. We keep our accounts in big red books, and there is an old wooden cash box that has been with us since the beginning. It is very hot in the afternoons, and the single ceiling fan does not do much, but we keep the door open to see who is passing by. Customers often have to wait on the street while we climb a ladder to find what they need. It is a chaotic way to work, but it is the only way things happen in Chippi Chawl. We close up when the sun goes down.