H. M. Steel

Our workshop is at Gala Number 98 in the Mbk Compound. It is located on Kherani Road in Sakinaka, right down the Durga Mandir Lane. If you know Sakinaka, you know how the traffic can be, so it’s always a bit of a challenge getting trucks in and out of the lane. The compound is shared with a lot of other businesses, so it’s always busy with people and vehicles. We deal with steel, so the place is full of heavy rods and beams. There is a lot of noise from the cutting saws and the hammers. We don't have a fancy office space; it’s mostly just the workshop floor and a small area to keep our papers dry. The roof is made of tin sheets, so when it rains, it gets incredibly loud inside. We spend most of our time loading and unloading or measuring out pieces for different jobs. Our clothes usually end up looking pretty rough by the end of the day. There is a small tea stall just outside the compound gate where we go for a break. It’s a gritty, hard-working environment where we don't worry much about appearances. We have a big gate at the front of the gala that we keep open most of the time for ventilation. It is a very basic setup, but it’s served us well for a long time in this part of town.