Shantilal & Sons

Our place is tucked away in Narayanwadi, right in the Girgaon area near the Opera House. It’s a neighborhood that has a lot of history and we feel like we are part of that old fabric. Shantilal & Sons has been operating out of this spot at number 88 and 9 for a long time. It isn't a modern office with glass walls or anything. It’s more of a traditional setup where things are stacked up and the ceiling fan hums all day. People in the area know us by name, which is how things usually work around here. We deal with our daily tasks one by one without making a big fuss. Sometimes the narrow lanes make it hard for big vehicles to come through, so we do a lot of walking back and forth. The morning usually starts with opening the shutters and clearing out the dust from the previous day. We talk to the same tea seller every morning and watch the neighborhood wake up. It’s a simple routine that we’ve stuck to for years. We don’t use any complicated software to run the shop. Most things are written down in notebooks or remembered by heart. It might seem a bit slow to an outsider, but we get everything done eventually. It’s just how we operate in this part of Mumbai. There’s always noise from the street, but you get used to it after a few weeks of working here.