The Silk World

The Silk World is located on the second floor at 30/32 M. B. Velakar Street, right in Kolbhatt Lane. Finding us can be a bit tricky if you aren't used to the narrow lanes around here. The building is old and the stairs are a bit steep, but once you get inside, it’s a different world. We have rolls of fabric leaning against the walls and piles of silk on the tables. The light in here is a bit dim, but it helps show the colors of the thread better. We spend hours measuring and cutting, and there’s always bits of string on the floor by the end of the shift. My hands are usually stained with different dyes or just rough from handling the material all day. It’s a family-run sort of thing, and we’ve been in this lane for a long time. You can hear the sounds of the other shops through the walls—hammering, talking, and the occasional cart rattling by outside. We don't have any air conditioning, just a couple of old ceiling fans that creak when they turn. It gets humid, especially during the rains, which can be tough on the fabric. We spend a lot of time making sure everything stays dry and clean. It’s not a glamorous job, but there is something nice about working with your hands and seeing the finished pieces stacked up. It is just a messy, busy place where we work with silk every day.