Vadilal Champaklal & Co.

Our shop is right in the middle of the chaos at Mirchi Galli, near the Jumma Masjid in Kalbadevi. Specifically, we are at Plot No-8/C on the 2nd Cross Lane in Pungeswari. If you know Kalbadevi, you know how tight the lanes are and how many people are always pushing past. The building is old, and the stairs are a bit creaky, but it has been our home for a very long time. The smell of chili in Mirchi Galli is so strong that most people start sneezing the moment they enter the lane, but we don't even notice it anymore. We have bags of goods stacked up in every available corner, and sometimes it is hard to even walk through the shop without bumping into something. The ceiling is high but the room is dark, so we have these old tube lights that flicker sometimes. It is a very traditional way of doing business here; we know the neighbors and the porters who carry the heavy loads on their heads. There is no air conditioning, just a few old ceiling fans that struggle to move the heavy, spicy air. We spend the day writing in our account books and talking to people who have been buying from us for decades. It is loud, crowded, and messy, but it is exactly where we belong. We keep a small idol in the corner for prayers and just hope the rain doesn't leak through.