C. Chhotalal & Co.

The shop is tucked away in Ganesh Wadi, right in the thick of Zaveri Bazar. You know how it is here, the lanes are narrow and there’s always someone hauling a heavy bag of metal or pushing a cart past you. C. Chhotalal & Co. has been part of this noise for quite some time now. Most days it is just us sitting among the old wooden counters and ledgers, talking to the same people who have been coming through that door for years. It is not a fancy place with bright lights or people in suits trying to sell you something you don't need. It’s mostly just us doing our daily work, weighing things out, and making sure the books are right at the end of the day. Sometimes the tea guy from around the corner forgets our order, or the rain leaks a little near the front step, but we just get on with it. People come to us because they know where to find us, even if the address 15/23 is a bit hard to spot if you are in a rush. There’s a lot of history in these walls, mostly just stories of ordinary days and regular customers who have become more like neighbors. We don’t spend much time on decorations or making things look perfect for a photo. We just open the shutters in the morning, settle into our chairs, and see who walks in from the crowded street outside.