Shivkumar Rao

If you are looking for me, you will find Shivkumar Rao on the first floor of Vali Manzil. It is located in the Gaddigodam area of Nagpur, right near the Kampteerd road section. The building is an older one, and you have to climb a narrow set of stairs to reach the office. It's 440008, so we are right in a part of the city that is always moving. The street noise from the traffic below comes right through the windows, but after a while, you just stop noticing it. My workspace is pretty simple. I’ve got a desk that’s been around for twenty years and a couple of cupboards that are starting to sag under the weight of all the files. I don't really have a big staff, just a couple of people who help out with the daily chores. We usually start the day with a quick cleaning of the floor because the dust from the road gets everywhere. It’s a practical place for practical work. Sometimes the water cooler leaks a little, and we have to put a towel under it. It’s not the kind of office you see in a magazine, but it’s where we get our business done. We know most of the shopkeepers on the ground floor, and we often exchange nods when coming in for the morning. It’s just a normal day-to-day existence in a busy Nagpur neighborhood.