Babu Churi Wala

Down here at 5243 Ballimaran in Chandni Chowk, it’s always a bit of a squeeze. If you’ve ever been to this part of Delhi, you know how the lanes are. We sell bangles at Babu Churi Wala, mostly glass and some other kinds too. My family has been doing this for a long time. People come from all over just to walk through these narrow streets. The shop isn’t huge but we cram a lot of stock onto the shelves. Sometimes it feels like the boxes might fall over if you breathe too hard. It gets hot in the summer, so we have a small fan that mostly just moves the warm air around. We see a lot of brides and their families looking for specific colors to match their clothes. It's a lot of talking and showing different sets. Ballimaran has a lot of history, though we are mostly just busy with the day-to-day sales. We open up early and stay late until the crowds thin out. The tea man comes by twice a day and that’s usually the highlight of the afternoon for us. We don’t have a website or anything like that. People just know where 5243 Ballimaran is. It’s a loud, messy, and colorful place to work. You get used to the shouting of the rickshaw pullers after a while. We just keep the glass clean and the rows organized as well as we can. It is a lot of work but we enjoy the bustle.