The Prakash Collection

The Prakash Collection is right in the middle of Central Market in Lajpat Nagar-2. Our shop number is E-24. If you know Delhi, you know how crazy Lajpat Nagar can get on a weekend. There are people everywhere and the noise from the hawkers never stops. We have been here for a long time. My father started the business, and now I run it with my younger brother. We sell all sorts of ladies' suits and fabrics. The shop is narrow, so we have to stack the rolls of cloth all the way up to the ceiling. Sometimes it feels like the whole place might come tumbling down, but we have a system. We don't use any fancy computer systems for our sales. Everything is written down in a big ledger book with a blue pen. We get a lot of people who come in to bargain. That’s just part of the job here. By the end of the day, my throat is usually sore from talking so much. We close up around nine at night and then have to navigate through the crowds to get to the metro. It’s a tiring life, but the market is our home. We know all the regular shoppers and the guys who sell snacks on the corner. It’s a busy, messy, and loud place, but we wouldn't know what to do with ourselves if it were quiet.