Bandhini By Meenu Batra

Meenu Batra started this place over in Sector-49, right at D-125. It’s more of a workspace than a fancy showroom. We have stacks of fabric sitting around and the smell of dye is usually in the air. Bandhini is what we do, and it takes a lot of time. Sometimes the colors don't come out exactly the same twice, but that’s just how handwork goes. We have a few people who help with the tying and the coloring. It’s a small team. Most days you’ll find us sitting around a big table working on something new. The lighting isn't always great, but we make it work. We’ve been at this address for a good while now. The neighborhood is quiet compared to the main roads. We don't have a big sign outside, so you have to look for the house number. Sometimes we drink too much chai while we work. It helps when we have a big pile of clothes to finish. We don't really do sales pitches. Either people like the work or they don't. We just keep doing what we know. It’s a lot of sitting and using your hands. Sometimes our fingers get stained from the blue or red dyes. It doesn't wash off easily. That is just part of the job here in Noida. We usually close up early on Saturdays to go home and rest our eyes.