Sharma Uniforms

Sharma Uniforms is a busy little shop in Sector 22 Chaura, especially when the new school year is about to start. We have rolls of cloth in different shades of blue, white, and grey leaning against the walls. The sound of the sewing machines is almost constant, a sort of rhythmic thumping that goes on from morning until we close the shop at night. We spend our days taking measurements of children who never seem to stand still, trying to make sure the sleeves aren't too long or the trousers aren't too tight. There are piles of shirts and sweaters everywhere, and the smell of fresh fabric is very strong. The counter is usually buried under stacks of half-finished uniforms and measuring tapes. It gets very crowded in the small space when parents bring their kids in for trials, and there’s often a bit of a wait. We try to keep things moving, but sometimes the thread breaks or we run out of a certain size of button. We have a couple of mirrors on the wall so the kids can see how they look, though they usually look like they’d rather be anywhere else. It’s a lot of work, and our eyes get tired from looking at the needles and the patterns, but we’ve been in Chaura for a long time and everyone knows this is where they can find the right colors for the local schools.