Nibedita Welfare Foundation

Our place is at 166 South Masunda, in Ward Number 15 of New Barrackpore. It’s a residential sort of area, so it feels very much like a community spot. The building is just a regular house that we’ve adapted for our use. We have a few rooms where we keep our supplies and records. Being in North 24 Parganas, we are quite far from the main city rush, which is actually quite nice. The neighbors are mostly families who have lived here for decades. You can hear the sounds of the neighborhood—kids playing or people calling out to each other—right through our office windows. Our furniture is a mix of different styles we’ve picked up over time. It’s not a fancy office by any means, but it serves its purpose for us. We spend a lot of time just talking to people who come by or catching up on the manual entries in our books. There isn't any fancy software or high-tech gadgets around here. We just use what we have and get the work done. In the evenings, the street lights come on and things get even quieter. We usually lock up around six and head home. It is a very grounded way of operating, without any of the polish or pretension you find in big offices in the city. We just do our bit in this corner of New Barrackpore and keep things moving. Sometimes the rain makes the roof loud, but we don't mind much.