Gouri Shanker & Sons

Gouri Shanker & Sons is a family-run business at 4034/1 in Naya Bazar. My father, Gouri Shanker, set this up a long time ago, and now my brothers and I take care of the daily operations. The shop is located in one of the narrower parts of the market, so it’s always a bit of a squeeze getting through. We deal in various commodities, mostly wholesale. Our office is filled with old ledgers and samples of what we sell. We don't believe in having a fancy setup because most of our work happens on the street or over the phone. You’ll usually find one of us sitting at the front, drinking tea and talking to customers. It’s a very traditional way of doing business, based on handshakes and long-term relationships. We’ve seen the market change a lot over the years, with new buildings coming up, but our little corner remains pretty much the same. The walls could use a fresh coat of paint, and the ceiling fan makes a bit of a clicking noise, but it’s home to us. We work six days a week, and by Sunday, we are usually pretty exhausted. But come Monday morning, we are back at it again, opening the locks and getting ready for the trucks. It’s a steady life. We don’t have any big slogans or goals, just keeping the family name going and doing the work as best as we can.