Khushi Ram Laxmi Narain

Khari Baoli is probably one of the most intense places you can work. It’s right in the middle of Old Delhi, and it’s been the hub for spices and grain for hundreds of years. We are at 474. The name on the board says Khushi Ram Laxmi Narain, which has been there for a long time. It’s a family thing, passed down through the years. The air here is heavy. It’s full of chili dust and turmeric and the smell of raw sugar. It makes you sneeze if you aren't used to it. The shop is narrow and deep, with wooden lofts where we keep the extra stock. There are no fancy computers on every desk here. It’s mostly big physical books and calculators with large buttons. We spend the day talking to laborers and traders who come from all over the country. It’s loud, with people shouting prices and the sound of heavy sacks being dropped on the floor. You have to watch where you walk because the ground is uneven and there's always a cart coming through. We drink a lot of tea to keep the throat clear from all the spice dust. By the time we close up, our clothes smell like the whole market. It’s a tough environment, but there’s a rhythm to it that you get used to after a few years. It’s just the way things are done in the Baoli, nothing more to it than that.