Navketan

Our place, Navketan, is tucked away in Mohini Market. It’s in Kucha Mahajani, which everyone knows is the heart of the jewelry trade in Chandni Chowk. It is a very narrow lane, and it’s always packed with people moving gold and silver around. We have been here for years, and the shop is quite small. We don't need a lot of space to do what we do. Most of our work involves talking to other traders and regulars who have been coming to us for a long time. It’s a noisy place with people shouting and bells ringing from the nearby temples. We stay open late most days because that’s when the market is most active and the deals happen. Sometimes it feels like time stands still in these old buildings, even though everything outside is moving so fast. We don't have a big sign or fancy lights. People just know where number 3 is. Dealing with precious metals is a serious job, so we spend a lot of time checking weights and prices on the old scales we have. It’s a lot of sitting and waiting, then sudden bursts of being very busy when a big order comes in. We drink a lot of tea while we wait for the next person to walk in. It’s not a glamorous life, but it’s what we know. The community here is tight, and we all know each other’s business anyway.