Pokkali Balakrishnaiah Chety & Co.

Our business has a long name, Pokkali Balakrishnaiah Chety & Co., but we are just a local operation. We are located at No: 235 on P.H. C Road in Padirivedu. It’s a bit of a drive out to the Maduranthakam Post area in Thiruvallur district. We’ve been out here for a long time. The building is solid and has been in the family for years. We deal with a lot of traditional stuff, the kind of things people in the villages around here need. It’s a quiet life compared to the city. We see the seasons change through the big front door. Sometimes the cows walk right past the entrance on their way to the fields. We don't use much technology. Most of our records are kept in big cloth-bound books. It’s how we’ve always done it. People come from the surrounding villages to see us. We know their fathers and their grandfathers. It’s that kind of place. The air is a bit cleaner out here in Padirivedu. We don't have fancy displays. We just keep our stock on the shelves and wait for people to ask for what they need. It’s a slow pace, but we like it that way. We aren't looking to expand or become a big chain. We are just happy being where we are in Thiruvallur, doing our work every day. It's a simple life and it suits us.