Rajendra Hall

People always ask why we keep the old wooden doors at Rajendra Hall, but they still work fine so we just leave them be. Being right here at Surajpole means there is never a quiet minute during the day. The traffic outside is constant and sometimes the honking gets inside during the speeches, but that is just how it is in this part of town and we are used to it. We spend a lot of our time just moving heavy chairs around from one side of the room to the other. One day it is a small prayer meeting and the next it is a big wedding with way too many people for the space. My father used to handle all the bookings in a thick paper ledger and I still do the same thing because computers feel like too much trouble for a place like this. The walls could use a new coat of paint maybe next year if we have a slow month or two. Usually, we are just sweeping up flower petals or bits of colored paper left behind after a party is over. It gets really hot in the afternoons but the big ceiling fans do their job well enough if you stand under them. Sometimes I sit out front on a plastic stool and watch the rickshaws go by when there is not a function going on. It is a simple life running a hall. We do not do anything fancy here, just give people a place to gather.