La Kawa

La Kawa is located at No 35 on Aurobindo Street. We are right near the Mission Street cutting, which is a pretty well-known spot in Pondicherry. The streets here are narrow and can get quite crowded with scooters and people walking around. Our building is an old one, like many others in this part of town. It has that Pondy feel to it, with the salt air and the high humidity. We keep the doors open and try to let the breeze in when we can. Working here is pretty straightforward. We open up, sweep the front, and get things ready for whoever stops by. We don't have a big corporate manual. We just talk to people like they are our neighbors, because usually, they are. Sometimes the noise from the street gets a bit much, or the rain leaks in a little near the window, but we just put a bucket down and keep going. It’s a very local way of doing things. We know the people at the shops nearby and we see the same faces every day. We aren't trying to be the most famous place in 605001. We just want to be a reliable spot on Aurobindo Street. It’s a lot of small tasks that fill up our day, from fixing a lightbulb to chatting with a visitor about directions. It is just our little corner of the world where we do our bit every single day.