M. Lalwani & Company

We are located at No. 883 in Budhwar Peth. If you are looking for us, we are right below the Gujrat Lodge. It’s an old part of the city, so the streets are narrow and always packed with people and scooters. M. Lalwani & Company has been in this building for many years. The shop is narrow and goes back quite a way. We have shelves reaching all the way to the ceiling, filled with all sorts of things. It’s a bit dark inside even during the day, so we keep the tube lights on. There’s always a bit of dust in the air from the old paper and boxes. We sit on these wooden stools behind a counter that’s been worn smooth over decades. It’s not the kind of place with air conditioning or fancy carpets. We have a ceiling fan that wobbles a bit, but it keeps the air moving. Customers come in and we usually know them by name. We chat about the weather or the local news while we look for what they need. Sometimes it takes a while to find something in the back, but we always find it. We close up for a bit in the afternoon for lunch and a short rest. It’s a traditional way of running things, but it’s how we’ve always done it. Budhwar Peth is a noisy place, but inside here, it feels like time moves a bit slower.