Chetan Motiwala

Pimpri is a crowded place, and our spot at F/717 is right in the middle of that energy. My father used to say that a business is only as good as the person standing behind the counter. That’s usually me or one of the boys. We deal with jewelry and stones, mostly, and the shop is filled with those tiny plastic boxes that hold everything. It’s not like those big malls with bright lights and fancy carpets. We have wooden counters that have seen better days and a small safe that’s older than I am. People come in looking for something specific, maybe for a wedding or just a gift, and we sit down and talk. There’s no rush here. We usually have the radio playing softly in the background. Sometimes the tea guy comes by twice an hour and we end up chatting more than working. It’s a local life. Being in Pimpri for so long, we know the families around here. We’ve seen kids grow up and come back to buy things for their own kids. It’s a bit messy with paperwork sometimes, and the accounts take me longer than they should, but it’s our way. We don't use big words or fancy ads. We just open the shutters in the morning and see who comes through the door. It’s just me, Chetan, trying to keep things running like they always have. We value the quiet days just as much as the busy ones.