Devkaran Mulji Talpatriwala

The shop is tucked away in Bhawani Peth at 1031, and it’s been there for as long as I can remember. If you walk inside, you’ll see stacks of heavy tarps piled up almost to the ceiling. It smells like plastic and heavy canvas in here. We spend a lot of time measuring out lengths and cutting material for people who need to cover their trucks or their roofs before the monsoon hits. It’s heavy work, and our hands usually get pretty rough from handling the thick fabrics and the ropes. We have these big old scissors that have seen better days but they still cut straight. Devkaran Mulji Talpatriwala isn't a large operation, just a few of us working in the space we have. When it rains, the shop gets really crowded because everyone suddenly realizes they have a leak or need protection for their goods. We also handle those green nets you see at construction sites. The street outside is always noisy with tempos and carts moving around, so we have to shout a bit to be heard. It’s a bit dusty, and the floor is usually covered in offcuts of fabric and pieces of string. We don’t spend money on fancy displays or anything like that. We just focus on getting the sizes right and making sure the eyelets are punched in properly so the covers don't fly away in the wind. That is basically what we do every single day.