Sambhaji Mandapwale

We are located in Urulikanchan, which is a quiet enough place most of the time. Our business is setting up mandaps and providing chairs and tables for local events. It’s a lot of physical labor that most people don't see. We spend our days loading heavy iron poles and bundles of cloth onto the old truck. It’s not a clean job; our clothes are usually dusty by noon. There isn't a big fancy showroom here. Everything is kept in our yard. When someone in the village has a wedding or a small religious ceremony, they come over to talk to us. We’ve been here for a long time. My family handles the work together. Sometimes the weather makes things difficult for us. If there’s a strong wind, we have to be extra careful with the tents so nothing falls over. We aren't trying to be the biggest company in the world. We just want to make sure the chairs are there and the roof is over the guests' heads. The work is seasonal, so some months are very busy and others are slow. We spend the slow times repairing the cloths and painting the poles. It’s honest work and we like being part of the community here. You won't find us on any big billboards. We just stick to our corner of Urulikanchan and keep working.