Anand Agrawal

Purani Basti in Raipur is full of history and very narrow streets. Our place at 49/879 Bania Para is right in the middle of all that. It’s an old part of town, so you can’t really bring a big car right to the door. Most people just walk or use a bike. Anand Agrawal is the name on the paperwork, but here, we are just known as the people at 49/879. The building has been in the family or at least in this area for a long time. The walls are thick, which is good for the Raipur heat. Inside, it’s a bit dark because the buildings are so close together, but we have enough lamps to see. There’s always the smell of food from the neighbor’s kitchen drifting in around lunchtime. It makes you hungry. We don't have any modern glass partitions or fancy carpets. Just some wooden desks and chairs that have been around for years. We do our work here every day. It’s a lot of talking to people and handling the local needs. Bania Para is a tight community. Everyone knows what everyone else is doing. We like it that way because it feels safe and familiar. Sometimes the monkeys run across the roof and make a lot of noise. We just ignore them and keep going with our tasks. It’s just a normal day-to-day existence in a very old and crowded part of Raipur. We wouldn't change it for a modern office.