C. Lal & Sons

Our family has been running things here at 9/172 in the Jor Bagh Market for a long time now. We are tucked away right behind the telephone exchange, which makes it a bit quieter than the main part of Lodhi Road. The shop itself feels like a bit of a time capsule, with old wooden counters and shelves that go all the way to the ceiling. We carry a bit of everything that the local residents might need, and we have gotten to know the families in the neighborhood over several generations. It’s the kind of place where people stop in not just to buy something, but also to have a quick chat about the weather or what’s happening in the market. The floors are old stone and they stay cool even when the Delhi summer is at its worst outside. We don’t have any modern music playing or bright neon signs; we just keep the lights on and wait for whoever might need our help. Sometimes we spend the whole afternoon just organizing the smaller items in the drawers or catching up on our ledger books. It’s a slow pace of life here compared to the rest of the city, and we quite like it that way. Being behind the exchange gives us a little bit of privacy, though we are still very much a part of the daily rhythm of this old market.