Ramesh Manilal Shah

Our place is over in Katargam, right on Fulpada Road in the New GIDC area. If you know Surat, you know how busy this part of town gets with all the industrial work going on. We are at unit 330/1. It’s a practical space. We spend most of our time dealing with the day-to-day tasks that come with running a business in an area like this. There’s always dust from the road and trucks moving back and forth outside, but that’s just part of being in GIDC. Ramesh Manilal Shah has been the name on the door for a long time. We aren't trying to be something we aren't. We just focus on the work sitting in front of us. Some days are longer than others, especially when there’s a lot to sort through. We don't have any fancy signs or a big lobby. It’s mostly just us working through the list of things that need to get done before the day ends. The neighbors are all doing similar stuff, so there’s a lot of noise during the day. We’ve gotten used to it. People stop by when they need something, and we talk to them plainly. There’s no script or anything like that. We just tell it like it is. It’s a simple operation here in Surat. We open up early and stay until the lights need to go off. It keeps us busy and keeps the wheels turning.