Pooja Creations

Pooja Creations is located down in the basement of Mahalaxmi Market, which is unit B30. It’s right on Ring Road, across from the Surat textile market, so you can imagine how busy it gets around here. Being in the basement means it stays a little cooler than out on the street, but it also means we don't get much natural light. We use those bright tube lights to see what we’re doing. Most of the day is spent handling orders and moving fabric around. The noise from the traffic on Ring Road is always there in the background, like a constant hum. We’ve got a lot of neighbors in this building, and we all know each other’s faces by now. Sometimes the hallway outside gets blocked with big bundles of cloth, so you have to squeeze past to get to our door. It’s not a fancy place by any means. We have a desk that’s seen better days and some chairs for when friends or regulars drop by for a chat. The floor is concrete and we sweep it every morning, but the dust from the market always finds its way back in. Working in the basement has its own rhythm. We keep track of everything in old ledgers and hope the rain doesn’t leak through the vents when the monsoon gets heavy. It’s just how things work for us here in the market.