Madhavi Motors

The shop is right across from Mambaram HSS. Every morning we see the students walking in while we roll up the shutters. It gets pretty dusty here on the main road with all the buses going past. Madhavi Motors has been in this spot for a good while now. Most days are spent under car hoods or crawling on the floor with a torch looking for leaks. There is always a smell of old engine oil and petrol hanging in the air. We keep a few plastic chairs for people to sit while they wait for their vehicles, but mostly they just stand and talk about the traffic. The ceiling fan in the corner makes a rhythmic clicking noise but it helps a bit with the heat. Sometimes the school gets really loud during their lunch break, and we can hear the kids shouting while we work on a stubborn gearbox. Our tools are spread out on the benches and there are greasy rags everywhere. It is not a fancy place, but that is how a garage looks when there is actual work getting done. We usually have a lot of scrap metal and old tires piled up in the back corner. Sometimes a neighbor brings us tea from the stall down the street. We just try to get the engines running right so people can get where they need to go. The floor has some permanent stains from oil spills over the years. We close up when it gets dark.