Shilpa Puranik

If you know Kalyan West, you probably know how busy Tilak Chowk gets. My place is just near there, in the Shrinivas building at Ghodekhot Ali. I’m Shilpa Puranik, and I use rooms 301 and 302 for everything I do. It’s a bit of a walk up, but it’s a good spot once you’re inside. I’ve been here for a few years now. It started out small, just me working from a single desk, but eventually, I needed more space so I took the neighboring room too. The building is older, so it has that lived-in feel which I actually prefer over those new glass towers. My day usually starts with checking the mail and seeing who’s stopped by. It’s a local operation, nothing too complicated. I have a couple of people helping me keep track of everything. We don't spend time on big presentations or trying to look like a huge corporation. We’re just here in Kalyan, doing our bit. Sometimes the monsoon makes it a bit tricky with the dampness, but we manage just fine. People from the neighborhood know they can just drop in if they have a question. We keep the kettle on and the files sorted. It’s practical work for practical people. I like that I can walk to most places I need to go from here. It keeps things simple and grounded in the community where I live and work every day. There is always something interesting happening right outside the window.