Bhawani Bartan Bhandar

If you walk down Mandi Ki Naal near Delhi Gate 4, you'll hear the sound of metal clinking together. That’s usually us over at Bhawani Bartan Bhandar. We have stacks of steel plates and brass pots piled up high, sometimes almost touching the ceiling. It’s a bit of a maze inside because we try to fit as much as we can into the space. Running a utensil shop in this part of town means dealing with a lot of noise and a lot of people walking by. We’ve been here long enough that we don't mind the cramped quarters or the way the heat builds up in the afternoons. Sometimes we spend the whole morning just polishing things or reorganizing the heavy cookers so they don't fall over. People come in looking for stuff for their kitchens, maybe a new tawa or some small spoons, and we just help them find what’s in the piles. It isn't a glamorous job, but everyone needs plates to eat off of. The market area is always crowded, especially near Delhi Gate, so getting deliveries in can be a bit of a headache. We just take it day by day and try to keep the shop organized, even though it feels impossible some weeks. It's a family-run kind of place where we know the names of the other shopkeepers nearby. We just stay busy with the customers and the metal, making sure the shelves are always stocked.