Ekta Pattal Dona Bhandar

At Ekta Pattal Dona Bhandar, we deal in the things people use for serving food at big gatherings. We are located at Mandi Ki Naal, Teej Ka Chowk. Our shop is number 26. We mostly sell those plates made from dried leaves, which we call pattal. We also have the small bowls called dona. These are very traditional. People still prefer them for temple functions and community feasts even today. It’s a small shop. Usually, it is packed to the ceiling with bundles of these disposable items. The smell of the dried leaves is something you get used to after working here for a few days. We also keep the newer paper versions because that’s what some people want now for their parties. The lanes around Teej Ka Chowk are very narrow. Getting our supplies delivered can be a bit of a headache sometimes. We have to carry the heavy bundles by hand through the crowds. It’s a family-run thing and we don't have any big goals of expanding into a huge warehouse. We are happy right here where the action is in the old city. When the festival season comes, we are so busy that we barely have time to eat our own lunch. We just keep serving the customers who walk in, one after another, all day long until the shutters go down for the night.