Nikhil Handicarft

Nikhil Handicarft is tucked away down by Gangaur Ghat, right near Hotel Badi Haveli. If you know that area, you know it’s one of the most beautiful parts of the city, but it can be a real headache to get a vehicle through those narrow lanes. We’ve been here for years, and our shop is filled with all the typical handicrafts you’d expect to find in this part of town. It’s a small space, and the walls are covered in carvings and fabrics. We don't have a lot of room to move around, so we have to be careful not to knock anything over. During the festival times, the whole area gets incredibly crowded, and we mostly just stand by the door to make sure people can get in and out. It’s a lot of work keeping everything organized because things tend to get moved around by everyone who visits. We don't have a fancy website or any of that, we just rely on people walking past on their way to the Ghat. The smell of the water and the sound of the bells from the nearby temples are just part of our daily life here. It’s a very old-fashioned way of doing business, but it suits us. We have tea together in the afternoon and just wait for the evening rush to start. It’s a busy, cramped, but happy little shop that stays open as long as there are people walking by in the lanes.