Sant Aparna Kamlakar

We have been set up here in Mandvi for quite a while now. Our office is tucked away on the 4th floor of Shishu Vilas, which is right behind the busy Khanderao Market. Being up this high means we are somewhat separated from the constant noise of the street level, but you can still hear the distant hum of the market shoppers and the scooters throughout the day. The climb up the stairs is a bit of a workout every morning since the building is older and doesn't have a fancy lift, but we have gotten used to it. The space inside is pretty simple. We have a few desks, some old wooden cabinets for our records, and a small corner where we keep the kettle for tea. The windows look out over the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, and when the weather is clear, you can see quite a bit of the neighborhood. It gets a little warm in the afternoons, so we keep the ceiling fans going at full speed. We don't really go in for big decorations or professional staging. It is just a practical place where we come to get our daily work done. Most of the people who visit us are locals who know the area well. We spend our time managing paperwork and taking calls. It is a quiet, steady routine that suits us just fine. We like being in this part of town because everything we need is just a short walk away.