Shakti Engg.

Working out of Patel Industrial Estate in Pratap Nagar means you get used to the noise of machines pretty fast. At Shakti Engg., there’s always something humming or a metal cutter making that high-pitched sound that vibrates in your teeth. We’re over at Plot B/3/C. It’s a busy corner of the estate. The floor is concrete and has those dark oil stains that never really come out no matter how much you scrub them on Saturdays. We spend most of the day in blue overalls, and by three o'clock, there’s usually metal shavings stuck to our boots. It’s not a place where you wear a tie or keep your hands clean for long. We make parts and fix things that other people use in their factories. Sometimes it gets really hot in the summer because the metal roof soaks up all the sun and holds it. We have a couple of big coolers, but they just move the warm air around the workshop. Still, we keep at it because the orders have to go out by Friday afternoon. My father started this place, and some of the machines are older than I am, but they still run better than the new ones if you know how to treat them right. We don't have a receptionist; if the phone rings, whoever is closest to the office door just wipes their hands on a rag and picks it up. It’s a bit messy, and there’s always a stack of iron rods waiting to be moved, but it’s honest work.