Vijayalakshmi Metal Works

Down here at Watertank Street, near the Autonagar Gate in Patamata, things are always a bit loud. Vijayalakshmi Metal Works has been in this spot for a good while. Surendramani is the one running things now, taking over from what Sarabha Chari started. You can hear the sound of metal hitting metal all through the day. It’s a busy part of Vijayawada-10, so there is always dust from the road and the sound of lorries passing by the gate. The workshop floor is usually covered in scraps and tools. We try to keep it tidy but it’s hard when work is constant. Surendramani stays in the little office area when she’s not checking on the workers out front. The building at D.N: 56-11-23 isn't anything special to look at, just a practical place for the kind of work we do. It gets really sweaty in the afternoons, especially during the summer months. We drink a lot of water from the big cooler near the entrance. Sometimes neighbors stop by just to say hello or ask for a small fix on something they brought from home. We don't mind. It’s part of being in this neighborhood. The street lights outside flicker a bit in the evening when we are closing up. It’s just a normal workshop where people work hard and go home tired. We don’t have fancy signs or anything, just the work we do every day.