Rajendra General Store

The shop is right here in Sadar Bazar Fatehabad on the main Fatehabad Road in Agra. It’s been sitting in the same spot for quite a few years now. Most of the people around here know us because they stop by for small things like soap or salt on their way home. The street gets really loud with all the rickshaws and motorbikes passing by, but inside it’s just the usual rows of jars and packets. We open up early in the morning, usually before the sun gets too hot, to get everything ready for the day. It’s not a very big place, just enough room for the counter and the wooden shelves we’ve had since the beginning. Sometimes the stock arrives late and we have to stack boxes in the corner until we have time to sort them out. My father used to sit here before me, and now I handle the daily bits. We don't have anything fancy, just the basics that a household needs. If someone asks for something we don’t have, we try to get it by the next week. It’s a simple way of living, really. The floor needs a sweep pretty often because of the dust from the road. Customers usually linger for a minute to talk about the weather or local news before heading off. It keeps the day moving along and gives me something to do other than just counting items.